Finding Happiness in a "Brave New World"

Are you happy?  Most people would shrug their shoulders and say something like "I guess so" which isn't really much of an answer.  But for most people, the question needs to be qualified in order to give you a more honest answer. For instance, are you talking about my finances, my work situation, my home life, and so forth?

It would also be relative as to your situation at the particular moment.  As an example, you could say you're not real happy with your work situation, but then you suddenly get a promotion with more pay, and suddenly you're one contended clam. You could have cancer and feeling pretty depressed. Then, out of the blue, you get some news that reports a potential cure and your depression almost instantly goes to euphoria.

Nevertheless, to answer properly someone question about happiness, we need to take into consideration the topic and timing. Well, the World Happiness Report is published in partnership with Gallup, The UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, Oxford Wellbeing Research Centre, and the WHR Editorial Board, decided they were going to poll the globe to find out.

The report, which is published annually, looks at number of wide ranging factors including age demographics, opportunities, health, population, GDP, political satisfaction, degree of freedom, and environment. So, without further adieu, let's see who's the happiest in the world and who isn't!

Starting with the overall score, Norway came in the fifth spot. In fourth place was Sweden. Third place went to Iceland while second went to Denmark. As for the top spot, that went to Finland...again! In case you didn't notice, but all five overall are Nordic, which isn't unusual. Scandinavia is typically ranked in the top ten when it comes to the best educated, best healthcare system, and best government (strictly based on personal opinion obviously).

When the list is expanded, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Switzerland, New Zealand  and Australia round out the top ten. Notice who's missing? Yelp. The United States didn't fare to well. In fact, for the first time ever, the U.S. fell from the top tier and landed in the 23rd spot, just ahead of Germany in 24th.  The countries just ahead of included Czechia (18th), Lithuania (19th), the UK (20th) and Slovenia holding down the 21st spot.

It's worth noting the bottom third worst countries to live in are mostly in Africa, although Afghanistan is dead last in the 143rd position (Lebanon is just above it at 142),  With the bottom third being the worst places to live in terms of happiness (not to mention economics and opportunities), it's no wonder that Europe is overrun with "migrants"  mostly from Africa. Unfortunately, most appear to be looking for four star rated accommodations and other freebies rather than a job.

In examining our drop, the report says that among those 30 and under, the U.S. ranked a pitiful 62 place. But for those over 60, the survey said the tenth place was all ours (as an aside, the 30 and under crowd are the Millennials and Gen Z while those 60 and up are mostly Babyboomers and some Gen X.  It also includes those of the Silent Generation and the Greatest Generation).  

Before going any further, I need to break up these groups by date. The Greatest Generation (WWII) comprises anyone born before 1927. The Silent Generation is 1928 - 1945. Babyboomers are 1946 - 1964. Gen X is 1965 - 1980. Gen Y/Millennials 1981 - 1996 . Gen Z is 1997 - 2012 and Gen Alpha is 2013 - ?.

It should be mentioned that among Millennials and Gen Z, political party registration is its lowest and dropping.  Among Millennials, Republicans make up barely 21% of registered voters. Democrats are 27% while Independents are a whopping 52% and growing. Among Gen Z, it's not much different. Republicans are only 17%. Democrats are 31%, and Independents are again 52% and continuing to grow.

When we look at Gen X, Republicans make up 30% compared to Democrats at 27%. However, Independents are 44%. Among Boomers (that's me), Republicans are 35%, Independents are 33%, and Democrats are a close 32%. The Silent Generation is the Republicans core voter group. The GOP makes up 39% while Democrats take up 35% and Independents are 26%. As an aside.

The "World Happiness Report" would seem to back this up as it says those under 30 are increasingly unhappy about pretty much everything, but especially the economy, the environment, and corporate control of politics.

Another way to look at how the percentages by generation will affect voting and the economy is based on generational preference for capitalism (our current system) and some form of socialism (likely similar to the top ranking happy Scandinavians).  The Silent Generation overwhelmingly back capitalism with 77% in favor. The balance is equally split between socialism and no preference.

Baby Boomers like their capitalism too (despite their Che posters). 60% back capitalism. 16% like socialism, while 10% are too high to care. When it comes to Gen X, we start to see a shift. While capitalism still wins out 39%, 14% want socialism. Significantly 22% don't care. When we get into Millennials, the shift becomes a little more noticeable.

