Is America the greatest country in the world?

brianlux said:

There are very few places besides America that I would consider as alternatives to living in America, very few places that I believe would be as livable as America.  But I don't think that makes any country "great".  This world is becoming more and more a difficult place in which to live.  We are lucky to live in America instead of Myanmar or North Korea or Somalia, etc.  That means it is better.  But "great?"  I'm not sure there is any country in the world I would call "great".  I really don't think so.  Not any more.  Not in 2018.  Countries vary, but they are just "better" or "worse". 

cincybearcat said:

josevolution said:

brianlux said:

There are very few places besides America that I would consider as alternatives to living in America, very few places that I believe would be as livable as America.  But I don't think that makes any country "great".  This world is becoming more and more a difficult place in which to live.  We are lucky to live in America instead of Myanmar or North Korea or Somalia, etc.  That means it is better.  But "great?"  I'm not sure there is any country in the world I would call "great".  I really don't think so.  Not any more.  Not in 2018.  Countries vary, but they are just "better" or "worse". 

I agree lucky to have landed here !

Kinda a glass is half empty mindset though, no?

i think the same except I think there are a lot of great places.

my2hands said:

PJ_Soul said:

OnWis97 said:

I fail to see how the smaller populations of Canada, Sweden, etc. render them lesser places than the US.

A lot of people would think the opposite - the smaller the better. An overpopulated place isn't generally appealing.... But yes, the richest nation in the world manages to handle its too-large population much better than the other nations with far less wealth. That is true.

you say richest nation like that is a bad thing... did that happen by accident? did America just wake up an economic superpower? did someone hand it to us? you think your comfy way of life isn't in part because you have the USA as your southern neighbor and #1 trading partner? get real

Americans spend nearly 17% of GDP on health care, with a yearly per capita cost of over $9,400. That’s $1,600 more than the second-highest spender, Luxembourg, and more than double the OECD average.

But while Americans spend enormously, they remain in relatively poor health. The US has fewer physicians, hospital beds, and psychiatric care beds than most other economically advanced countries, ranking towards the bottom in each of these parameters.  The US is also the only advanced economy in the world not to have full health coverage of its population.

When it comes to education, US schools are mostly distinguished by their high cost. The US is among the five countries spending the most (pdf, p. 10) on education between pre-primary and secondary school. Plus, Americans spend far more on higher education: The cost (direct and indirect) of a tertiary degree in the US is around $110,000 for both men and women, against an OECD average of $50,000 for men and $40,000 for women.

In the US, early childhood education is attended by fewer children (55% versus an OECD average of 84% attendance), at an older age (four years old, versus three years old), and can be administered by untrained professionals. Most other high-income OECD countries have specific educator certification requirements.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the US fares just about average among OECD countries when it comes to basic literacy and problem solving skills. Advanced literacy (pdf, p.15) in the US is below the OECD average. Basic numeracy in the US is lower than in most other wealthy OECD nations.