Greatest country in the world my ass

America has a lot going for it. I'd choose to live in America over
many countries.

But I keep bumping into Americans who claim that "America is the
best", "the greatest", "the freest", "the most democratic", "the most
advanced", or that "America beats the world at everything". Why do so
many Americans believe this? Can they back up such bold claims with
hard evidence?

To answer this, I've tried to compile a few world rankings from a wide
range of sources. The truth is that America rarely makes it into the
top five, let alone number one. Don't get me wrong. America does
pretty well in all international comparisons, but that does NOT mean
it's THE BEST. There are quite a few countries that are - at least -
as great as America.

But instead of trying to learn from those countries in an effort to
beat them, millions of Americans choose to believe in a delusion of
grandeur and invincibility. This kind of blind patriotism is not a
sign of strength. It is a sign of weakness, complacency, and
ingnorance (how many who make this claim have actually heard of the
countries on the list below, let alone travelled there?).




USA Rankings on
----------------------------


Adult Literacy Scale: 9
(1:Sweden 2:Norway) - OECD

Democracy Index: 17
(1:Sweden 2:Iceland) - The Economist Magazine

Democracy Audit: 15
(1:Finland 2enmark) - World Audit

Index of Economic Freedom: 9
(1:Hong Kong 2:Singapore) - The Heritage Foundation/ Wall Street
Journal

Economic Freedom in the World: 5
(1:Hong Kong 2:Singapore) - The Frasier Institute

Competitiveness Index: 6
(1:Switzerland 2:Finland) - World Economic Forum

Journalistic Press Freedom Index: 32
(1:Finland 2:Norway and Netherlands tied) - Reporters without Borders

Global Press Freedom Rankings: 24
(1:Finland/Sweden/Iceland tied) - Freedom House

Human Development Index: 10
(1:Norway 2:Iceland) - UN

Quality of Life Survey: 13
(1:Ireland 2:Switzerland) - The Economist Magazine

Wealth Ranking (GDP(PPP) per capita): 3
(1:Ireland 2:Norway) - International Monetary Fund

Healthcare Quality Index: 37
(1:France 2:Italy) - WHO

Human Poverty Index: 16
(1:Sweden 2:Norway) - UN

Student Reading Ability: 12
(1:Finland 2:South Korea) - OECD PISA

Student Problem Solving Ability: 26
(1:South Korea 2:Finland) - OECD PISA

Student Mathematics Ability: 24
(1:Hong Kong 2:Finland) - OECD PISA

Student Science Ability: 19
(1:Finland 2:Japan) - OECD PISA

Broadband Internet Penetration Rate: 12
(1:Korea 2:Netherlands) - OECD 2005

Index of Technological Achievement: 2
(1:Finland 3:Sweden) - Nation Master

Political Corruption Index: 17
(1:Iceland 2:Finland) - Transparency International

Productivity (GDP(PPP) per hour worked): 4
(1:Norway 2:France) - University of Groningen

Environmental Sustainability Index: 45
(1:Finland 2:Norway) - Yale University ESI 2005

Life Expectancy: 29
(1:Japan 2:Hong Kong) - UN Human Development Report

Infant Mortality Rate: 32
(1:Sweden 2:Finland) - Save the Children

Mother's Index: 26
(1:Sweden 2:Iceland) - Save the Children

Children's Index: 30
(1:Norway 2:Sweden) - Save the Children

Women's Rights Scale: 17
(1:Sweden 2:Norway) - World Economic Report

Timeline of Gay Rights Progress: 6
(1:Sweden 2:Norway) - Vexen

Privacy Index: 30
(1:Germany 2:Canada) - Privacy International

Subjective Well-Being Index: 15
(1:Puerto Rico 2:Mexico) - University of Michigan's World Values
Surveys

Most of these rankings are just plain subjective and in the eye of the
beholder. That doesn't excuse the jingoistic attitudes you're talking
about which I find quite offensive myself, based as they are on
complete ignorance. But take the ratings with a grain of salt. As
you saw, Sweden ranks very high on most of them and, since my wife is
Swedish and works for an airline, we got there about 10 times a year.
And I can guarantee you, neither of us would change our medical care
for what a Swede receives for starters no matter what these ratings
show.



On Mon, 29 Oct 2007 17:22:51 -0700, Cambrasa
wrote:

America has a lot going for it. I'd choose to live in America over
many countries.

