Friedman’s book constitutes an ambitious undertaking and he is careful to be clear about the pitfalls associated with the measures and analyses used.\u00a0 In the end however, as a skilled statistician and economist, he was able to pull together a clear and concise\u00a0 comparative ranking system that factually answers the question – “Is America Exceptional?”<\/p>\n
He is a snapshot of the rankings:<\/p>\n
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<\/a>I don’t know about you, but I was appalled by these findings. \u00a0 The US comes up with a last place ranking on a majority of very important quality of life variables with regard to health, safety, democracy, and equality.\u00a0 It gets worse when you look at all the comparisons drawn in Friedman’s book.\u00a0 I included only those measures that could easily be put in a table without the need for deeper explanation. \u00a0 And with regard to education, we are in the middle and bottom third of the rankings, except when it comes to years of education and percent of the population getting secondary education.\u00a0\u00a0 Our literacy rankings are unacceptable.<\/p>\n
Neither Friedman or I are driven to bash the United States.\u00a0 Instead, he and I both are motivated by a desire for exceptionalism across all these measures.\u00a0 Friedman makes recommendations about how we as a people, and a nation, could improve on all these important variables. \u00a0 The subtitle of his book is How to Regain America’s Competitive Edge And Boost Our Global Standing.<\/em>\u00a0 The problem is one of over-confidence and unquestioning nationalism.\u00a0 To boldly contend that America is exceptional in every way is both unsubstantiated and untrue.\u00a0 How I wish it was otherwise.<\/p>\n It is time to step back, look deeply at these issues, accept the reality that we can do better, and then devote our efforts to making it so.\u00a0 We are arguably the richest and most powerful nation in the world with a vast capability for excellence.\u00a0 It comes down to priorities and hubris<\/a>.\u00a0 If “we the people” demand excellence in these areas, and stand-up and make our voices heard, politicians will have to respond.\u00a0 If however, we bombastically proclaim “We’re #1” regardless of what the evidence suggests, we will continue to languish. \u00a0 Should not the measure of a nation, with such capabilities,\u00a0 be the best?<\/p>\n Spread the word, get and read Friedman’s book<\/a>.\u00a0 Let’s start changing the dialogue in this country away from the current divisive and unproductive rancor, and begin focusing on what really matters.\u00a0 It starts with knowledge and it ends with a healthier, safer, smarter, and more fulfilled populace whose politicians truly represent them and actually address important issues.<\/p>\n \u25ca<\/span><\/p>\n For other discussions and data points on US rankings relative to other nations see:<\/p>\n We’re # 37! USA! USA! USA! A look at the US Healthcare System<\/a><\/p>\n A 2010 US Department of Education report<\/a> releasing the 2009 Program for International Student Assessment<\/em> (PISA) scores indicated that 15-year-old students from the US scored in the average range in reading and science, but below average in math.<\/p>\n Happiness as Measured By GDP: Really?<\/a><\/p>\n