We're #1 !!!

[TalkingDog]

At harboring a smug self-deluded superiority complex!!!! Yay!!!

[sakabatou]

1. Iceland looking better, even with all the volcanic activity

[HillbillyBob]

2. Yea but the upside is they have geothermal heat!

[NotThisTime]

24. And an economy they can't get back on track... very sad.

[DissedByBush]

71. That's where they get the renewable energy rating

Luck of the draw in geography.

We will also never be #1 in high-speed Internet due to our expansive geography and high population. We have over three times as many people wired for high-speed Internet as South Korea does. But we also have six times the population so it doesn't look as good per-capita.

[BrklynLiberal]

38. Yesiree!!!

[Soulis]

3. O Say Can You See?

Buy the Congress, all right...

[lonestarnot]

4. Anything?

[RC]

58. Shouldn't that be

O Sad Can You See?

Buy the Congress all Right...

[chill_wind]

5. Ain't that somethin? We spend all our money on war. We're #1

on that score.

[RC]

19. We are #1 in war aren't we?

Not something to be proud of though.

[chill_wind]

30. Nice little pie graph:

http://www.globalissues.org/article/75/world-military-spending

* The 15 countries with the highest spending account for over 81% of the total;
* The USA is responsible for 41.5 per cent of the world total, distantly followed by the China (5.8% of world share), France (4.5%), UK (4.5%), and Russia (4%):

[BrklynLiberal]

39. I can see a truly incredible way to cut our deficit..almost immediatley!!!!

[chill_wind]

51. It's truly startling to see. Another giant billboard I'd like to see

along some of the nation's largest freeways (with the Cost of War Tally Counter running at full speed on the other side).

[Hutzpa]

54. That is what happens when you allow

West Point into politics.

Thats all I'm sayin'

[BrklynLiberal]

56. Or corporations to make obscene amounts of money from war....

Wasn't there a law against that kind of profiteering during WWII???

[bergie321]

66. Only

If you go to war. This is a "police action" or whatever they're calling it. Wars are declared by Congress.

[BrklynLiberal]

73. Oh. thks for the info.

[RC]

75. Thanks. I made use of both the graphics here.

http://timws.com/number1/number1.html

[chill_wind]

78. Good job.

You've put a lot of time, thought and work on your site. It's nice to see a lot of DU refs.

[RC]

91. Thank you.

:blush:

[ChadwickHenryWard]

86. We should note

that the Founding Fathers were against standing armies. They felt they were the hallmark of empires, as the existence of professional, regular soldiers was what allowed England to have its way with the rest of the world. That's why a "militia" is mentioned in the Second Amendment. The military was for defense only, no imperial adventure.

[chill_wind]

90. Yes- see post #32 for example. How right they were

and how far we've strayed, eh?

[G_j]

29. +1000

[Warpy]

6. Why is anyone surprised?

This is what happens when a few rich men decide to loot a whole country.

[Dreamer Tatum]

7. Iceland also ranks pretty high in Economy. Complete Collapse of.

Got a graph for that?

[ChadwickHenryWard]

84. Actually, the real problem was heavy investment in a few Wall Street firms.

Our collapse was the cause of theirs. Ironically, their problems are a condemnation of our system.

[Dreamer Tatum]

92. Wrong nt

[ChadwickHenryWard]

93. Compelling argument. n/t

[ZombieHorde]

8. What freedoms of the press do other countries enjoy that the US doesn't?

What can they legally publish no press in the US can legally publish?

[Go2Peace]

9. They weigh in ownership monopolies which reduces our choice.

The net is fairly free but do you really believe the press and airwaves in America are open, competitive, and a vibrant exchange of information? Especially when the majority of info in the pages comes from two sources?

[ZombieHorde]

12. "do you really believe the press and airwaves in America are open"

One of the radio stations in my town plays news from various sources, such as NPR and BBC. They interview people from around the world, many of those people have a different perspective than one I usually hear.

Our local college station sometimes reads news from alternative sources, but not as often as I would like.

Our press is free, you just have to be a good consumer.