But I keep bumping into Americans who claim that "America is the
best", "the greatest", "the freest", "the most democratic", "the most
advanced", or that "America beats the world at everything". Why do so
many Americans believe this? Can they back up such bold claims with
hard evidence?

To answer this, I've tried to compile a few world rankings from a wide
range of sources. The truth is that America rarely makes it into the
top five, let alone number one. Don't get me wrong. America does
pretty well in all international comparisons, but that does NOT mean
it's THE BEST. There are quite a few countries that are - at least -
as great as America.

But instead of trying to learn from those countries in an effort to
beat them, millions of Americans choose to believe in a delusion of
grandeur and invincibility. This kind of blind patriotism is not a
sign of strength. It is a sign of weakness, complacency, and
ingnorance (how many who make this claim have actually heard of the
countries on the list below, let alone travelled there?).




USA Rankings on
----------------------------


Adult Literacy Scale: 9
(1:Sweden 2:Norway) - OECD

Democracy Index: 17
(1:Sweden 2:Iceland) - The Economist Magazine

Democracy Audit: 15
(1:Finland 2enmark) - World Audit

Index of Economic Freedom: 9
(1:Hong Kong 2:Singapore) - The Heritage Foundation/ Wall Street
Journal

Economic Freedom in the World: 5
(1:Hong Kong 2:Singapore) - The Frasier Institute

Competitiveness Index: 6
(1:Switzerland 2:Finland) - World Economic Forum

Journalistic Press Freedom Index: 32
(1:Finland 2:Norway and Netherlands tied) - Reporters without Borders

Global Press Freedom Rankings: 24
(1:Finland/Sweden/Iceland tied) - Freedom House

Human Development Index: 10
(1:Norway 2:Iceland) - UN

Quality of Life Survey: 13
(1:Ireland 2:Switzerland) - The Economist Magazine

Wealth Ranking (GDP(PPP) per capita): 3
(1:Ireland 2:Norway) - International Monetary Fund

Healthcare Quality Index: 37
(1:France 2:Italy) - WHO

Human Poverty Index: 16
(1:Sweden 2:Norway) - UN

Student Reading Ability: 12
(1:Finland 2:South Korea) - OECD PISA

Student Problem Solving Ability: 26
(1:South Korea 2:Finland) - OECD PISA

Student Mathematics Ability: 24
(1:Hong Kong 2:Finland) - OECD PISA

Student Science Ability: 19
(1:Finland 2:Japan) - OECD PISA

Broadband Internet Penetration Rate: 12
(1:Korea 2:Netherlands) - OECD 2005

Index of Technological Achievement: 2
(1:Finland 3:Sweden) - Nation Master

Political Corruption Index: 17
(1:Iceland 2:Finland) - Transparency International

Productivity (GDP(PPP) per hour worked): 4
(1:Norway 2:France) - University of Groningen

Environmental Sustainability Index: 45
(1:Finland 2:Norway) - Yale University ESI 2005

Life Expectancy: 29
(1:Japan 2:Hong Kong) - UN Human Development Report

Infant Mortality Rate: 32
(1:Sweden 2:Finland) - Save the Children

Mother's Index: 26
(1:Sweden 2:Iceland) - Save the Children

Children's Index: 30
(1:Norway 2:Sweden) - Save the Children

Women's Rights Scale: 17
(1:Sweden 2:Norway) - World Economic Report

Timeline of Gay Rights Progress: 6
(1:Sweden 2:Norway) - Vexen

Privacy Index: 30
(1:Germany 2:Canada) - Privacy International

Subjective Well-Being Index: 15
(1:Puerto Rico 2:Mexico) - University of Michigan's World Values
Surveys

On 2007-10-29 18:15:06 -0700, (John Kulp) said:
Why don't you give us a short outline of Swedish health care? Most of
us don't have much information. gb
Most of these rankings are just plain subjective and in the eye of the
beholder. That doesn't excuse the jingoistic attitudes you're talking
about which I find quite offensive myself, based as they are on
complete ignorance. But take the ratings with a grain of salt. As
you saw, Sweden ranks very high on most of them and, since my wife is
Swedish and works for an airline, we got there about 10 times a year.
And I can guarantee you, neither of us would change our medical care
for what a Swede receives for starters no matter what these ratings
show.



On Mon, 29 Oct 2007 17:22:51 -0700, Cambrasa
wrote:

America has a lot going for it. I'd choose to live in America over
many countries.