Among Millennials, 34% like our current capitalist model, although 20% prefer socialism of some type yet 21% are open. Lastly, let's look at Gen Z. Although mostly in their 20's, only 29% support capitalism while a close 28% back socialism and 19% are willing to go either way. So what does that means?

From my take on the numbers, as the Silent and Boomer generations age out, the new power players will be the Millennials and Gen Z. Given the present situation of the United States (such as need to stay on an artificial war economy to get economy going, growth of illegal immigration, slide as a world power, failing infrastructure, etc), I would expect a change away from our current predatory form of capitalism.

In its place, a more managed economy which may include more regulation, especially of critical resources or industries. The biggest change may be the political system. In place to a corporate controlled duopoly, we may find open primaries, easier entry for third party and Independent candidates into election, real campaign finance reform, and term limits. 

While I question whether our southern border will ever again be secure, I expect Spanish to become our second defacto "national" language. (its essentially that already)  The U.S. will start showing concrete signs of balkanizing into racial and ethnic zones. Maybe the "Reconquista" will happen yet.

Gen Z and Gen Alpha may be the last wholly American generation. The U.S. economy may show short lived signs of the dominance it once had, but we will be in stiff competition with countries like India, China, Mexico, and Brazil (all, incidentally, members of the BRICs union). Other similar economic and military unions will form out of necessity in order to compete and defend trade lanes.

For those of us of the Silent, Baby Boomer, and older Gen X generations, the America we grew up in with all its idyllic collective memories  are gone, never to return expect on late night reruns. The Oligarchs are working hard to build a bulwark against what's coming, not for our sake, but for theirs. Their aim is to minimize choices while making it appear choices are abundant; to create a managed political and economic system.

That also entails more surveillance. For instance, while we'll have more electronic goodies than we can imagine, but ultimately you have to wonder who do they serve---us or someone else. Siri and Alexa have already proven they passively listen and store damn near everything. At what point does the illusion of convenience trump  our right to privacy? 

Will our electronic cars take us only to where we're authorized to go based on our credit rating?  We'll also interact less and less with our fellow human beings. We will start replacing flesh and blood relationships with cyber ones. Even our sex partners may come with off/on switches!  

 Our definition of "happiness" will surely have to change to meet changing technology and global demographics. Even "happy" Scandinavia is rapidly changing.  The so-called "migrants" pouring into the country and demanding to be given their free share of prosperity without contributing. I guess when you import the third world, you get the world.  I bet even Aldous Huxley couldn't have predicted this  "Brave New World".

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These are the world's happiest countries in 2024

Finland named the world's happiest country (again) but young people are struggling

Party identification in the United States in 2022, by generation

Millennials,Gen Z Clinging to Independent Party ID

Which U.S.Generation Holds The Most Political Power?

Gen Z willchange capitalism as we know it

 

Where are the "Happiest" Places to Live? A Look At the Happiest Countries, States, and Cities

How many of you remember the little ditty from childhood, "If you're happy and you know it clap your hands"? How many of you can honestly clap your hands these days? What does it really mean, to be "happy"? What are some of the internal and external facts that affect your overall happiness? Lastly, what countries are considered the happiest? What about individual states and cities? Which ones are the considered the happiest places to live?

While "happiness" it difficult to quantify, it's generally considered to a measure of contentment, be it your personal happiness or that of a group and even a country. Many factors, both internal and external, go into the concept of happiness. It could be the amount of pleasure or enjoyment you derive from something, be it tangible or perception. Happiness can also be seen as security as in the amount of physical or psychological comfort you receive. This could mean having a home, a good job, or being in a loving/caring relationship.

On a more macro basis, happiness could be viewed as having quality medical care, good roads, a good educational system, or a stable economy capable of providing growth and opportunities. Some might argue that a strong military brings them a measure of happiness since it provides security from outside threats while others might say that having a responsive police, fire department, or EMS actually brings them more comfort than a strong military since it provides a more immediate amount of security than the threat of external threats. Other features of happiness at the macro level might include infrastructure, the availability of food or on demand electricity and clean water.

