The country was founded on an amazing Constitution, but it has gone somewhat awry. The jingoism is a massive problem, as it basically makes any change to aforementioned Constitution paramount to sacrilege.
That, and the free economy got out of hand. Theoretically, the idea that every man has the potential to earn a comfortable and dignified life is nice, but tends to lead to sinister corporatism in practice.
Actually, while we're on the subject, could someone explain how the Republican ideal of healthcare is in any way civilized? Especially in the context of Christianity, which the right-wing seems to espouse to such a scary degree?