The U.S. Is Number One -- But in What?

[xchrom]

http://www.alternet.org/us-number-one-what

American politicians are fond of telling their audiences that the United States is the greatest country in the world. Is there any evidence for this claim?

Well, yes. When it comes to violence and preparations for violence, the United States is, indeed, No. 1. In 2013, according to a report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, the U.S. government accounted for 37 percent of world military expenditures, putting it far ahead of all other nations. (The two closest competitors, China and Russia, accounted for 11 percent and 5 percent respectively.) From 2004 to 2013, the United States was also the No. 1 weapons exporter in the world. Moreover, given the U.S. government’s almost continuous series of wars and acts of military intervention since 1941, it seems likely that it surpasses all rivals when it comes to international violence.

This record is paralleled on the domestic front, where the United States has more guns and gun-related deaths than any other country. A study released in late 2013 reported that the United States had 88 guns for every 100 people, and 40 gun-related deaths for every 400,000 people―the most of any of the 27 economically developed countries surveyed. By contrast, in Britain there were 6 guns per 100 people and 1 gun-related death per 400,000 people.

Yet, in a great many other areas, the United States is not No. 1 at all.

Take education. In late 2013, the Program for International Student Assessment released a report on how 15-year old students from 65 nations performed on its tests. The report showed that U.S. students ranked 17th in reading and 21st in math. An international surveya bit earlier that year by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development found that the ranking was slightly worse for American adults. In 2014, Pearson, a multinational educational services company, placed the United States 20th in the world in “educational attainment”―well behind Poland and the Slovak Republic.

[RKP5637]

1. Given the current track record, some extrapolation, the grid lock and

other shenanigans, and the wealth gap the US will fall off the bottom of the list into the future. US has never really had a lot of serious competition since WWII. Sadly, the US approach/concept for world rankings is to dominate and buildup arms against others, and the MIC profits handsomely.

[MADem]

2. China and Russia are known to LIE in their reporting of crime. China doesn't even try to

tell the truth about the number of executions they conduct per annum.

USA does pretty well when it comes to people wanting to immigrate to her shores. They're probably Number One in that regard. If it's such a shithole, why do so many people want to come here?

http://www.therichest.com/rich-list/most-popular/10-most-popular-countries-for-immigration/10/