Disclaimer: I'm not from the US, nor have I ever been there. I've known a few Americans, and all (except one...he was a sociopath) were fine people.
That out of the way. Looking from the outside, it feels to me that the US needs to change the way it thinks. It seems very much built around the idea that you can make your own fortune, which you surely can, but this also means there is little or no support for those that fail. Which means that the divide between the rich and the poor becomes huge. This is neither good for the rich or the poor, it just means more people will turn to crime, making life unsafe for the rich. I believe, the strong opposition to things like social security and most state controlled social support for those who need it has it's roots in a fear/hatred for communism. I'm not saying communism is a great system, it has been tested and it has failed, but there is a middle ground between communism and a totally capitalistic society, and currently the US is a good bit to the right of this middle ground.
If you look at countries where people in general are more happy with their life, you'll see they have many things in common (Denmark, Switzerland, etc.). Reasonably good social security, low crime rates, free health care, good job market and solid rights for workers (high minimum wage, sick pay etc), solid civil rights and more. A country that takes good care of it's citizens, is a good place to live.
