America By The Numbers...We're not #1 any more, Toto.

[LynnTheDem]

The United States is 49th in the world in literacy.

The United States ranked 28th out of 40 countries in mathematical literacy.

Twenty percent of Americans think the sun orbits the earth. Seventeen percent believe the earth revolves around the sun once a day.



The World Health Organization "ranked the countries of the world in terms of overall health performance, and the U.S. was...37th."

In the fairness of health care, we're 54th. "The irony is that the United States spends more per capita for health care than any other nation in the world". Pay more, get lots, lots less.

"The U.S. and South Africa are the only two developed countries in the world that do not provide health care for all their citizens"

Excuse me, but since when is South Africa a "developed" country? Anyway, that's the company we're keeping.

"U.S. childhood poverty now ranks 22nd, or second to last, among the developed nations. Only Mexico scores lower"

The United States is 41st in the world in infant mortality. Cuba scores higher.

Women are 70 percent more likely to die in childbirth in America than in Europe.

"Of the 20 most developed countries in the world, the U.S. was dead last in the growth rate of total compensation to its workforce in the 1980s.... In the 1990s, the U.S. average compensation growth rate grew only slightly, at an annual rate of about 0.1 percent". Yet Americans work longer hours per year than any other industrialized country, and get less vacation time.

"Sixty-one of the 140 biggest companies on the Global Fortune 500 rankings are European, while only 50 are U.S. companies"

"Fourteen of the 20 largest commercial banks in the world today are European.... In the chemical industry, the European company BASF is the world's leader, and three of the top six players are European. In engineering and construction, three of the top five companies are European.... The two others are Japanese. Not a single American engineering and construction company is included among the world's top nine competitors. In food and consumer products, Nestlé and Unilever, two European giants, rank first and second, respectively, in the world. In the food and drugstore retail trade, two European companies...are first and second, and European companies make up five of the top ten. Only four U.S. companies are on the list"

"Nearly 900,000 (US) children were abused or neglected in 2002, the last year for which such data are available"

http://www.citypages.com/databank/26/1264/article12985.asp

[marmar]

1. And all the while...

Nero Bush fiddles away

[Reverend_Smitty]

2. Those numbers are sad...

but they certainly explain a lot!

[kodi]

3. Why do you hate America?

amen.

[LynnTheDem]

10. SHHHH! If they dunno about the problems, they can't FIX the problems!

So I don't point out the problems! Then one day, Americans will wake up to all the problems but it'll be TOO LATE to fix them!!!

BWAAHAHAHHAHAHHAHAA!!!

:D

LOL! Insane, isn't it! Pointing out America's problems so America knows about the problems, which is the only way America can FIX the problems...and the rightwingnuts say that's "hating America".

And if a frind is driving straight over a cliff, do rightwingnuts stay silent and not point that out, too? With such friends, who needs enemies?

[TrustingDog]

4. didn't 70% believe that Saddam piloted one of the planes on 911?

but somehow survived and got flung over the ocean into a hole somewhere in Iraq?

[marmar]

7. True that...

Sadly, Americans are easily-led sheep. Don't know too much, don't wanna know too much.

[LynnTheDem]

12. That was so damn EMBARRASSING!

Schoolkids in India were laughing at us. One of the Asia Times articles I saw back then was a skipping rope song the kids had, making fun of us for thinking Iraq did 911.

Sheeesh.

[tinonedown]

5. Not number one?! We aren't even on the radar screen!

The "I told you so's" can start right about...NOW.

[TrustingDog]

6. gee, I wonder how some of the top 10 nations would have...

handled all this demockracy spreading that Murka's doing?
erm, by not illegally invading countries, perhaps?

[TomClash]

8. Bu we can friggin' nuke 'em all!

:crazy:

[TomClash]

9. an fuk you beetch march maness is startin

they don have nun a that neether

[LynnTheDem]

11. LOL!

Maybe I shoud worry that I was able to understand what you posted...

[TomClash]

13. Proof that educational standards have dramatically declined!