While many people claim that our two-party system and multi-personality president make this country the best democracy, they are wrong. The U.S is among the worst countries when it comes to some of the most important characteristics of a functioning democracy like nce health insurance reviews, such as trust in government, economic freedom, and tolerance.
I’m not saying that we should all go to a dictatorship or have an absolute monarchy like China does; what I’m saying is that we should stop pretending as if our country is performing better than it actually is. This article will discuss some of these statistics and hopefully provide enough evidence to convince you there are real problems with our electoral system that need to be addressed in order for us to live up to our democratic standards.
1. U.S. Trust in Government:
Trust in government is the index that most people use to measure political and social freedom. In this index, citizens of the U.S. have one of the lowest scores in the developed world; behind only China, Indonesia and Venezuela. Our average score on this index – 39 – is much lower than other free nations such as Switzerland, Spain, Ireland or even Greece where the government was running a massive crisis during its last election cycle. In fact, our high school students ranked us at a collective 34th place among 43 countries in terms of trust.
2. The U.S. is one of the highest taxed nations in the world.
The following chart shows that the U.S. is actually at the top when it comes to tax revenue collected as a percentage of GDP in comparison with other developed countries. The only problem is that we have one of the worst spending records when it comes to public services such as healthcare, education and infrastructure, which brings us to our next point:
3. The U.S has one of the highest rates of infant mortality among developed countries
U.S babies die at more than twice the rate (6 deaths per 1,000 live births) as in Germany or France (3 deaths per 1,000 live births). If this doesn’t scare you, maybe the fact that we don’t have universal healthcare will:
4. The U.S is the only developed country without universal healthcare.
If we aren’t willing to provide the basic human right of medical care for our citizens, why should anyone else be? Shouldn’t the U.S set an example for the rest of the world and provide adequate healthcare for its citizens even if it means sacrificing other aspects of social development?
5. The U.S public education system is ranked 17th in comparison with other developed countries
Our public schools are among some of the worst in comparison with other wealthy nations despite spending more per student than almost all other developed countries.
6. The U.S is one of the highest taxed nations in the developed world.
Tax revenue as a percentage of GDP is very high in the U.S, but this doesn’t always mean that we are spending a lot of money on public services
7. The U.S has one of the highest murder rates among developed countries
If you want to live in a safe place, look elsewhere; there are many countries with about ten times fewer murders per capita than we have. Countries such as Japan, Sweden and Norway have murder rates that are approximately 50 times lower than ours (according to the UN).
8. The U.S is one of the most politically corrupt countries in the developed world
Most people would agree that politics are just about one of the most disgusting things in this world, so why should we place so much trust in our politicians? Our politicians lie, cheat, and steal like any other politician around the globe but they have a special gift of somehow persuading us to elect them over and over again.
9. The U.S has higher income inequality than most developed countries
Not only do we have some of the highest poverty levels but we also have some of the highest disparity between rich and poor citizens. If this doesn’t make you angry, then maybe the fact that we have some of the highest CEO pay will:
10. The U.S has one of the lowest life satisfaction rates among developed countries.
U.S average life satisfaction is only 73.7 out of 100, which is much lower than other developed countries such as Sweden (81.2), Canada (79) or Switzerland (78).
Conclusion:
It’s my conclusion that we aren’t as free and as great as many people think we are. Despite having a high GDP, an educated population and some of the best healthcare in the world, there are so many things that should make us feel good but instead give us a feeling of despair. What could be causing such an unhappy nation? The short listed keys to this dissatisfaction are the high levels of taxation, excessive spending, poor education, political corruption, rampant crime and economic inequality.
We can fix these problems if we want to – they aren’t just some side effects of our rich history; they’re real problems that need to be addressed now.