But I keep bumping into Americans who claim that "America is the
best", "the greatest", "the freest", "the most democratic", "the most
advanced", or that "America beats the world at everything". Why do so
many Americans believe this? Can they back up such bold claims with
hard evidence?

To answer this, I've tried to compile a few world rankings from a wide
range of sources. The truth is that America rarely makes it into the
top five, let alone number one. Don't get me wrong. America does
pretty well in all international comparisons, but that does NOT mean
it's THE BEST. There are quite a few countries that are - at least -
as great as America.

But instead of trying to learn from those countries in an effort to
beat them, millions of Americans choose to believe in a delusion of
grandeur and invincibility. This kind of blind patriotism is not a
sign of strength. It is a sign of weakness, complacency, and
ingnorance (how many who make this claim have actually heard of the
countries on the list below, let alone travelled there?).




USA Rankings on
----------------------------


Adult Literacy Scale: 9
(1:Sweden 2:Norway) - OECD

Democracy Index: 17
(1:Sweden 2:Iceland) - The Economist Magazine

Democracy Audit: 15
(1:Finland 2enmark) - World Audit

Index of Economic Freedom: 9
(1:Hong Kong 2:Singapore) - The Heritage Foundation/ Wall Street
Journal

Economic Freedom in the World: 5
(1:Hong Kong 2:Singapore) - The Frasier Institute

Competitiveness Index: 6
(1:Switzerland 2:Finland) - World Economic Forum

Journalistic Press Freedom Index: 32
(1:Finland 2:Norway and Netherlands tied) - Reporters without Borders

Global Press Freedom Rankings: 24
(1:Finland/Sweden/Iceland tied) - Freedom House

Human Development Index: 10
(1:Norway 2:Iceland) - UN

Quality of Life Survey: 13
(1:Ireland 2:Switzerland) - The Economist Magazine

Wealth Ranking (GDP(PPP) per capita): 3
(1:Ireland 2:Norway) - International Monetary Fund

Healthcare Quality Index: 37
(1:France 2:Italy) - WHO

Human Poverty Index: 16
(1:Sweden 2:Norway) - UN

Student Reading Ability: 12
(1:Finland 2:South Korea) - OECD PISA

Student Problem Solving Ability: 26
(1:South Korea 2:Finland) - OECD PISA

Student Mathematics Ability: 24
(1:Hong Kong 2:Finland) - OECD PISA

Student Science Ability: 19
(1:Finland 2:Japan) - OECD PISA

Broadband Internet Penetration Rate: 12
(1:Korea 2:Netherlands) - OECD 2005

Index of Technological Achievement: 2
(1:Finland 3:Sweden) - Nation Master

Political Corruption Index: 17
(1:Iceland 2:Finland) - Transparency International

Productivity (GDP(PPP) per hour worked): 4
(1:Norway 2:France) - University of Groningen

Environmental Sustainability Index: 45
(1:Finland 2:Norway) - Yale University ESI 2005

Life Expectancy: 29
(1:Japan 2:Hong Kong) - UN Human Development Report

Infant Mortality Rate: 32
(1:Sweden 2:Finland) - Save the Children

Mother's Index: 26
(1:Sweden 2:Iceland) - Save the Children

Children's Index: 30
(1:Norway 2:Sweden) - Save the Children

Women's Rights Scale: 17
(1:Sweden 2:Norway) - World Economic Report

Timeline of Gay Rights Progress: 6
(1:Sweden 2:Norway) - Vexen

Privacy Index: 30
(1:Germany 2:Canada) - Privacy International

Subjective Well-Being Index: 15
(1:Puerto Rico 2:Mexico) - University of Michigan's World Values
Surveys

Well, ok. In Sweden, everyone in theory is universally covered for
healthcare but not dental care. The real problem, however, is
twofold:

1. access to healthcare, where rationing goes on and the lack of
adequate card outside the main cities, This means that you will get
far better care if you live in Stockholm than out in the boonies. And
Sweden has a lot of boonies. Related to this issue, is now the
ability to take additional private insurance to get around the
rationing, but then you are paying twice for what you are originally
supposed to get.

2. the second main problem is the lack of preventive care to catch
health problems early on. I know of practially no one who gets this
routinely as I do under my healthcare plan. Here, it is seen as a
healthcare cost reduction measure. There, as a needless cost. They
treat after you get something. We just had a Swedish friend visiting
us here that hadn't had a physical in over ten years, never had a
colonoscopy, etc.

