Can GOP Red Weasels Swim Without Water Wings

U.S. Going Down the Drain as GOPers Blame Obama and DEMS

(And, avoid looking in a mirror)

A very interesting story and study from here (Alternet.org). Kinda scary headlines to kick things off: 

Global Rankings Study Depicts an America in Warp Speed Decline

From access to health care and education, gender equality, attitudes toward immigrants and minorities, the U.S. looks like a second-rate nation.

Wow — talk about an attention getter. Let's explore this article a bit more for a some data:

Right up front let me say that GOPers will not see the report for what it is. Instead, they will use it like another tool in their bag of tricks and stunts: “Blame Obama and the DEMS.”

If America needed a reminder that it is fast becoming a second-rate nation, and that every economic policy of the Republican Party is wrongheaded, it got one this week with the release of the Social Progress Index (SPI).

Harvard business professor Michael E. Porter, who earlier developed the Global Competitiveness Report, designed the SPI. It’s a new way to look at the success of countries. The SPI studies 132 nations and evaluates 54 social and environmental indicators for each country that matter to real people.

Rather than measuring a country’s success by its per capita GDP alone, the index is based on an array of data reflecting suicide, ecosystem sustainability, property rights, access to health care and education, gender equality, attitudes toward immigrants and minorities, religious freedom, nutrition, infrastructure, and more. The index measures the livability of each country about what  average people everywhere depend on and care about – that is similar things.

THE PARTIAL SCOREBOARD FROM THE REPORT AS IT WERE – CAUTION: IT IS NOT PRETTY:

1. The U.S. enjoys the second highest per capita GDP of $45,336.
2. We rank in 16th place overall among all the countries. Then it goes downhill.
3. We rank 70th in health care.
4. We are 69th in ecosystem sustainability.
5. Then we are 39th in basic education.
6. Then 34th in access to water and sanitation.
7. We are in 31st place in personal safety.

One footnote or redeeming feature to all this, I guess: If the index is an affront to your jingoistic sensibilities, we (the U.S.) remains in first place for: the number of incarcerated citizens per capita; adult onset of diabetes; and for believing in angels. So wave the flag and yell: “Hooah, we are #1” (rubber fingers not provided).  

If one word were used to describe all this, it might be:  “Ouch – that hurts” (actually that was three words) ...