[paulsby]

17. otoh, we have far MORE freedom of speech

but of course they don't rank that.

it's simply indisputable

stuff people can (and do ) say in the US will get you fined, arrested, and/or imprisoned in many other (most other) nations

hate speech being the most obvious example

[Fumesucker]

21. We also have far MORE people incarcerated..

Many of them for the horrendous crime of possessing a common weed.

[paulsby]

33. that'[s great

but that's seperate topic

fwiw, please don't get me started on the "sent to prison for weed" (largely) myth which i have debunked at least half a dozen times.

it is pretty darn hard to get sent to jail (let alone prison) apart from maybe overnight for merely possessing personal amounts of weed

many cops don't even file the case, they dump the weed

and most personal possession cases get a small fine

usually when you see somebody get TIME for possession, they have a metric assload of priors or on probation

but again, i was talking speech

nobody denies we incarcerate a high %age of our population

[Fumesucker]

42. No, actually the thread was not about speech...

It was about what we're not #1 in..

[paulsby]

45. right. and the thread selectively left out

such things as free speech.

we ARE #1 in that, so of course, that is not mentioned

so, *i* mentioned it

hth

[Fumesucker]

57. Not so much free speech when you're incarcerated, eh?

You have your hangups, I have mine.

[Demstud]

81. Also, I think freedom of press and freedom of speech

are directly related. Can't really have one without the other. What good is speech without a means to communicate those thoughts and ideas to the populace?

[DRex]

65. Source?

Do you have a source for your free-speech ranking or is that something you've made up just now?

[sabrina 1]

76. What makes you think that? Have you travelled at all to other

countries? We are also pretty high on the list of countries that make it legal for the government to spy on its citizens, to listen to their phone conversations eg. So you can say what you want on the phone, but you might end up on a 'no fly list'.

How free eg, was the author James Moore who wrote 'Bush's Brain' and found himself on the no-fly list? He's been told he cannot find out why, and cannot get off it. He's one of three million Americans who are on that list. I don't know about you, but I don't feel threatened by writers like Moore.

And as far as free speech, have you missed the number of people who have been arrested for simply opposing the policies of the U.S. government, at both the Republican and Democratic Conventions eg, not to mention other venues? How many people get arrested for wearing t-shirts opposing a president in other democratic nations? How many people have been beaten by the police, dressed like Robo Cops, for simply demonstrating against government policies?

I've never seen such brutality towards citizens in any other Western Democracy simply for demonstrating against the wars this country is involved in.

[Flaneur]

41. I wonder how many people are incarcerated for hate speech in Europe.

I'll bet it's no more than a handful.

[Synicus Maximus]

77. Well Holocaust denial is a feloney in Germany. I've been to Dacuah

and totally believe in the Holocaust but in Germany if I said I didn't believe in it I have commited a feloney.

[Go2Peace]

95. Just because we have an affinity for tolerating hate speech does not mean we have free'r speach

Just free'r ability to speak hate speach. It says more about our society than it does about our general freedom of expression compared to other nations.

[Demstud]

79. Are we #1 in speech though?

Sure we can say a lot, but our media has often self censored themselves in situations making sure those who speak out can't be heard. I just remember when the Iraq war started, radio stations wouldn't play songs that seemed anti-government, anti-war, or whose artists expressed anti-war opinions (like the Dixie Chicks for example). Also, often in campaigns, money = "free speech" so the wealthy elite are given more "speech" than the rest of us. So while not directly censored by the government, we experience lots of corporate censorship. Another example would be companies that fire/harass employees for expressing pro-union thoughts. While #1 is relative to other countries, I think we can do alot better still.

[jeff47]

83. Really.....Didja forget about "First Amendment Zones"?

Or the people thrown out of public events because they were wearing the wrong T-Shirt or had the wrong bumper sticker?

Ever felt that you couldn't put on an Obama bumper sticker for fear of vandalism to your vehicle? 'Round here you'd need a new paint job if you did that.

