Just a few weeks ago, I blogged again about my trip to Norway.
I wonder if previous generations of Americans feel the way I increasingly feel about the United States. I don't much like living here. This isn't the nation of my youth. More and more we allow the bullies, the thugs, the thieves to run rife in the media as if they speak for us all. We allow businesses to become "too big to fail" and play the labeling game with anyone who thinks people matter more than corporations.
Certainly my standard of living is not as high as my father's was.
The Norwegians have such a sensible world view. So do the Canadians. Well, the peoples of so many countries seem to better understand what matters than my fellow Americans.
The annual United Nations human development index, released today, names Norway the best country in which to live. The list of 182 countries is based on 2007 statistics on life expectancy, literacy, school enrollment, gross domestic product, and other criteria.
The top ten countries listed on the index are: Norway, Australia, Iceland, Canada, Ireland, the Netherlands, Sweden, France, Switzerland and Japan.
The United States ranks 13th, down one spot from last year.
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