Not an area of concern for the US.
This morning the annual Social Progress Index and report were released, measuring 128 countries based on Basic Human Needs, Foundations of Wellbeing, and Opportunity. The United States ranked 18 and was placed in a “second tier” status. The report noted: “Traditional measures of national income, such as GDP per capita, fail to capture the overall progress of societies.”Cue: USA!, USA!, USA! We are Number One!
On the component measuring health and wellness, the report found that the U.S. “performs far below countries at the same level of GDP per capita, registering relative weaknesses on all indicators in the component.” On the component measuring tolerance and inclusion, the researchers found that the U.S. “ranks just 23 in the world across this component, placing it behind less prosperous countries including Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, and Costa Rica.”
How did this happen?
The research findings from the Social Progress Index are yet another embarrassing black eye to the standing of America on the world stage — as billionaires move to consolidate their power in Washington.What is social progress anyway?
The study defines social progress as follows:Creating the conditions for all to reach their full potential is the basis for liberalism. The foundation of liberalism is freedom from constraint and freedom to chose in order to create the conditions necessary to use freedom for self-development as an individual and self-determination as a people.
“Social progress is the capacity of a society to meet the basic human needs of its citizens, establish the building blocks that allow citizens and communities to enhance and sustain the quality of their lives, and create the conditions for all individuals to reach their full potential.”
Freedom from, freedom to, and freedom for are the sine qua non of traditional liberalism based on the Western intellectual tradition that began with the ancient Greeks.
Wall Street On Parade
Pam Martens and Russ Martens
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