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WE’RE NUMBER ONE!?

America’s Uncertain Standing in the World

Dennis Johnson

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RANKING OF DEMOCRATIC COUNTRIES

How does the United States rank in comparison to other democratic

countries?

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WORLDWIDE RANKING AGENCIES

  • OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development)

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WORLDWIDE RANKING AGENCIES

  • OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development)
  • World Bank

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WORLDWIDE RANKING AGENCIES

  • OECD (Organization for Economic

Cooperation and Development)

  • World Bank
  • United Nations

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WORLDWIDE RANKING AGENCIES

  • OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development)
  • World Bank
  • United Nations
  • 30 other ranking organizations

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WHERE DOES THE UNITED STATES RANK?

Domestic policy and achievements not foreign policy

About 75 comparisons

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WHERE DOES THE UNITED STATES RANK?

IN THESE BROAD CATEGORIES:

  • Freedom and Democracy

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WHERE DOES THE UNITED STATES RANK?

IN THESE BROAD CATEGORIES:

  • Freedom and Democracy
  • Income, Wealth, Poverty, and Equality

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WHERE DOES THE UNITED STATES RANK?

IN THESE BROAD CATEGORIES:

  • Freedom and Democracy
  • Income, Wealth, Poverty, and Equality
  • Supporting the Family and Reproductive Rights

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WHERE DOES THE UNITED STATES RANK?

IN THESE BROAD CATEGORIES:

  • Freedom and Democracy
  • Income, Wealth, Poverty, and Equality
  • Supporting the Family and Reproductive Rights
  • Obesity, Hunger, and Addiction

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WHERE DOES THE UNITED STATES RANK?

IN THESE BROAD CATEGORIES:

  • Freedom and Democracy
  • Income, Wealth, Poverty, and Equality
  • Supporting the Family and Reproductive Rights
  • Obesity, Hunger, and Addiction
  • Social Safety Net

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WHERE DOES THE UNITED STATES RANK?

IN THESE BROAD CATEGORIES:

  • Freedom and Democracy
  • Income, Wealth, Poverty, and Equality
  • Supporting the Family and Reproductive Rights
  • Obesity, Hunger, and Addiction
  • Social Safety Net
  • Education

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WHERE DOES THE UNITED STATES RANK?

IN THESE BROAD CATEGORIES:

  • Healthcare

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WHERE DOES THE UNITED STATES RANK?

IN THESE BROAD CATEGORIES:

  • Healthcare
  • Crime, Punishment, and Firearms

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WHERE DOES THE UNITED STATES RANK?

IN THESE BROAD CATEGORIES:

  • Healthcare
  • Crime, Punishment, and Firearms
  • Budget, Taxes, Spending, and Priorities

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WHERE DOES THE UNITED STATES RANK?

IN THESE BROAD CATEGORIES:

  • Healthcare
  • Crime, Punishment, and Firearms
  • Budget, Taxes, Spending, and Priorities
  • Infrastructure, Technology, and Innovation

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THE US IS NUMBER ONE IN THESE AREAS

  • Size of the national economy

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THE US IS NUMBER ONE IN THESE AREAS

  • Size of the national economy
  • Most valuable corporations

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THE US IS NUMBER ONE IN THESE AREAS

  • Size of the national economy
  • Most valuable corporations
  • Higher education

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THE US IS NUMBER ONE IN THESE AREAS

  • Size of the national economy
  • Most valuable corporations
  • Higher education
  • Size of the national budget

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THE US IS NUMBER ONE IN THESE AREAS

  • Size of the national economy
  • Most valuable corporations
  • Higher education
  • Size of the national budget
  • Defense spending

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THE US IS NUMBER ONE IN THESE AREAS

  • Worldwide currency

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THE US IS NUMBER ONE IN THESE AREAS

  • Worldwide currency
  • Nuclear power generation

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OTHER HIGH RANKINGS FOR UNITED STATES

  • Average individual wealth (2)

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OTHER HIGH RANKINGS FOR UNITED STATES

  • Average individual wealth (2)
  • Energy from wind and solar (2)

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OTHER HIGH RANKINGS FOR UNITED STATES

  • Average individual wealth (2)
  • Energy from wind and solar (2)
  • Global innovation (3)

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OTHER HIGH RANKINGS FOR UNITED STATES

  • Average individual wealth (2)
  • Energy from wind and solar (2)
  • Global innovation (3)
  • Spending on primary education (4) and

secondary education (5)

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HOWEVER

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WE’RE NUMBER ONE—BUT NOT GOOD!

