Let’s Hear it for the Greatest Country/Countries in the World: Sorry USA

                                                         Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart

The categories on which nations are ranked related to their “greatness” can be summed up as “the quality of life for all of their nation’s people. Look at the following list.

[Quality of Life (14.52%): a good job market, affordable, economically stable, family friendly, income equality, politically stable, safe, well-developed public education system, well-developed public health system.

Entrepreneurship (14.17%): connected to the rest of the world, educated population, entrepreneurial, innovative, provides easy access to capital, skilled labor force, technological expertise, transparent business practices, well-developed infrastructure, well-developed digital infrastructure, well-developed legal framework.

Agility (13.96%): adaptable, dynamic, modern, progressive, responsive.

Social Purpose (13.49%): cares about human rights, cares about the environment, gender equality, religious freedom, respects property rights, trustworthy, well-distributed political power, racial equity, cares about animal rights, committed to climate goals, committed to social justice.

Movers (10.57%): different, distinctive, dynamic, unique.

Cultural Influence (10.36%): culturally significant in terms of entertainment, fashionable, happy, influential culture, strong consumer brands, modern, prestigious, trendy.

Open for Business (9.35%): cheap manufacturing costs, favorable tax environment, bureaucratic, corrupt, transparent government practices.

Adventure (5.48%): friendly, fun, good for tourism, pleasant climate, scenic, sexy.

Power (5.02%): a leader, economically influential, strong exports, politically influential, strong international alliances, strong military.

Heritage (3.09%): culturally accessible, rich history, great food, many cultural attractions, many geographical attractions.]

The United States ranks between 12th and 18th overall. Sweden and Norway are consistently ranked first and second. If you ask why, you obviously accept the bullshit from politicians that “the United States is the greatest country in the world.” The truth is, we are not even close, and never will be as long as our government is the most corrupt and incompetent in the free world. Social purpose contains the majority of the components which make a country great. 

Once again I repeat the most important issues: social purpose contains cares about human rights, cares about the environment, gender equality, religious freedom, respects property rights, trustworthy, well-distributed political power, racial equity, cares about animal rights, committed to climate goals, committed to social justice.

Let’s examine America’s relationship to each of these issues.

In 21st century America, human rights are under attack from right wing politicians. Unless you are pure white, and male, you are not allowed to enjoy all of the freedoms promised by the Constitution. Black Americans, women, and the LGBTQ community have become the focal point of the men and women who call themselves Republicans. After Trump’s Neo-Nazi army attempted to overthrow our government on January 6, 2021, Republicans attempted to claim that the insurrection was nothing more than a “mild protest.” In fealty to the super rich, today’s “Republicans” oppose any and all means to protect efforts to save the world from disaster resulting from pollution in our air, soil, and water in the near future. They proved once and for all on June 24, 2022 that women are third class citizens when a right wing extremist Supreme Court overturned a 49-year-old decision by a legitimate Court that protected a woman’s right to make decisions about her personal mental and physical health. 

Right wing politicians support a direct violation of the First Amendment. They are planning to pass a Constitutional Amendment which would establish Christianity as our nation’s only true religion. Although they do protect property rights, their entire support is based on the demands of wealthy real estate investors. Our government cannot be trusted. This has been proven over and over again as they protect their own from justice in situations ranging from treason to fraud. Republicans refuse to work with Democrats and are planning to replace democracy with a fascist regime. The right wing has proven that it is the party of racism and bigotry. They openly support the white power movement in America. They claim to support animal rights. However, their only focus is on the protection of grazing rights for wealthy cattlemen. We all know their position on climate change. And finally the new American Fascist Party favors a “police state.” They continue to ignore the plight of minorities, immigrants, women, and the LGBTQ community. Our entire justice system is a failure. 

There is a list of valid reasons why the United States has never been a “great country.” Unfortunately, nearly one half of all Americans have chosen not to learn from our nation’s past mistakes. There have been too many to count.

Op-ed by James Turnage

My nine novels are available on Amazon’s free Kindle app

Sources:

https://www.investopedia.com/updates/top-developing-countries/

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/articles/methodology