One thing is for certain; none of
the high achieving countries weigh down their students with monumental student
debt as is the case in America;
and their governments do not generate billions of profits from the interest
earned on these loans such as the U.S. government does.
These top rated countries most certainly have to deal with some degree of societal violence but they have generally low crime rates; it's not a significant problem. Their prisons are not overflowing. These countries do not allow the unrestricted proliferation of guns and other weaponry in their societies. They do not have "Stand Your Ground" and "Concealed Carry" laws that have become prevalent, in one form or another, in every state of America. None of these countries has capital punishment because it's against their principles of morality.
Let's talk about jobs. In my view there is nothing more important for a citizen of a country than to have than the opportunity to be employed, to be productive, and not be dependent upon their government for assistance. One very significant conclusion of this study was that "while jobs provide financial security they also affect a person's mental well-being." That "when people lose jobs they don't just lose a salary, they really lose out on their ability to be connected to society." Hello! Is America, the business sector and the U.S. government listening?
Health care that covers all the people of a society to the same degree is present in one form or another in every one of these advanced nations. They provide health care for all of their citizens; no one is excluded. These systems, in most cases, are exemplary; their costs are far lower than those in the U.S., mainly because their laws exclude profit-making insurance companies from any involvement.
Inequality of income and wealth
is a universal problem that is present in almost all of the countries in the
world, to one extent or another. While the U.S.
has the highest per-capita income in the world its inequality is far greater
than all the other countries with the exception of Turkey,
Mexico and Chile. To have
the highest income and one of the worst cases of inequality is a clear
indication that there is a tremendous imbalance in America
between the rich and all other Americans; an imbalance that will eventually
bring down capitalism in the U.S.
Life satisfaction is a very important measurement of how people evaluate their own well being. It involves their state of health, their ability to perform a job, education, and housing among other factors. In this category America does not do well. Life satisfaction in the U.S. which was ranked 14th in the world in last year's report dropped to 17th in 2014; we're going in the wrong direction as is evident for anyone who is aware of what is happening in this country.
Voting is an important function in all these high-ranking countries, all of which have some form of democracy. We know that the voter turnout in America is abysmal and continues to worsen; the typical turnout for national presidential elections is typically no more than 55%. And it's far, far worse in the general congressional elections. So while the people of America have a Constitutional right to vote, millions refuse to exercise that right. What does this study indicate about how people in other countries exercise their voting rights?
Well, Sweden has one of the highest voting rates in the entire world as some 85% of its eligible residents typically turn out to vote. In Australia, if you can believe it, voter turnout in 2013 was 93%; this was obviously due to this nation's compulsory voting laws, something that America should seriously consider. Countries such as Norway, Denmark and Finland also have high voter turnout because they value their democracies -- and also the fact that their election processes are not contaminated and controlled by a Corporate Norway, a Corporate Denmark or a Corporate Finland.
These top rated countries most certainly have to deal with some degree of societal violence but they have generally low crime rates; it's not a significant problem. Their prisons are not overflowing. These countries do not allow the unrestricted proliferation of guns and other weaponry in their societies. They do not have "Stand Your Ground" and "Concealed Carry" laws that have become prevalent, in one form or another, in every state of America. None of these countries has capital punishment because it's against their principles of morality.
Let's talk about jobs. In my view there is nothing more important for a citizen of a country than to have than the opportunity to be employed, to be productive, and not be dependent upon their government for assistance. One very significant conclusion of this study was that "while jobs provide financial security they also affect a person's mental well-being." That "when people lose jobs they don't just lose a salary, they really lose out on their ability to be connected to society." Hello! Is America, the business sector and the U.S. government listening?
Health care that covers all the people of a society to the same degree is present in one form or another in every one of these advanced nations. They provide health care for all of their citizens; no one is excluded. These systems, in most cases, are exemplary; their costs are far lower than those in the U.S., mainly because their laws exclude profit-making insurance companies from any involvement.
Life satisfaction is a very important measurement of how people evaluate their own well being. It involves their state of health, their ability to perform a job, education, and housing among other factors. In this category America does not do well. Life satisfaction in the U.S. which was ranked 14th in the world in last year's report dropped to 17th in 2014; we're going in the wrong direction as is evident for anyone who is aware of what is happening in this country.
Voting is an important function in all these high-ranking countries, all of which have some form of democracy. We know that the voter turnout in America is abysmal and continues to worsen; the typical turnout for national presidential elections is typically no more than 55%. And it's far, far worse in the general congressional elections. So while the people of America have a Constitutional right to vote, millions refuse to exercise that right. What does this study indicate about how people in other countries exercise their voting rights?
Well, Sweden has one of the highest voting rates in the entire world as some 85% of its eligible residents typically turn out to vote. In Australia, if you can believe it, voter turnout in 2013 was 93%; this was obviously due to this nation's compulsory voting laws, something that America should seriously consider. Countries such as Norway, Denmark and Finland also have high voter turnout because they value their democracies -- and also the fact that their election processes are not contaminated and controlled by a Corporate Norway, a Corporate Denmark or a Corporate Finland.
Here's a breakdown of the U.S. ranking in 8 key categories. It shows, for example, that in the category of life satisfaction America ranks only 17th best among the OECD nations in the study.
Jobs/employment -- 16 best out of 36
Life expectancy -- 26th best out of 36
Environment -- 17th best out of 36
Work/life balance -- 26th best out of 36
Social inequality -- 3rd worst out of 36
Homicide rate -- 2d worst out of 36
Student skills -- 21 best out of 36
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