* Wealth concentrated in top 10 percent of households

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WE’RE NUMBER ONE—BUT NOT GOOD!

  • Wealth concentrated in top 10 percent of households
  • Highest infant and maternal mortality rates

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WE’RE NUMBER ONE—BUT NOT GOOD!

  • Wealth concentrated in top 10 percent of households
  • Highest infant and maternal mortality rates
  • Highest rate of adult and child obesity

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WE’RE NUMBER ONE—BUT NOT GOOD!

  • Wealth concentrated in top 10 percent of households
  • Highest infant and maternal mortality rates
  • Highest rate of adult and child obesity
  • Highest rate of opioid addiction

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WE’RE NUMBER ONE—BUT NOT GOOD!

  • Highest number of homeless persons

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WE’RE NUMBER ONE—BUT NOT GOOD!

  • Highest number of homeless persons
  • Total prison population and incarceration rate

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WE’RE NUMBER ONE—BUT NOT GOOD!

  • Highest number of homeless persons
  • Total prison population and incarceration rate
  • Gun ownership and gun violence

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NOT NUMBER ONE, BUT NOT GOOD!

  • Violence against women, worst

countries (2)

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NOT NUMBER ONE, BUT NOT GOOD!

  • Violence against women, worst

countries (2)

  • Total greenhouse gases (2)

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NOT NUMBER ONE, BUT NOT GOOD!

  • Violence against women, worst

countries (2)

  • Total greenhouse gases (2)
  • Total food wasted (3); per capita (5)

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NOT NUMBER ONE, BUT NOT GOOD!

  • Violence against women, worst

countries (2)

  • Total greenhouse gases (2)
  • Total food wasted (3); per capita (5)
  • Broadband performance (9)

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NOT NUMBER ONE, BUT NOT GOOD!

  • Highest minimum wage (17)

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NOT NUMBER ONE, BUT NOT GOOD!

  • Highest minimum wage (17)
  • Road Quality (17)

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NOT NUMBER ONE, BUT NOT GOOD!

  • Highest minimum wage (17)
  • Road Quality (17)
  • Electric car new sales, market share (21)

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NOT NUMBER ONE, BUT NOT GOOD!

  • Highest minimum wage (17)
  • Road Quality (17)
  • Electric car new sales, market share (21)
  • Least public corruption (24)

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NOT NUMBER ONE, BUT NOT GOOD!

  • Highest minimum wage (17)
  • Road Quality (17)
  • Electric car new sales, market share (21)
  • Least public corruption (24)
  • Social progress index (26)

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NOT NUMBER ONE, BUT NOT GOOD!

  • Life expectancy (27)

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NOT NUMBER ONE, BUT NOT GOOD!

  • Life expectancy (27)
  • Adult poverty (28)

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NOT NUMBER ONE, BUT NOT GOOD!

  • Life expectancy (27)
  • Adult poverty (28)
  • Childcare and early childhood education (28)

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NOT NUMBER ONE, BUT NOT GOOD!

  • Life expectancy (27)
  • Adult poverty (28)
  • Childcare and early childhood education (28)
  • Social Security benefits (29)

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NOT NUMBER ONE, BUT NOT GOOD!

  • Income equality (32)

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NOT NUMBER ONE, BUT NOT GOOD!

  • Income equality (32)
  • Trust in government (33)

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NOT NUMBER ONE, BUT NOT GOOD!

  • Income equality (32)
  • Trust in government (33)
  • Child well-being (36)

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NOT NUMBER ONE, BUT NOT GOOD!

  • Income equality (32)
  • Trust in government (33)
  • Child well-being (36)
  • Best climate mitigation performance (52)

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NOT NUMBER ONE, BUT NOT GOOD!

  • Income equality (32)
  • Trust in government (33)
  • Child well-being (36)
  • Best climate mitigation performance (52)
  • Participation of women in national legislature (70)

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WE’RE THE ONLY COUNTRY �THAT HAS . . .

  • Electoral college

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WE’RE THE ONLY COUNTRY �THAT HAS . . .

