Posted on 11/05/2012 1:48:34 PM PST by SeekAndFind
The United States is no longer one of the world's ten most "prosperous" countries for the first time according to the Legatum Institute.
The Legatum Prosperity Index assessed and ranked the prosperity of 142 countries based on eight sub-categories: economy, entrepreneurship and opportunity, health, governance, education, safety and security, personal freedom, and social capital.
America experienced an "unprecedented" fall to twelfth in the rankings, as it experienced "weakening performance across five of the Index’s eight sub-categories."
When referring to the U.S., the language of the report had a somewhat dire tone. It claims that "the American Dream is in jeopardy," and "the national ethos of the U.S. is under threat."
The London-based public policy institute pegged the U.S.' precipitous drop to a decline in consumer and voter confidence, along with a bleak economic and entrepreneurial outlook; four percent fewer citizens believe that "hard work gets you ahead," and business startup costs as a percentage of Gross National Income (GNI) have doubled in the past two years.
In fact, the U.S. economy sub-score dropped to twentieth and its personal freedom score dropped four points to fourteenth, just above Uruguay.
“Despite performing relatively well in a few sub-indices," said Jeffrey Gedmin, President and CEO of the Legatum Institute "it is clear that the U.S. is struggling to overcome the barriers to prosperity. Good education alone will not keep prosperity afloat and whoever succeeds in the elections this week needs to address the factors that are holding the nation back from being truly prosperous.”
It appears that Legatume hopes the timing of the report's release — which was made available to the public on October 30 — will have electoral implications in the upcoming presidential race.
(Excerpt) Read more at businessinsider.com ...
Here are the top twenty countries:
SEE ALSO: Why the world's most prosperous cities are in Europe »
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2955293/posts
Thank you!
Obama built that...
There was a study not too long ago that the economic rank of Sweden was the same as Mississippi.
There was a study not too long ago that said the economic rank of Sweden was the same as Mississippi.
Outstanding!!!
PRAY FOR AMERICA!
Obama promised change, and he delivered!
Have the Ice Countries found a way to repel the commies?
This needs to be handed to Mitt on day 1 - a to-do list. Most of these can be fixed by repealing bad liberal law.
While the reasons for our drop are most illegitimate categories. Loss in economic freedom and faith in hard work.(Economic activities will not get done if people can’t or wont work hard.)
I have always found theses list misleading because of the inclusion of completely non-related figures like healthcare coverage numbers that have nothing to do with economic productivity and indeed only reflect their twisted idea of how a system “must work”. In this case an idea that rejects the very notion of price selection intelligently controlling resource allocation. The very foundation of any free economy.
So instead anyone who does not follow their pattern is docked. But still their right about many if not most of their figures.
One slight silver lining is that when they talk about the rich nations paying more, we can refer them to things like this.
Sheesh, how surprising.
When a country’s immigrants are mainly from third world countries, whose citizens have very little or none to contribute, the host country’s overall society will start to immitate that of the immigrant’s country of origin.
While the reasons for our drop are most legitimate categories. IE: Loss in economic freedom and faith in hard work.(Economic activities will not get done if people can’t or wont work hard.)
I have always found theses list misleading because of the inclusion of completely non-related figures like healthcare coverage numbers. As if the way one manages a particular resource is to be decided BY THEM to be most efficient.
In this case they generally measure the share of the population who have 3rd parties paying for their healthcare bill rather than managing that resource themselves as they see fit. Shockingly they almost always assume that a 3rd party makes the most efficient and desirable choices. Which is why they measure the share of the population partispating in such a scheme as a factor in their list.
Good stuff, very funny! From the Legatum Institute, no less, who have been manufacturing this index for all of, what, six years?? Norway & Sweden at the top - two of the most heavily socialist countries in NE. Yeah, what cred they've establish with THAT little nugget.
And pushed by our Commie friends at Business Insider, no less. Whatever, dude - BTW, liberty_lvr says you have crashed out from the list of ten best posters on FR.
I'm sure you are devastated...
Thank you Bronco Bama!
Of course the Swedes get a lot back from their taxes that Americans do not, so the actual standard of living is higher than the disposable income would imply.
Pathetic and hart breaking but true. And no doubt things are going to get much, much, worse in the next four years if the voters don’t make the right choices tomorrow.
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