The thing about happiness is that there's no right or wrong answers as our individual needs or wants differ based on a multitude of factors like upbringing, education, gender, social class, or religious beliefs. Thus happiness could mean the availability of fresh food, clean drinking water, having a stable economy which every business needs in order to function and grow, a progressive social safety net, reasonable taxes (I say "reasonable" because no one likes to pay taxes, but that's the price of civilization. Reasonable means the services you receive for your tax dollars).

It also includes having a responsive government. Note that doesn't necessarily mean a "democratic" style government nor having the same "freedoms", however you want to define that term, as the next country. Historically, people have always been willing to sacrifice their freedoms, or at least some of them, for security. People look to government to provide those things which most of us are unable to acquire on our own, either because of the expense or lack of expertise or resources needed. if a government is able to provide what the people need (as oppose to want) on a consistent basis, it typically doesn't matter the form government takes in the long run. That's why feudal states did so well for such a long time. However, when government acquires to much powerful while not meeting our changing needs, we usually see pushback in the form of reform movements, revolts or revolutions.

So, having said that, let's look at those countries where the people there say they are happy. We'll also take a look at which US states and cities are ranked by their level of happiness. According to the "World Happiness Report of 2018 (yes, that's actually a report), which is published by the United Nations, people are surveyed using a ranking system called the "Cantrill Ladder" (it ranks questions on a scale of 0 for the least to 10 for the most). The survey examines areas such as macro and micro economics, national statistics, psychology, as well as national policies, ethics/values, along with other reports tied to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) of 156 countries.

Coming in the tenth spot was the country from down under, Australia. In ninth place was Sweden. Eighth place belonged to Australia's neighbor, New Zealand. Number seven was Canada. The sixth ranked country in terms of most happy was Switzerland. Iceland placed fourth while Denmark was third. The second happiest county was Norway. Finally, the country with the happiest people was Finland. As an aside, Scandinavia, and in particular Finland, have ranked in the top ten happiest countries for five years in row. You'll also note that these same countries also rank in the top ten when it comes to education, lowest crime, and best healthcare. While these countries do have higher taxes than other countries, especially compared to the US, they obviously get the biggest bang for the buck.

Honorable mention goes to Israel and Austria, which just missed out of the top ten and came in eleventh and twelfth place respectively. Germany placed fifteenth. Meanwhile, the United States ranked well out of the top ten and came in eighteenth, just behind Luxemburg and ahead of the United Kingdom. The Republic of Ireland was ranked in the fourteenth spot. Rounding out the top twenty was the United Arab Emirates. So, if these are the happiest places to live, who are on the other end of the survey? Who are the bottom ten?

Starting in tenth place was the country of Malawi, which is located in southeast Africa between Zambia, Tanzania, and Mozambique. In the ninth spot was Haiti. Eighth place belongs to the African nation of Liberia. Coming in seventh was worn torn Syria. Next was Rwanda, which has suffered for decades from famine (some being natural while some being man-made) and ethnic violence between the Tutsi, Hutu, and Twa tribes.

In fifth place was another war ravaged nation, Yemen, which is located at the southern edge of the Arabian Peninsula. The fourth worse place to live in terms of happiness was another African country, Tanzania. South Sudan in Africa's east-central region was third. The second worst country for happiness was Central African Republic. Finally, the worse country to when in when it comes to happiness was the nation of Burundi, a teeny tiny country in east central Africa.

Other countries of note include Russia, which was ranked 59th, Italy in 47th place, and Japan at 54th. South Korea was 57th. Turkey was ranked 74th happiest place while Greece was 79th. Singapore and Hong Kong, which were ranked as two of the "freest" countries in the world came in 34th and 76th while China placed 86th. South Africa, which is dealing with an ongoing genocide of white residents, was 105th while Vietnam was 95th. The largest democracy in the world, India, came in 133rd compared to less democratic nation of Pakistan which was ranked 75th. Iran was 106th happiest nation and the Ukraine was 138th. France and Mexico placed 23th and 24th respectively. Finally, Venezuela, which is in economic freefall, was ranked 102.

Now that we've looked at which countries are the happiest, what about which states are considered the happiest? According to WalletHub, which looked at 31 factors broken down into three categories---Emotional and Physical Wellbeing, Work Environment, and Community and Environment, ranked all fifty states, assigned individual scores by category along with a total overall score. So, coming in tenth was the state Nebraska. In ninth place was South Dakota. The eight happiest state was Iowa. In seventh place was Maryland. Next came Idaho. Despite a plethora of natural disasters and high taxes, California took fifth place. The fourth spot was North Dakota. Ranked third as the happiest place to be in the US was Minnesota. The second best spot to be was Utah. Lastly, the happiest state belongs to Hawaii with its sun and surf.

