Kristof: 'We're No. 1"? How does 32nd of 171 countries sound?
By Nicholas Kristof / The New York Times
We Americans like to boast, “We’re No. 1,” and we certainly are in our military capacity to invade other countries and abduct odious foreign leaders.
But in the well-being of ordinary citizens? A careful study released Wednesday and based on a measure called the Social Progress Index suggests that in terms of quality of life, the United States ranks 32nd out of 171 countries, behind Poland, Lithuania and Cyprus.
More alarming, the United States has fallen steadily in the rankings over the years, under Republican and Democratic presidents alike; and now seems poised to fall further because of cuts in health care and other services by President Donald Trump.
The Social Progress Index was introduced in the 2010s by a high-powered team of scholars and experts. The United States ranked 18th in 2011, and while that was troubling, we were still ahead of France, Italy and Spain. Now they outrank America.
https://www.heraldnet.com/opinion/kristof-were-no-1-how-does-32nd-of-171-countries-sound/
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