"You're not free to expect your health to be taken care of no matter what your financial situation; you're not free from living in often astonishing debt just to to get a higher education; you're not free to feel any sort of real sense of job security when an employer can fire you at will with little protection;"
I think universal healthcare, affordable higher education
and social security are basic necessities and it's insane that the US doesn't have them.
But that's not freedom, that's socialism. It's like saying that US citizens are not free to travel because airplane tickets are expensive.
Freedom means that you get a choice, even if that choice is going to screw yourself later in life - for instance not buying health insurance.
All those things you mention are paid by your taxes - someone is literally taking money away from you to pay for something you might not need - thats hardly freedom.
In this sense the US is the freest country to live in, though not necessarily the best one.
I think universal healthcare, affordable higher education and social security are basic necessities and it's insane that the US doesn't have them.
But that's not freedom, that's socialism. It's like saying that US citizens are not free to travel because airplane tickets are expensive.
Freedom means that you get a choice, even if that choice is going to screw yourself later in life - for instance not buying health insurance. All those things you mention are paid by your taxes - someone is literally taking money away from you to pay for something you might not need - thats hardly freedom.
In this sense the US is the freest country to live in, though not necessarily the best one.