Well, if these are the ten happiest places to live, who are the least happy states? The tenth least happy state is New Mexico. Next was Missouri. In eight place was Mississippi. Kentucky was the seventh least happy state to be in. Coming in sixth place was Alabama. The fifth spot went to Oklahoma. Interestingly, despite all its majestic scenery and low taxes, Alaska was fourth. Third on the list of least happy states was Louisiana. In second was "Razor Back" state of Arkansas. The least happy state in the nation went to West Virginia. Some other states of interest include New Jersey and New York (13th and 14th respectively), North Carolina (20th), Texas (23rd), Kansas (25th), Indiana (32nd), and Tennessee (40th).

As an aside, I mentioned that Kentucky was seventh ranked least happy state. The same report pointed out that Kentucky also had one of the highest levels of adult depression, coming in at 47th. It was 48th in terms of least amount of adequate sleep. Meanwhile, the state with the least amount of adult depression was New York, and the state which got its fair share of restful sleep was South Dakota. So, now that we know the happiest states, let's take a look at the happiest cities in the US.

Coming in just ahead of Bismarck North Dakota in tenth place was San Francisco. Ninth place went to Scottsdale Arizona. The eighth spot belonged to San Jose California. Grand Prairie Texas was seventh while Fargo North Dakota was sixth. For the fifth spot, Huntington Beach California was the place to be. Another California city, Fremont was fourth. Madison Wisconsin was third. In second place was another California city, Irvine. Finally, the happiest city in the US was Plano Texas.

Ranked as the tenth least happy city was Mobile Alabama. Newark New Jersey was ninth. In the eight spot was Huntington West Virginia. Next was Little Rock Arkansas, which was just behind Gulfport Mississippi. In fifth place was Cleveland Ohio. Fourth place fell to Birmingham Alabama. The third least happy city was Charlestown West Virginia. The second least happy city was Toledo Ohio. Finally, the least happiest city in America was Detroit Michigan.

Honorable (and dishonorable) mention goes out to Sioux Falls South Dakota (15th), Raleigh North Carolina (23rd), Cape Coral Florida (24th), Lincoln Nebraska (36th), Tempe Arizona (39th), Ft Worth Texas (42nd), Arlington Texas (49th), Seattle Washington (54th), Boston Mass (58th), Yonkers New York (65th), Cheyenne Wyoming (73rd), Reno Nevada (77th), NYC (90th), Nashville Tennessee (105th), Chicago Illinois (107th), Lexington Kentucky (113th), Richmond Virginia (121st), Jacksonville Florida (136th), Louisville Kentucky (138th), Indianapolis Indiana (151st) and Columbus Georgia (166th). All together, 182 cities made the survey.

The most hours worked went to Anchorage Alaska (I wonder if that has something to do with the "Midnight Sun" and all that?) while the least amount went to Burlington Vermont. The city with the highest income growth was San Francisco while the city with the least amount income growth was Gulfport Mississippi. The city with the highest suicide rate was Juneau Alaska (must be all the hours they work in Alaska). Boston Massachusetts had the lowest. The city with the lowest divorce and separation rate was Fremont California (followed by Irving California), while the city with the most was Detroit Michigan, which beat out Cleveland Ohio.

So, what does this tell us? Well, first it should tell us that the countries, states, and cities with the highest taxation aren't necessarily going to be the most unhappy. In fact, in looking at countries, democratic socialist Scandinavia has consistently ranked in the top tier (usually the top ten) for years while some non-democracies do as well, if not better, than many democracies. These countries also ranked among the highest in terms of education, healthcare, and until recently---with the arrival of the so-called "migrants"---had the lowest crimes rates. They also rank in the top ten for the highest quality of life, lowest child mortality rates, and had longer life expectancy.

