(DON THOMPSON / iNFOnews.ca)

OPINION

I’ve got more good news than bad news about the latest Social Progress Index (SPI), which measures quality of life around the world. Canada ranks sixth worldwide among 168 nations on the SPI, up from seventh in last year’s ranking. My other home, the United States, ranks 24th up from 28th last time.

Despite these improvements, however, personal rights around the world are declining. Some 116 of the 168 countries - 69% - have seen individual rights rolled back since 2011.

This is the eleventh year of the rankings, which is neither a touchy-feely measure of people’s happiness and fulfillment nor a measure of Gross Domestic Product. Rather, it considers 50+ factors like nutrition, safety, the environment, freedom, healthcare and education, among others...to quantify quality of life. 

The Index is the culmination of the work of several Nobel Prize-winning economists and is administered by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The OECD - founded in 1961 - includes 45 cooperative member nations that promote democracy and market economies to the benefit of all.

Scandinavian nations fare best in the SPI, with Norway, Finland and Denmark ranking one, two and three, respectively. Iceland is fourth, with Switzerland holding fifth and Canada - the highest ranking G7 nation - at sixth. We should all commit to doing everything we can to continue to improve the quality of life for all Canadians.

I’m more than willing to throw the first punch in a fight over why the U.S. holds down the 24th spot...and improvement of four spots but still a drop from its 19th ranking a decade ago.

Americans need to ask...and more importantly their lawmakers need to answer...why the U.S. has most of the world’s high-quality universities, yet ranks 89th in access to quality basic education? Why does America lead the world in medical technology...yet barely makes the top 100 - 97th - in public access to good health care?

When it comes to heath care, Americans are on par with Albania, Chile and Jordan. Hmmm. And in terms of education, the U.S. is right there with Mongolia and Uzbekistan. Another hmmm. More than 100 countries have lower homicide rates than America. Yet another hmmm.

And almost every so-called advanced country has cleaner air and water, better sanitation and more reliable Internet access. Enough of the hmmms...everyone should sense the irony by now.

Every American should be outraged that when it comes to discrimination against minorities...the U.S. ranks 100th. Really? Do Americans respect senior citizens? The way America cared for those in nursing homes and assisted living facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic...shouts, “No!”

And America isn’t protecting its children the way most nations do. In the previous decade, more than 250,000 children were legally married in the U.S....age 17 and younger.

Three states - Alaska, Louisiana and South Carolina - reported more than a dozen 12-year-olds getting married. Only 38 of 50 states even provide data on child marriages...so it’s likely an even larger problem. And too many of those not marrying earlier than they should…are likely getting shot. Again, where’s the outrage?

So, what’s wrong my fellow Americans? Well, it started before Donald Trump became president, and both political parties have had a hand in this debacle. Certainly, the Trump fiasco accelerated the decline…though under the Biden Administration we’ve seen an improvement.

There’s a lot wrong with America...and that’s constructive criticism...not just throwing eggs. It’s fixable. But enough people have to want it...demand it. There are plenty of warning signs that should point clearly to what ails America.

Consider, just one percent of Americans own more than half of America’s wealth. That means just three million Americans have more assets than the entire Middle Class...nearly 155 million people.

The average American earning $75,000 last year paid more income taxes than Google and Apple...combined. See a problem?

There are more than 400 million guns in America…with a population of 329.5 million people. Again, sense a problem?

Look, my fellow Americans, we can play this like some John Wayne movie...or a sporting event…shouting, “We’re Number One” or “USA, USA, USA!” Or, fix it...demand change from impotent politicians and corporations that have become the state. Believing fiction over fact just makes you look stupid.

Americans might be shocked that Canadians laugh or roll their eyes when they hear those self-absorbed chants. Now, Mongolians, Czechs, Albanians, Cypriots and Estonians are in on the joke, too. Saying you’re number one...when you’re 24th...just isn’t right.

I hope the U.S. follows Canada’s leadership…an upward trend in the past year is good. But here in Canada, let’s work even harder on our shortcomings as a society and do even better the next SPI. We owe it to ourselves.

— Don Thompson, an American awaiting Canadian citizenship, lives in Vernon and in Florida. In a career that spans more than 40 years, Don has been a working journalist, a speechwriter and the CEO of an advertising and public relations firm. A passionate and compassionate man, he loves the written word as much as fine dinners with great wines.

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