A common talking point among Republicans is that the United States is the greatest nation on Earth. But is it? While it’s nearly impossible to say which country is the best, there are clearly metrics on which countries should be judged. This will be a series that compares countries by these metrics. At the end of each issue, I’ll reveal my personal opinion on which country wins on that post’s issue. The first installment will be released next Saturday, but today I’ll introduce some of the first topics that I’ll be writing about and the countries, other than the United States, that will be compared.
Countries:
Canada: Canada is very similar to the United States in terms of attitudes towards government (at least compared to Europe) and federal government powers (less than that of most European countries). It can serve as a model of what the US could be like if only a little was changed.
United Kingdom: The United Kingdom serves an example of a more conservative European country and is an intermediary between the US and Canada and most European countries. It serves as an example of moderate reform in the US.
Germany: Germany is in many ways the typical European country, a strong welfare state, but with an emphasis on work. Its welfare state is less generous than that of a country like Norway, but much more generous than the US or Canada, and serves an example of significant, but not ultimate reform.
China: China is often compared to the US on economic issues. China’s rapid economic development has surprised many, but it also serves as an example of what a country gives up to gain such growth.
Norway: Norway is the epitome of the European welfare state. Virtually all of the necessities of life are provided by the government. It serves as an example of what the United States could like if intense reform was undertaken.
Brazil: Brazil is a swiftly developing economy, and because of this has had to implement many innovative solutions to problems that developed countries also face. It’s solutions may be unusual, but that makes the country ideal for wild card answers to difficult problems.
Russia: Russia is in many ways the most conservative European country, but is also highly comparable to the United States in terms of religiosity. It therefore serves as a comparison for what the US could be socially if the US government was more influenced by the church.
Wild Card: There are countries all over that world that have confronted problems with innovative and surprising solutions. Every installment we’ll feature a new country whose solution is worthy of recognition and consideration.
Issues:
Government Structure: Government Structure may not be the most exciting issue, but it is the most important. We’ll compare the US’s presidential system to parliamentary republics, semi-presidential republics, command systems, and everything in between.
Healthcare: The United State’s remains the only developed country without universal healthcare. We’ll compare this to single and multi-payer, as well as the outcomes in countries with even less robust healthcare guarantees than the US.
Taxes: Does the US really have the highest corporate taxes in the world? And, if so,is this a bad thing? We’ll compare the US to other countries on the issues of rates, enforcement, and efficiency.
Criminal Justice: The imprisons millions every year, but retains high crime rates. We’ll discuss how other countries have lowered crime rates while retaining a moral criminal justice system.
The Environment: It is no secret that the United States isn’t exactly a leader on the environment. We’ll discuss how other countries have lowered pollution and their carbon footprints while retaining strong economic growth.
Gender Equality: Gender equality and feminism remain huge issues in the US, and, indeed, the world. We’ll discuss how other countries strive for gender equality and how successful these strategies are.
LGBT+ Rights: Gay marriage may be settled in the US, but LGBT+ rights are far from. We’ll discuss how other countries have dealt with this issue and what the US could do to make the US a more equal society for all.
More: Is there an issue that you want to know more about? Comment or send an email, and we’ll compare the US on this issue.
Liberal Talking Head 