Meanwhile, countries which rank the highest in terms of lowest taxes or the most "free" and capitalist friendly don't always rank among the highest when it comes to being the happiest such as Singapore, Japan, or Hong Kong. The same seems to apply to states and cities. You'll notice that states with the highest taxes also ranked generally high in terms of happiness. Of course, that's not to say this applies to everyone across the board. There are several instances where high taxes doesn't equally apply to happiness, such as New York and New Jersey or Chicago and Detroit.

As we discussed at the beginning of this article, a lot of other factors come into play, including quality of education, job growth, taxes to services, and externals like parks, entertainment and recreation spots, the level of pollution, medical care, police, fire, and EMS considering happiness. Ultimately, you can't assume that a certain rural location low taxes, or even living under particular type of government automatically equates to happiness. As with most things in life, you have to look at the total picture if you want to fully understand any situation. Happiness, at least as discussed here, is no different.


World Happiness Report

Happiest States In America

Happiest Cities in America

Turning Out the Turnout: How America Stacks Up in Voting

We just wrapped up a three part series on where America ranks in terms of overall freedom, income inequality and healthcare, and education. Despite the hype of being the "Leader of the Free World", we actually are pretty far down the pole. In fact, as many of you know, America is on the low end of the industrialized West and in some areas, actually among second tier nations. Not good folks. Not good at all. So, I was thinking "why don't we do something about that?". Our Founding Fathers gave us two options to change our government. The first was the ballot box. The second was the ammo box. Obviously, we'd prefer the former to the latter but that depends on the options the government gives us.
As a result, I wanted to know where America ranks in terms of voting. After all, isn't voting the hallmark of a democracy or democratic Republic? Of course, we're now a Oligarchy with a professional political ruling class comprised of plutocrats, but how has that affected our ability to influence government?

According to 2018 Pew Research study, the nation with the highest voter turnout is Belgium with a turnout of between 83% and 95% and it's been that over the last 40 years. That's pretty impressive! Next on the list is Sweden with just over 85% of registered voters showing up at the polls. Following Sweden was Denmark with a little over 80% of the voting age population voting. In fourth place was the nation down under, Australia, which had almost 79% of its voting age population coming out to vote. South Korea rounded out the top five with just under 79% of its voting age citizens voting. Other countries in the top 20 include Norway (70%), France (78%), Mexico (66%), UK (63%), and Greece (62%).

So, if the US---the "Leader of the Free World"---isn't in the top 20 in voter turnout, just where are we ranked? The US is in 26th place, behind nations like Estonia and Spain and just ahead of Slovenia, Chile, and Poland. According the study, just 55.70% of the voting age population bothers to vote. That's just slightly over half of the population. But the good news is that according to another Pew study, this time from 2013, the US ranked 31st out of 34 countries. In 2018, we were 26 out of 34 industrially developed nations. I can hear chants of "USA USA USA" now!

As a nation, we pretty much stink when it comes to showing up at the polls. But, then there's not much to vote for when you're an Oligarchy right? After all, they literally own both parties and their politicians. It also means they control policy but, at least according to Citizens United and people like Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY), money is free speech. Of course, corporations are allowed far more " free speech" than flesh and blood citizens and that means more access and control; even to the point of writing or co-writing legislation. They fund campaigns and fill party coffers on both sides of the aisle. Partisan politics is really about which corporate clique gets what they want and who gets the crumbs. Naturally you and I get stuck with the bill.

Well, if we're so dismal when compared to the rest of the world, how do we stack up against each other? According to several reports, the most recent data (from 2016) shows that in 10th place, the highest voter turnout was Louisiana, which by the way, has the third highest poverty rate in the US. In 9th place was Mississippi. Voter turnout out was 67%. The 8th place winner was Massachusetts with a 68% turnout. The 7th spot went to Nebraska which had a voter turnout of 68%. Coming in 6th place was Oregon with 69%.

The state making it into the 5th spot was Iowa with 69.6%. 4th place went to New Hampshire, but not by much! It's voter turnout was 69.8%! The 3rd place winner was Maine with a 70.8% voter turnout. The "bridesmaid" state at number two was Wisconsin which had a impressive 73% voter turnout. Finally, the state with the highest voter turnout was Minnesota! Minnesota has a amazing turnout of 74.5%! That's nearly three in four voters who showed up to vote. That's outstanding by any measure. In case you're interested, out of the top ten, seven of the states went Democrat while only three went Republican.

