You'll find that US broadband/technology/cell-network/healthcare/alt-energy apologists trot out every excuse and make pretzel-twisting arguments for other first

You'll find that US broadband/technology/cell-network/healthcare/alt-energy apologists trot out every excuse and make pretzel-twisting arguments for other first world countries having arguably superior things than we do. Some of the arguments are valid (we're a really geographically big country), but some are specious. My favorite is "because such-and-such place has a monoculture while we are a melting pot". Huh? How in God's name would that prevent us from getting high speed rail or gigE internet? So, because people have different colors and beliefs, we can't get broadband coast to coast? That just doesn't make any sense. Another is the "our government is corrupt/monopolistic/fascist/corporatist/name-your-own-damning-description". So, if there's corruption, there must be somewhere we can ram through gigE speeds through back-alley deals and nepotistic dealings like (supposedly) Hong Kong.