Once you get healthcare in Sweden, at least in the main cities, it is
usually first class, but in other than outright emergencies you're
goiing to be waiting. If you're in the boonies, move to the cities.

On Mon, 29 Oct 2007 20:03:27 -0700, glen black
wrote:

On 2007-10-29 18:15:06 -0700, (John Kulp) said:
Why don't you give us a short outline of Swedish health care? Most of
us don't have much information. gb
Most of these rankings are just plain subjective and in the eye of the
beholder. That doesn't excuse the jingoistic attitudes you're talking
about which I find quite offensive myself, based as they are on
complete ignorance. But take the ratings with a grain of salt. As
you saw, Sweden ranks very high on most of them and, since my wife is
Swedish and works for an airline, we got there about 10 times a year.
And I can guarantee you, neither of us would change our medical care
for what a Swede receives for starters no matter what these ratings
show.



On Mon, 29 Oct 2007 17:22:51 -0700, Cambrasa
wrote:

America has a lot going for it. I'd choose to live in America over
many countries.

But I keep bumping into Americans who claim that "America is the
best", "the greatest", "the freest", "the most democratic", "the most
advanced", or that "America beats the world at everything". Why do so
many Americans believe this? Can they back up such bold claims with
hard evidence?

To answer this, I've tried to compile a few world rankings from a wide
range of sources. The truth is that America rarely makes it into the
top five, let alone number one. Don't get me wrong. America does
pretty well in all international comparisons, but that does NOT mean
it's THE BEST. There are quite a few countries that are - at least -
as great as America.

But instead of trying to learn from those countries in an effort to
beat them, millions of Americans choose to believe in a delusion of
grandeur and invincibility. This kind of blind patriotism is not a
sign of strength. It is a sign of weakness, complacency, and
ingnorance (how many who make this claim have actually heard of the
countries on the list below, let alone travelled there?).




USA Rankings on
----------------------------


Adult Literacy Scale: 9
(1:Sweden 2:Norway) - OECD

Democracy Index: 17
(1:Sweden 2:Iceland) - The Economist Magazine

Democracy Audit: 15
(1:Finland 2enmark) - World Audit

Index of Economic Freedom: 9
(1:Hong Kong 2:Singapore) - The Heritage Foundation/ Wall Street
Journal

Economic Freedom in the World: 5
(1:Hong Kong 2:Singapore) - The Frasier Institute

Competitiveness Index: 6
(1:Switzerland 2:Finland) - World Economic Forum

Journalistic Press Freedom Index: 32
(1:Finland 2:Norway and Netherlands tied) - Reporters without Borders

Global Press Freedom Rankings: 24
(1:Finland/Sweden/Iceland tied) - Freedom House

Human Development Index: 10
(1:Norway 2:Iceland) - UN

Quality of Life Survey: 13
(1:Ireland 2:Switzerland) - The Economist Magazine

Wealth Ranking (GDP(PPP) per capita): 3
(1:Ireland 2:Norway) - International Monetary Fund

Healthcare Quality Index: 37
(1:France 2:Italy) - WHO

Human Poverty Index: 16
(1:Sweden 2:Norway) - UN

Student Reading Ability: 12
(1:Finland 2:South Korea) - OECD PISA

Student Problem Solving Ability: 26
(1:South Korea 2:Finland) - OECD PISA

Student Mathematics Ability: 24
(1:Hong Kong 2:Finland) - OECD PISA

Student Science Ability: 19
(1:Finland 2:Japan) - OECD PISA

Broadband Internet Penetration Rate: 12
(1:Korea 2:Netherlands) - OECD 2005

Index of Technological Achievement: 2
(1:Finland 3:Sweden) - Nation Master

Political Corruption Index: 17
(1:Iceland 2:Finland) - Transparency International

Productivity (GDP(PPP) per hour worked): 4
(1:Norway 2:France) - University of Groningen

Environmental Sustainability Index: 45
(1:Finland 2:Norway) - Yale University ESI 2005