Now that we looked at the ten best, who were the ten worse? What ten states cared the least about showing up to vote? In the 10th spot was the Peachtree state of Georgia. It's voter turnout was 59.3%. In 9th place was New York with 59.2%. The 8th place spot belonged to Arizona, which had 58.4%. 7th place went to Oklahoma. They had a voter turnout of 58.3%. Coming in 6th was Nevada with only 57.7% showing up to vote.

Now we get into the top five, which brings us to Texas. You would think their voter turnout would have put them on the other list, but nope. Texas had a voter turnout of just 55.3%. Well, at least Texas wasn't Tennessee which came in 4th place with a voter turnout of only 54.9%. In 3rd place is Arkansas which had a turnout of 54.3%. The runner up for the worse of the worse in voter turnout belongs to West Virginia. West Virginia had only 52.9%. Yikes! Finally, in first (or last) place, depending on how you look at it was Hawaii. The 50th state showed up with only half its population bothering to voter---50% exactly. Seven of the bottom ten tend to vote Republican by the way. I don't know if I should offer my congratulations or condolences.

Some other entries include Delaware in 12th place with a 66.6% turnout, Michigan in 15th place with 66.1%, Alaska in the 20th spot with 64.6%, Ohio at 25 with 63.5% turnout, Florida making the 32nd spot with 62.2%, Kentucky in 36th place with 61.1% voting, California came in 38th with 60.3%, Indiana was 40th with 59.5%. An interesting aside is that for the majority of the states, it's the older voters who tend to come out consistently. Younger voters (mostly the Millennials) tend to stay away, but they seem to also be the most vocal when it comes to politics. Guess it want to change things you have to stop bellyaching and actually show up. Just saying you know. Women are also more likely to vote than men. I guess they took that 19th Amendment pretty seriously! They certainly fought long and hard for it.

So what does this tell us? Well, it seems to go hand-in-hand with the results of our other results in that the rhetoric of the US being the world leader in democracy doesn't match the reality of where American actually stands. It also shows the frustration that Americans feel toward politics. Most Americans are turned off by all the childish and petty playground drama which seems to define not just Washington but state capitals and local city halls. Of course, we already know the distain from Washington is reciprocated to us out here in "flyover country". They don't even pretend to listen to us anymore. Hell, they don't even have the decency to lie to us anymore. Have you noticed how many tied elections we've had recently? How many contested elections? How the fact that the 2016 Democratic Primary was fixed and nothing actually happened!? They just do as they please and leave it to the corporate controlled media to spin it however they want.

We can, of course, change this...if we really want to. Washington and others want us to believe they have the power and control. They don't. We do. Unlike countries like the UK where the government simply ignores the decision of the voters (such as with Brexit) and the voters have little recourse, we have options. Americans need to demand term limits and an end to partisan gerrymandering of districts. We can demand a level playing field, and that includes third parties and Independents, who also just so happen to be America's largest voting bloc, and this includes opening up debates and equal access to the media. We also need to remove corporate money from politics which all but eliminates other groups and individuals from having a voice. That, of course, means dropping "Citizens United". As an aside, we can all start supporting and voting for non-lawyers and corporate VIPs like teachers, police officers, firefighters, blue collar workers, small business owners, and so forth; in other words, we can start electing individuals who are like us rather than millionaires and other elites.

It's up to you. We have the power and the ballot box remains...at least for the moment...our best option. However, if we're to preserve what's left of our Republic (which isn't very much as the numbers have repeatedly shown us), then we must act now. We can't wait and there won't be a second chance.



US voter trails most developed countries in voter turnout


Americans Don't Show Up at the Polls But Neither Do the Swiss


States With the Highest (and Lowest) Voter Turnout

America: Still the Home of the Brave and Land of the Free?

America. Home of the Brave and the Land of the Free. These ideals have been the hallmark of every American's socialization since childhood. Americans see themselves as strong, hardy and innovative; an individualistic "up by your own bootstraps" kind of people. In many ways, the ideals of our pioneer past have never left us: reinforced by our cultural myths and made tangible by countless books, plays, and the magic of Hollywood. There's no doubt that the US military is second to none. Not just in the world but in history. We have the best equipped, the best trained, the best fed, and the best motivated military in the world. Quite simply, American military presence can reach out and touch anyone anywhere in the world at a moment's notice 24/7/365 with the most extreme prejudice. They can also build schools and hospitals. But what about the second half of that statement---Land of the Free. Surely, we as Americans are free...aren't we?