  • Electoral college
  • Constitutional right to bear arms

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AMONG OUR PEER NATIONS, WE’RE THE ONLY ONES WHO HAVEN’T ADOPTED

  • Voting as a national holiday

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AMONG OUR PEER NATIONS, WE’RE THE ONLY ONES WHO HAVEN’T ADOPTED

  • Voting as a national holiday
  • Paid family leave policy

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AMONG OUR PEER NATIONS, WE’RE THE ONLY ONES WHO HAVEN’T ADOPTED

  • Voting as a national holiday
  • Paid family leave policy
  • National health care

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AMONG OUR PEER NATIONS, WE’RE THE ONLY ONES WHO HAVEN’T ADOPTED

  • Voting as a national holiday
  • Paid family leave policy
  • National health care
  • Value-added Tax

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A FEW EXAMPLES

Opioids and American deaths:

Europe has a combined population of 440

million—it had 5,800 overdoses (2020)

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A FEW EXAMPLES

Opioids and American deaths:

Europe has a combined population of 440

million—it had 5,800 overdoses (2020)

US has population of 340 million – it had 107,000 overdoses in 2022

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A FEW EXAMPLES

Distribution of wealth in America:

400 richest American families have more wealth than 43 million African American families

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A FEW EXAMPLES

Distribution of wealth in America:

* 400 richest American families have more wealth than 43 million African American families

* Bottom 50 percent of Americans hold 2.3

percent of the country’s wealth.

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A FEW EXAMPLES

Distribution of wealth in America:

* Top 1 percent of Americans hold 31.8

percent of US wealth

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A FEW EXAMPLES

Distribution of wealth in America:

* Top 1 percent of Americans hold 31.8

percent of US wealth

* Top 10 percent of Americans hold 69.2 percent of US wealth

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A FEW EXAMPLES

Incarceration

* Nearly every US state has more prisoners than any other country in the world

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A FEW EXAMPLES

Incarceration

  • Nearly every US state has more prisoners than any other country in the world
  • Highest incarceration rate in US: Louisiana; second highest: Mississippi

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A FEW EXAMPLES

Safest Country?

Safest countries in the world: Iceland, New Zealand, Ireland, Denmark, Austria, Portugal.

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A FEW EXAMPLES

Safest Country?

Safest countries in the world: Iceland, New Zealand, Ireland, Denmark, Austria, Portugal.

The US? Ranked 129th

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WHICH COUNTRIES ARE DOING BETTER?

Altogether, US has 14 top 10 rankings—

mostly in technology and economics.

Which countries have the most top 10 rankings?

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WHICH COUNTRIES ARE DOING BETTER?

  1. Denmark (28 times)

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WHICH COUNTRIES ARE DOING BETTER?

  1. Denmark (28 times)
  2. Norway (26)

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WHICH COUNTRIES ARE DOING BETTER?

  1. Denmark (28 times)
  2. Norway (26)
  3. Germany (23)

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WHICH COUNTRIES ARE DOING BETTER?

  1. Denmark (28 times)
  2. Norway (26)
  3. Germany (23)
  4. Finland (23)

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WHICH COUNTRIES ARE DOING BETTER?

  1. Denmark (28 times)
  2. Norway (26)
  3. Germany (23)
  4. Finland (23)
  5. Netherlands (23)

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WHICH COUNTRIES ARE DOING BETTER?

6. Sweden (23)

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WHICH COUNTRIES ARE DOING BETTER?

  1. Sweden (23)
  2. Austria (20)

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WHICH COUNTRIES ARE DOING BETTER?

  1. Sweden (23)
  2. Austria (20)
  3. France (20)

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WHICH COUNTRIES ARE DOING BETTER?

  1. Sweden (23)
  2. Austria (20)
  3. France (20)
  4. Belgium (19)

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WHICH COUNTRIES ARE DOING BETTER?

  1. Sweden (23)
  2. Austria (20)
  3. France (20)
  4. Belgium (19)
  5. Switzerland (18)

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WHICH COUNTRIES ARE DOING BETTER?

11. Japan (17)

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WHICH COUNTRIES ARE DOING BETTER?

  1. Japan (17)
  2. Iceland (15)

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TRUMP/MUSK WRECKING BALL

All rankings are before Trump took office in 2025.

Will the US rank higher in future international rankings? Or will US fall further—in environmental leadership, in helping the poor, in protecting democratic institutions, and so forth?

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