Life Expectancy: 29
(1:Japan 2:Hong Kong) - UN Human Development Report

Infant Mortality Rate: 32
(1:Sweden 2:Finland) - Save the Children

Mother's Index: 26
(1:Sweden 2:Iceland) - Save the Children

Children's Index: 30
(1:Norway 2:Sweden) - Save the Children

Women's Rights Scale: 17
(1:Sweden 2:Norway) - World Economic Report

Timeline of Gay Rights Progress: 6
(1:Sweden 2:Norway) - Vexen

Privacy Index: 30
(1:Germany 2:Canada) - Privacy International

Subjective Well-Being Index: 15
(1:Puerto Rico 2:Mexico) - University of Michigan's World Values
Surveys

On Tue, 30 Oct 2007 01:15:06 GMT, (John Kulp)
wrote:

Most of these rankings are just plain subjective and in the eye of the
beholder. That doesn't excuse the jingoistic attitudes you're talking
about which I find quite offensive myself, based as they are on
complete ignorance. But take the ratings with a grain of salt. As
you saw, Sweden ranks very high on most of them and, since my wife is
Swedish and works for an airline, we got there about 10 times a year.
And I can guarantee you, neither of us would change our medical care
for what a Swede receives for starters no matter what these ratings
show.


Good job proving the OP's point, dumbass.

You just proved that he was correct: America's only #1 ranking is in
the number of people who think the US is #1.

Do the rest of us Americans a favor: shut up. You're humiliating us
even more.

- TR


On Mon, 29 Oct 2007 17:22:51 -0700, Cambrasa
wrote:

America has a lot going for it. I'd choose to live in America over
many countries.

But I keep bumping into Americans who claim that "America is the
best", "the greatest", "the freest", "the most democratic", "the most
advanced", or that "America beats the world at everything". Why do so
many Americans believe this? Can they back up such bold claims with
hard evidence?

To answer this, I've tried to compile a few world rankings from a wide
range of sources. The truth is that America rarely makes it into the
top five, let alone number one. Don't get me wrong. America does
pretty well in all international comparisons, but that does NOT mean
it's THE BEST. There are quite a few countries that are - at least -
as great as America.

But instead of trying to learn from those countries in an effort to
beat them, millions of Americans choose to believe in a delusion of
grandeur and invincibility. This kind of blind patriotism is not a
sign of strength. It is a sign of weakness, complacency, and
ingnorance (how many who make this claim have actually heard of the
countries on the list below, let alone travelled there?).




USA Rankings on
----------------------------


Adult Literacy Scale: 9
(1:Sweden 2:Norway) - OECD

Democracy Index: 17
(1:Sweden 2:Iceland) - The Economist Magazine

Democracy Audit: 15
(1:Finland 2enmark) - World Audit

Index of Economic Freedom: 9
(1:Hong Kong 2:Singapore) - The Heritage Foundation/ Wall Street
Journal

Economic Freedom in the World: 5
(1:Hong Kong 2:Singapore) - The Frasier Institute

Competitiveness Index: 6
(1:Switzerland 2:Finland) - World Economic Forum

Journalistic Press Freedom Index: 32
(1:Finland 2:Norway and Netherlands tied) - Reporters without Borders

Global Press Freedom Rankings: 24
(1:Finland/Sweden/Iceland tied) - Freedom House

Human Development Index: 10
(1:Norway 2:Iceland) - UN

Quality of Life Survey: 13
(1:Ireland 2:Switzerland) - The Economist Magazine

Wealth Ranking (GDP(PPP) per capita): 3
(1:Ireland 2:Norway) - International Monetary Fund

Healthcare Quality Index: 37
(1:France 2:Italy) - WHO

Human Poverty Index: 16
(1:Sweden 2:Norway) - UN

Student Reading Ability: 12
(1:Finland 2:South Korea) - OECD PISA

Student Problem Solving Ability: 26
(1:South Korea 2:Finland) - OECD PISA

Student Mathematics Ability: 24
(1:Hong Kong 2:Finland) - OECD PISA

Student Science Ability: 19
(1:Finland 2:Japan) - OECD PISA

Broadband Internet Penetration Rate: 12
(1:Korea 2:Netherlands) - OECD 2005

Index of Technological Achievement: 2
(1:Finland 3:Sweden) - Nation Master

Political Corruption Index: 17
(1:Iceland 2:Finland) - Transparency International

Productivity (GDP(PPP) per hour worked): 4
(1:Norway 2:France) - University of Groningen

Environmental Sustainability Index: 45
(1:Finland 2:Norway) - Yale University ESI 2005