Americans certainly think of themselves as being free, or at least most of us was brought up with that notion. We've always considered the US President to be the "Leader of the Free World". However, it seems that few still do nowadays. Certainly in the world, America doesn't carry the prestige it once did. The image of the "Ugly American", first popularized in the early 1970's as a stereotype of the occasionally rude, often patronizing and arrogant American who thought, rightly or wrongly, that the world should be made over in the American Image---whether they wanted it or not---as part of the belief in our own Exceptionalism. So then, how do we stack up when it comes to freedom?

According to the 2015 Index of Economic Freedom published annually by the Heritage Foundation, the top three most economically free economies belong, in order, to Hong Kong with a 89.6 rating out of 100. Next is Singapore at 89.4 followed by New Zealand with a rating of 82.1 (Australia and Switzerland round out the top five with 81.4 and 80.5 respectively. The United States placed 12th, between Denmark and the United Kingdom with a rating of 76.2. European powerhouse Germany ranked 16th with a 73.8 rating while Japan was 20th with a 73.3.

In terms of fiscal spending, the US ranked a 66.2 out of 100 while tiny Bahrain received a rating of 99.9. Norway had a 52.1 while Mexico's was 77.8. Russia had a rating of 86.1. Things were much improved for the United States when it came to labor freedom despite the decline in organized labor. Here the rating was an impressive 98.5. Saudi Arabia had a rating of 72.7. Russia was 58.9 while China had an unexpected rating of 63.0. The UK's ranking for labor freedom was 75.6. No other country ranked as high as did the US in this category. What about personal freedom?

In terms of property rights, New Zealand ranked first in the world with a score of 95.0. Numerous countries were tied for second with a rating of 90, including The Netherlands, Canada, Iceland and the Scandinavian countries, the UK, Singapore, and Australia. As for America, it came in with a rating of only 80.0. In terms of financial freedom, the highest marks went to Australia and Hong Kong with a rating of 90.0 each. There were numerous countries with ratings in the 80.0 range including the Czech Republic, Estonia, and the United Kingdom. As for the US, it ranked a 70.0 along with second tier nations like Panama, Columbia, El Salvatore, and Hungary as well as some leading countries such as Poland and Germany. For the record, China and Russia received a score of 30.0 while Saudi Arabia rated a 50.0. So, it's quite obvious America is not quite as free as we would like to believe it is. If you're ever looking for the real Leader of the Free World from an economic freedom perspective, you might try Leung Chun-ying. He's the Chief Executive of Hong Kong. Now, what about education?

I've always thought that the single most important investment government can make was in the quality of its education system, which only makes sense. A society which produces a well rounded graduate is going to see a more productive and innovative individual. This in turn grows businesses, which adds jobs and produces more tax revenue to improve the quality of life for the community or nation. The policy of "flunking forward" by passing kids who've underperformed all out of concern over their self-esteem does no one any good. Yes, it gets them through the system but it produces uneducated graduates who then become someone else's problem, usually society's in terms of higher crimes rates, incarceration costs, more public dollars for social services like food stamps, housing, medical care, and generational poverty. At the same, employers are stuck with unqualified workers, lower productivity, higher medical costs, and higher turnover. As a nation, we find ourselves unable to compete effectively which feeds the downward economic spiral. With that in mind, let's take a look at how we stack up with the rest of world.

According to a May 13, 2015 report by the BBC, Asia seems to have lock on world's brightest minds. In terms of math and science (15 year olds), Singapore came in tops followed by Hong Kong and South Korea. Japan and Taiwan were tied at fourth. Vietnam was 12th. The highest European nation was Finland, which ranked 6th. Estonia was 7th with Switzerland and Holland taking eighth and ninth place

Canada came in tenth. Eleventh place with to Poland. The United States was tied with Italy in the 28th spot, coming in just ahead of Portugal.