[Go2Peace]

96. Yes, as long as people are free to yell racial slurs we are freer than those other countries right?

[flamingdem]

10. Maybe all of their tv and newspapers aren't owned by 3 conglomerates? nt

[ZombieHorde]

11. The US has many independent newspapers. nt

[flamingdem]

13. But they carry little weight, and are disappearing.. nt

[ZombieHorde]

14. Blogs are increasing in both numbers and weight.

Many blogs rely on monopolized news media, and many of them don't.

eta: I recognize the problem you are addressing, but I think we should call it something else. I disagree with the claim the US has limited free press.

[flamingdem]

15. Corporate interests control the narrative

but blogs are having an impact for a the chattering classes, that is true.

[Fumesucker]

22. If you are an obsessive new junkie you can get the information..

For the great majority of the populace though our news is highly controlled and managed.

How many people *still* think Saddam Hussein had WMDs?

[tkmorris]

16. "The US has many independent newspapers" You are funny!

Seriously dude. You are fucking hilarious. Really. You are. A laugh riot.

[BrklynLiberal]

43. Media consolildation = control of the media by a few...mostly very conservative groups.

If you think you have a really free press here in the US, then they have succeeded in fooling you too.

[liberation]

63. You can't say f*ck and show titties in prime time...

... there is censorship in the USA, whether we like it or not... that is another issue.

I suspect the rankings int his graph are rather subjective (how the f*ck do you measure "democracy"). But for what it is worth, the rest of the industrialized world seems to understand the difference between journalism and editorializing. Which is something which has been so blurred as to make most of the mainstream news sources in this country to be nothing more than corporate propaganda and PR machines. Hardly anything that I would associate with "freedom of the press."

[DissedByBush]

72. It's based on a lot of things

It's not based on quality, but on direct and indirect pressure against the media.

It also measures the economic well-being of the media (not good here since the Internet) and things like the effect of libel law and prosecutors pressuring journalists for sources.

[bobburgster]

18. I find it hard to believe Taiwan beats us in Freedom of the Press.

Or for that matter that Spain beats us in Democracy. I tend to question the validity.

[harmonicon]

60. Why? Because you were raised on the bigoted lies about the US inherently being superior to them?

Seriously, why not? Have you not lived in the US for the last ten years? Democracy is a joke in the US. Other countries still take it seriously.

[liberation]

64. Have you been to any of those two countries, or know anything about their realities for that matter?

Spain for example has a direct representative democracy, we do not.

They do not sing constantly about being the land of the free and home of the brave, though. So they may not be as free as us in account of their lack of democracy exalting singing.

Alas, I have no clue what the methodology for this graph was... so besides shock value, it is close to useless without an explanation.

[mainer]

74. I agree with you. Taiwan's got a tight lid on their press, I thought.

I've been there, and have many contacts from there.

[marmar]

20. All the rankings are embarrassing, but the scientific literacy one says a lot....

..... What do you expect in a nation where so many people believe humans and dinosaurs coexisted?

[Arugula Latte]

34. Yep.

The irrationality and anti-intellectualism of religion strikes again.

[BrklynLiberal]

46. Two books on that....

http://www.amazon.com/Unscientific-America-Scientific-Illiteracy-Threatens/dp/B002UXRZDU/ref=reg_hu-wl_list-recs
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51xk9CDvjcL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA300_SH20_OU01_.jpg

http://www.amazon.com/Republican-War-Science-Chris-Mooney/dp/0465046762/ref=pd_sim_b_1
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/4117WP2t0FL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA300_SH20_OU01_.jpg

[ShamelessHussy]

23. does anyone have a link to the data used to compile this or the article that sumarises the data?

thx :toast:

[TalkingDog]

27. go to the website and ask the guy....

He might give you the info.

[npk]

82. Of course not

That would take all the enjoyment out of this thread.

[Mudoria]

25. Looks like a couple of guys from Iceland and Finland got together

to make up a chart.

[cali]

26. I find that the we suck worse than anyone and the

we're the greatest mentalities are simply opposite sides of the coin of American exceptionalism

[TalkingDog]

28. One might argue that recognizing flaws

allows people to (at the very least consider) correcting them. Whereas those who blindly embrace without question enable the behavior that causes the problems thereby tacitly condoning problematic behavior.

