It appears to me that it has become a battle of socialism versus capitalism. I think most everyone will agree that the Democratic Party has shifted from their role of being the party of labor for many decades to now being the party of social justice. Many of you might disagree, but that’s how I am seeing the current landscape in the United States
Political Bickering Continues to be a Worthless Practice
I could go back and forth about why this political position is better than another position – but there is no point. It has all been said already and we are not going to change anyone’s opinion anyway – only they can decide when to change. And they will voice their view at the polls regardless of what any of us have said to them.
The fallout from all this political bickering has fallen squarely on the citizens of this great country. America used to be a world leader in so many ways, but that doesn’t seem to be the case anymore. All you have to do is look around and get yourself informed – not from your political echo chambers, but from the subjective sources who will tell you straight up what is happening.
Let us look at just a few of the areas where America has fallen dreadfully behind.
Education of Our Children
According to the most recent testing of worldwide children, as performed by the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), American children are now ranking in the middle of the pack after years of being among the global leaders. More can be read via the Link Below:
The US is falling behind academically. This is why
How do U.S. students compare with their peers around the world? Recently released data from international math and science assessments indicate that U.S. students continue to rank around the middle of the pack, and behind many other advanced industrial nations …
The Health of Our Nation
We are also seeing the overall health of our nation dramatically fall as compared to other counties. For the most part, we can blame the two “Os” for our failing health: obesity and opoids. And as reported recently, the life expectancy of Americans have been falling.
The U.S. is Falling Behind in Life Expectancy
Christopher J.L. Murray, a Professor of Global Health at the University of Washington, is at the forefront of the effort to quantify disparities in health around the world. As the Institute Director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), he led 500 researchers from 50 countries to create the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2010. The study, which is updated yearly, provides estimates of health outcomes for populations in dozens of countries. As he continues his work at the Institute, his goal is “to create the most complete and up-to-date roadmap to help policymakers and donors determine which avenues to pursue to help people live longer, healthier lives.”
Welfare of our Senior Citizens
It is sad that every time the national budget is debated, one of the first things that gets tossed around are the entitlements of our senior citizens. The despicable part of this debate is that most senior citizens have no other options – their welfare depends of the decisions of those who will not be affected by their decisions. How is that fair?
Most of the elderly cannot work to supplement their income in the event of big cut in senior entitlement. This is a growing problem in the United States. Other countries are treating their elderly with more respect and compassion.
U.S. falling behind other countries in retirement security
The U.S. dropped three notches to No. 17 out of 43 countries in a global ranking of retirement security, according to the fifth annual Global Retirement Index ranking from Natixis Global Asset Management. A number of factors negatively impacted America’s score, including increased longevity, pension fund shortfalls, old-age dependency and related pressure on government resources. One of the biggest takeaways from the report is that the U.S. spends more than most countries on healthcare but is seeing a drop in its life expectancy. In other words, it isn’t getting the best bang for its buck.
Economic Freedom Index
The Economic Freedom Index is an annual measurement of the world’s nations to determine the economic freedoms that are enjoyed within that country. There are several factors and pieces of data that are taken from every country in order to make the final calculation. Specifically it evaluates the “basic institutions that protect the liberty of individuals to pursue their own economic interests result in greater prosperity for the larger society”.
These measurements have been taking place every year since 1995. America’s score on the Economic Freedom Index used to be among the global leaders but has steadily fallen over the last decade.
US falls in economic freedom index
The United States has slipped to its lowest level in world rankings of economic freedom, according an annual index released Wednesday by the conservative Heritage Foundation. In the latest report, the U.S. ranks 17th out of 180 countries with an economic freedom score of 75.1 out of 100. Last year, the U.S. ranked number 11.
Conclusion
Maybe it is time for Americans to put their fingers back in their pockets instead of pointing them at others. Perhaps we should revisit what the word “compromise” means and start working again to improve the lives of our people – especially those people who are powerless like our children and senior citizens.
Unfortunately, many Americans appear to be willing to sacrifice the welfare of our citizens if it means the failure of the opposing political party. In another words, it is more important to be right than do the right thing.
From where I am standing, all this protesting has not accomplished anything …. Remember Einstein’s definition of ‘stupidity’?
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