In the area of reading, top honors went to South Korea. Finland was second with Canada, New Zealand and Japan--just beating Australia--rounding out the top five. The United States came in 14, splitting Iceland and Sweden. Great Britain was 20th and Mexico was dead last in 34th place. With such poor rankings, you would think that we need to spend more money on our failing educational system. Well, you'd be wrong. America already ranks first in dollars spent per student in the world with an average of just over $15,000 spent on each student (K - 12). Nevertheless, the 2013 report released by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), American teachers made about $7000.00 more a year than the other educators ($38,000 vs. $31,000). If academic success is an indicator of a nation's economic success, then clearly the US is in serious trouble.

While I'm sure there are multiple explanations for this, such has overpaid administrators and teacher unions more concerned with maintaining their political clout and protecting teacher seniority rather than improving the methodology of teaching, I think it's essential that educators need to be left to teach rather than being overpaid babysitters. First and foremost discipline must be restored and enforced with a zero tolerance for bad behavior. We must stop excusing wrong behavior and we must stop drugging students. Second, kids need to be taught at an early age the need for critical thinking skills and developing their intellectual creativity. Third, teachers should teach only in the areas they're qualified for. Lastly, teaching is critical and should be rewarded as such, both financially and in terms of respect. They shape the futures of individuals and indirectly, the future of communities and nations. However, I want to qualify that by saying incentives should be based on individual classroom performance. Gifted children should be given every tool possible to excel, even if segregated. To many students graduate from High School with a sixth or eight grade reading level and no problem solving skills. That's completely unacceptable and the school and school system must be held accountable; financially if necessary. While more emphasis must be placed on math, science, and reading comprehension, we can't overlook the arts, history and civics even if the school year needs to be lengthen.

I know life is tough. Most parents work at least one job; many work two. While I don't believe it takes a village, nevertheless, the parent has a responsibly to take an active role in their child's academic performance. Every parent and someone from the school must meet regularly. No exceptions. Personally, I like the German academic system whereby children are tested as to their abilities and interests and encouraged in that direction. And let's be honest---not everyone should or needs to go to college. Not all jobs require an advanced degree when a technical certificate will do. Therefore, I strongly recommend bringing back trade schools. We don't need more lawyers, we need more carpenters and plumbers.

One last topic I'd like to address. Respectability. It's critical for our own individual success. It's also critical for our national success since it attracts not just tourists and students, but foreign investments as well as helps build alliances. I started off discussing "the Ugly American". How do we stand these days? According to a 2015 report from Forbes, the most respected country in the

world is Canada. Norway and Sweden came in second and third. As pointed out by the report, Finland and Scandinavia have consistently ranked in the top ten for the last six years, along with Holland, Australia, and Switzerland. As for the United States, we ranked 22nd, just behind military junta ruled Thailand. Isn't that special? One of the reasons cited by the report for America's dismal showing was the Citizens United ruling by the Supreme Court which added more evidence of our broken political and economic systems. I would add that the 2014 report verifying that America was no longer a functional democratic-republic, but an oligarchy serving the interests of leading corporations and the top 1% was a strong contributor as well.

There you have it. While we are not the freest country in the world by any measure, we're not the worse off either. Most certainly, we're a far cry from what our Founding Fathers intended. Academically, we're in serious trouble when compared to the rest of the world; especially our economic competitors. We've lost our Republic when we became an oligarchy with a rising police state (these, by the way, are not signs of "creeping socialism". Quite the opposite, despite the rhetoric of some Rightwing groups. These are signs of fascism. It's not Italian or German fascism. It's not Franco's Spanish fascism or Peron's Argentine fascism, nor the fascism found elsewhere. Fascism adapts. It draws from the Left and Right based the customs, traditions and history of each country. There are two things they always have in common though. One is to demonized whatever they fear the most and secondly, they advance in increments; two steps forward and one step back. A step to the Left and a step to the Right. Probing. Always testing the resolve of the People. So, what do you think they've found here? Is there resistance or is there complicity from indifference? Is this the free America you expected?



2015 Index of Economic Freedom
http://www.heritage.org/index/explore


Asia tops biggest school rankings
http://www.bbc.com/news/business-32608772

World education rankings: which country does the best in reading, maths, and science?
http://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2010/dec/07/world-education-rankings-maths-science-reading


The World's Most Reputable Countries, 2015
http://www.forbes.com/sites/susanadams/2015/07/15/the-worlds-most-reputable-countries-2015/


How America Became an Oligarchy
http://www.commondreams.org/views/2015/04/06/how-america-became-oligarchy