USA: It Sucks to be You?

 I saw this article today.

Study ranks Canada #1 in the world for quality of life

Check that out.

Canada was recently ranked the second most beautiful country in the world, and now it is being hailed for its quality of life.

In fact, Canada took the top spot for the category in the latest 2019 Best Countries Rankings by U.S. News and World Report. What's more, this is the country's fourth year in a row in the ranking's top spot.

America?  Shall we compare?

• Guess what neighbor to the North has universal health care?
• Guess what neighbor to the North didn't tie health care to profit?
• And who's people don't go bankrupt from health care costs?
• And who's number 1 cause of bankruptcy for citizens isn't health care costs?
• And also has far less guns and weapons?
• And far less shootings and killings?
• And doesn't pay out an obscene amount every year for "defense"?
• And doesn't have an idiotic, self-serving, greedy, uninformed leader of their nation?

So...   Ladies and gentlemen?

Can we learn anything?

Maybe?

Could we?

Please?

Missouri Makes a Very Dark List

Wow.

Missouri not only made the top, worst 10 on a new survey of the 50 states in America, it actually made the top, worst 5.

America's 10 worst states to live in 2017 

- CNBC.com

"These are the 10 worst states in the US for quality of life, including crime, health, social tolerance and the environment."

So check out what they say about our own Show Me state:

5. MISSOURI

Show Me how to stay safe in Missouri, where violent crime in all categories has been rising, in some cases by double digits. Missouri also lacks statewide protections against discrimination based on sexual orientation, marital status, and gender identity. And the state is near the bottom for public health funding.

2017 Quality of Life score: 99 out of 300 points
Weaknesses: Crime rate, health, inclusiveness
Strength: Attractions
2016 Quality of Life rank: No. 49

Note that last statistic, too.  2016 Quality of Life rank:  49.  Out of 50, of course. Only one state worse than us, whoever that is. 

Even on this list, we're worse than Mississippi, for God's sake. 

WORSE THAN MISSISSIPPI.

Let that sink in.

I know I personally take no comfort whatever in learning that neighbor state to the South, Arkansas, is ranked 4th worst or that, again, neighbor state Oklahoma is ranked number 3.

We should no way be on this list. This is horrible.

We must do better. We have to.

And we start by getting Republicans out of public office.

Let's get started.

Another indication of America's problems

A list is just out, ranking the best and worst cities of the world, based either on "Quality of Living", the second on "Infrastructure ranking."

Not one US city ranks in the top ten of either:

Worldwide top 50 cities: Quality of living ranking

Worldwide top 50 cities: Infrastructure ranking

Repeat after me:  "WE'RE NUMBER ONE!"

Original article:  Mercer's 2012 Quality of Living ranking highlights - Global

Quote of the day--on challenging times, and hope

How can we not hope for a collective death-and-rebirth of society when the commercial interests of the powerful devastate our environment, our values, our quality of life, our education, our culture, and even life itself?  --Dr. Jean Houston

Link to original post:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-jean-houston/beyond-the-pathology-of-h_b_721610.html?ref=fb&src=sp

Kansas--32; Missouri, 38. 'nuff said

From Yahoo! News, just now:

Happiest U.S. States Pinned Down

By Jeanna Bryner, Managing Editor

17 December 2009 02:00 pm ET

A new study found that a person's self-reported happiness matches up with objective measures of state-level happiness.

The results are based on an examination of two data sets, one that included personal reports of happiness for 1.3 million Americans and the other that included objective measures, such as how crowded that state is, air quality, home prices and other factors known to impact quality of life.

Click here to learn more about the survey and what it means.

Here are the 50 U.S. states (and the District of Columbia) in order of their well-being:

1. Louisiana
2. Hawaii
3. Florida
4. Tennessee
5. Arizona
6. Mississippi
7. Montana
8. South Carolina
9. Alabama
10. Maine
11. Alaska
12. North Carolina
13. Wyoming
14. Idaho
15. South Dakota
16. Texas
17. Arkansas
18. Vermont
19. Georgia
20. Oklahoma
21. Colorado
22. Delaware
23. Utah
24. New Mexico
25. North Dakota
26. Minnesota
27. New Hampshire
28. Virginia
29. Wisconsin
30. Oregon
31. Iowa
32. Kansas
33. Nebraska
34. West Virginia
35. Kentucky
36. Washington
37. District of Columbia
38. Missouri
39. Nevada
40. Maryland
41. Pennsylvania
42. Rhode Island
43. Massachusetts
44. Ohio
45. Illinois
46. California
47. Indiana
48. Michigan
49. New Jersey
50. Connecticut
51. New York
______________

Don't get me wrong, I like Kansas City and Missouri but could we maybe work on this?

I also have to say, I think that getting the Performing Arts Center downtown will help our area a great deal and, secondly--and not connected at all to the first thought--I get some solace in knowing New York state is 51--worst in the country, by this comparison, while sunny Southern California is--believe it?--46th?, oceans, mountains and all? Yikes.

Have a great weekend, y'all.

Links: http://www.livescience.com/culture/091217-happy-state-list.html

http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20091217/sc_livescience/happieststatesrevealedbynewresearch