Even Russian clocks tick correctly, twice per day.
They say these things because they are blindingly-obvious corrections to the problems, so our inability to implement them is proof of how collossally idiotic we are, as a nation.
Look at the Germans! Just look at them! Look how stupid they are! Imbeciles.
They hold us up as an example of *What Not To Be*. And there is no perceived risk to them, as they assume we really are too stupid to implement them. It has been decades? What proof is there, that we can reform? We are just managing our decline... and doing so very badly.