So while some may view it in simplistic, either/or terms, I would rather view it as an opportunity to examine myself and the culture I live in. Hopefully this will provide me with opportunities to contribute to it's betterment.

[Winterblues]

31. Where is the catagory for Killing people?

I suspect we are close to being number one in that catagory. Or how about using the most of the worlds resources? I suspect we are number one in that catagory as well..

[chill_wind]

32. James Madison said

"Of all the enemies to public liberty war is, perhaps, the most to be dreaded because it comprises and develops the germ of every other. War is the parent of armies; from these proceed debts and taxes … known instruments for bringing the many under the domination of the few.… No nation could preserve its freedom in the midst of continual warfare."

— James Madison, Political Observations, 1795

Our military imperialism is costing us all of this. It is costing us everything. EVERYTHING we could be investing instead for the good.

The trade-offs are astounding. The Cost of War: http://www.costofwar.com

[BrklynLiberal]

47. James Madison and you are very smart...and very accurate.

[chill_wind]

50. The wisdom of our Founding Fathers

(except for the ones the Tea Partiers seem to have forgotten.)

I wish I was even a tiny scintilla as wise as any of them, but this much is as plain as day about our modern republic.

[BrklynLiberal]

35. Don't confuse the fantasy with facts. Don't rain on thier jingoistic parade with the truth!!!

Jingoism: extreme nationalism characterized by shows of excessive patriotism, usually associated with going to war.

[Dreamer Tatum]

36. Wringoism: hand-wringing over the benign national pride of your countrymen nt

[chill_wind]

52. "Benign" or sheer groundless folly?

Our modern day national priorities are fucked up. Very, very fucked up.

[BrklynLiberal]

37. Maternal death rate: Going up in the US while going down almost everyplace else.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/03/12/maternal.mortality/index.html

Doubling of maternal deaths in U.S. 'scandalous,' rights group says
(CNN) -- Deaths from pregnancy and childbirth in the United States have doubled in the past 20 years, a development that a human rights group called "scandalous and disgraceful" Friday.

In addition, the rights group said, about 1.7 million women a year, one-third of pregnant women in the United States, suffer from pregnancy-related complications.

Most of the deaths and complications occur among minorities and women living in poverty, it noted.

Amnesty International issued a report Friday that calls on President Obama to take action.

"This country's extraordinary record of medical advancement makes its haphazard approach to maternal care all the more scandalous and disgraceful," said Larry Cox, executive director of Amnesty International USA.

"Good maternal care should not be considered a luxury available only to those who can access the best hospitals and the best doctors. Women should not die in the richest country on earth from preventable complications and emergencies," Cox said in a news release.

The report, "Deadly Delivery: The Maternal Health Care Crisis in the USA," notes that the lifetime risk of maternal deaths is greater in the United States than in 40 other countries, including virtually all industrialized nations.

The report also noted that severe pregnancy-related complications that nearly cause death -- known as "near misses" -- have increased by 25 percent since 1998.

Up to 40 percent of near misses are considered preventable with better quality of care, according to a 2007 study in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology.
Video: Pregnant women die needlessly

Minorities, women living in poverty, Native Americans, immigrants and those who speak little or no English are particularly affected, Amnesty International said.

"The thing that really struck us was that these problems hit women of color, low-income, particularly hard," said Nan Strauss, researcher and co-author of the Amnesty report. "But every woman who is going through pregnancy in this country is at risk."

Figures compiled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia, show that black women are three times more likely to die from pregnancy and childbirth than their white counterparts.

White women have a mortality rate of 9.5 per 100,000 pregnancies, the CDC said. For African-American women, that rate is 32.7 deaths per 100,000 pregnancies.

"This has been known for a while and no one has a good handle on it," said Dr. Elliot Main, chairman and chief of obstetrics at California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco. "This is a national disgrace and a call to action. Both numbers are a call to action -- maternal mortality and racial disparity."