Life Expectancy: 29
(1:Japan 2:Hong Kong) - UN Human Development Report

Infant Mortality Rate: 32
(1:Sweden 2:Finland) - Save the Children

Mother's Index: 26
(1:Sweden 2:Iceland) - Save the Children

Children's Index: 30
(1:Norway 2:Sweden) - Save the Children

Women's Rights Scale: 17
(1:Sweden 2:Norway) - World Economic Report

Timeline of Gay Rights Progress: 6
(1:Sweden 2:Norway) - Vexen

Privacy Index: 30
(1:Germany 2:Canada) - Privacy International

Subjective Well-Being Index: 15
(1:Puerto Rico 2:Mexico) - University of Michigan's World Values
Surveys

On Mon, 29 Oct 2007 20:51:46 -0700, VainGlorious
wrote:

On Tue, 30 Oct 2007 01:15:06 GMT, (John Kulp)
wrote:

Most of these rankings are just plain subjective and in the eye of the
beholder. That doesn't excuse the jingoistic attitudes you're talking
about which I find quite offensive myself, based as they are on
complete ignorance. But take the ratings with a grain of salt. As
you saw, Sweden ranks very high on most of them and, since my wife is
Swedish and works for an airline, we got there about 10 times a year.
And I can guarantee you, neither of us would change our medical care
for what a Swede receives for starters no matter what these ratings
show.


Good job proving the OP's point, dumbass.

You just proved that he was correct: America's only #1 ranking is in
the number of people who think the US is #1.

Do the rest of us Americans a favor: shut up. You're humiliating us
even more.

And I thought it was hard to humiliate a ****ing idiot like you.

Sweden spends 8% of its GDP on health care and the US 15%. So while
your healthcare standard is worse in Sweden, you also pay a lot less
for it. I'm sure you could get similar treatment in Sweden if you paid
extra.

Make credence recognised that on Tue, 30 Oct 2007 03:57:26 GMT,
(John Kulp) has scripted:

On Mon, 29 Oct 2007 20:51:46 -0700, VainGlorious
wrote:

On Tue, 30 Oct 2007 01:15:06 GMT, (John Kulp)
wrote:

Most of these rankings are just plain subjective and in the eye of the
beholder. That doesn't excuse the jingoistic attitudes you're talking
about which I find quite offensive myself, based as they are on
complete ignorance. But take the ratings with a grain of salt. As
you saw, Sweden ranks very high on most of them and, since my wife is
Swedish and works for an airline, we got there about 10 times a year.
And I can guarantee you, neither of us would change our medical care
for what a Swede receives for starters no matter what these ratings
show.


Good job proving the OP's point, dumbass.

You just proved that he was correct: America's only #1 ranking is in
the number of people who think the US is #1.

Do the rest of us Americans a favor: shut up. You're humiliating us
even more.

And I thought it was hard to humiliate a ****ing idiot like you.

Not really a number one ranking insult...
--
---
DFM - http://www.deepfriedmars.com
---
--

"John Kulp" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 29 Oct 2007 20:51:46 -0700, VainGlorious
wrote:

On Tue, 30 Oct 2007 01:15:06 GMT, (John Kulp)
wrote:

Most of these rankings are just plain subjective and in the eye of the
beholder. That doesn't excuse the jingoistic attitudes you're talking
about which I find quite offensive myself, based as they are on
complete ignorance. But take the ratings with a grain of salt. As
you saw, Sweden ranks very high on most of them and, since my wife is
Swedish and works for an airline, we got there about 10 times a year.
And I can guarantee you, neither of us would change our medical care
for what a Swede receives for starters no matter what these ratings
show.


Good job proving the OP's point, dumbass.

You just proved that he was correct: America's only #1 ranking is in
the number of people who think the US is #1.

Do the rest of us Americans a favor: shut up. You're humiliating us
even more.

And I thought it was hard to humiliate a ****ing idiot like you.

Er ... I think VainGlorious was showing a touch of that rare USian
attribute - irony!

Surreyman

Cambrasa wrote:

Sweden spends 8% of its GDP on health care and the US 15%. So while
your healthcare standard is worse in Sweden, you also pay a lot less
for it. I'm sure you could get similar treatment in Sweden if you paid
extra.

Or maybe the money is spent on patient care rather than extremely high
salaries for doctors, drug companies and HMOs. Medicine is about profit in
the US.