The CDC analysis shows that deaths during pregnancy and childbirth have doubled for all U.S. women in the past 20 years.

In 1987, there were 6.6 deaths for every 100,000 pregnancies. The number of deaths had climbed to 13.3 per 100,000 in 2006, the last year for which figures were available.

<snip>

[Uncle Joe]

40. Well at least we're #1 in the use of Aesop's Fables

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x8175547

Those grapes are probably sour anyway.

Thanks for the thread, TalkingDog

[Hutzpa]

44. Goddamn!

United States and Britain have lagged behind considerably, :wtf:

How did this happen?

[BrklynLiberal]

48. Arrogance, ignorance, intolerance, poor governance, apathy, greed,

When I think of more, I will add to the list....

[Hutzpa]

53. Absolutely and here are some more

racism, nepotism, institutionalism, apathy, despotism etc.

[BrklynLiberal]

55. Yes!

:thumbsup: :hi:

[joeybee12]

49. This is a LIE! No way are we ahead of Turkey in scientific literacy!!!

[BlooInBloo]

59. We're a stupid country, and Americans prefer it that way.

[ThatsMyBarack]

61. Bottom of the fucking barrel every time!

Were number LAST (or close to it). Yay. :eyes:

[underpants]

62. Oh so THAT'S why Rush was going to move to Costa Rica-for better healthcare

[WillyT]

67. Woo Hoo !!! - K & R !!!

:woohoo:

:banghead:

:beer:

[Naturyl]

68. We're the greatest third-world country on Earth. (n/t)

[bergie321]

69. Poor wording of some of the charts

Change "Smallest Prison Population" to "Largest Prison Population" and we would be #1.
It also left off:
Military Spending,
Gun Ownership,
Pollution Per Capita,
Garbage Per Capita,
Ego Size,
and GDP (not per capita)

We're #1!
We're #1!
We're #1!

[Naturalist111]

70. Don't forget we are number one in Denial

[CLANG]

80. ; No time for losers; 'Cause we are the champions of the World!!!

:crazy:

[Lifelong Protester]

85. I can only speak to the Finnish spot in "effective education"

I was at a seminar where the keynote speaker was talking about effective models for education around the world. His research showed that Finland PAYS THEIR TEACHERS WELL, RESPECTS THEM, and because of this, the colleges for teacher preparation are among the most competitive for acceptance into a program of anything Finland offers.

Respect.
And pay that SHOWS that respect.


Might be nice, eh?

[ChadwickHenryWard]

87. Why is "mobile phones per capita" listed as a measure of standard of living?

Why should we be concerned that we don't have the most phones? Fuck that noise.

[LeftyMom]

88. It's an interesting indicator of prosperity, especially in developing nations with fewer landlines.

[ChadwickHenryWard]

94. That's an interesting perspective.

However, it doesn't have much relevance to developed countries.

[LeftyMom]

97. Sure it does. It's a thing people tend to buy if they can afford it,

so a high per-capita ownership rate tends to indicate greater prosperity. You could as easily measure washing machines or cars or shoes, but cell phones are easy to count because all you need to do is get subscriber numbers from the local providers.

[ChadwickHenryWard]

98. Further interesting perspective.

You clearly have a better handle on this idea than I do. You've got me convinced.

[Stardust]

89. There sure are a lot of socialist countries in the Top Three spots...

:scared:

[Ralphie40]

99. Cost of Healthcare ticks me off

and it doesn't look like it's going to get any better.


By RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR (AP) – 2 hours ago
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama's health care overhaul law will increase the nation's health care tab instead of bringing costs down, government economic forecasters concluded Thursday in a sobering assessment of the sweeping legislation.

But the analysis also found that the law falls short of the president's twin goal of controlling runaway costs. It also warned that Medicare cuts may be unrealistic and unsustainable, driving about 15 percent of hospitals into the red and "possibly jeopardizing access" to care for seniors.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jvD9Os2EoI5FD7PWJFvlxRy_wCcAD9F8FGI80

Doesn't anybody else feel betrayed?