Wealth and power are synonymous with today’s America. Nothing else matters. The law, principles, morals, and doing the right thing, often referred to as “the Golden Rule” are insignificant in the 21st century — nearly forgotten.
The government loves to brag about two things: “America is the richest nation in the world,” and claims that it is “the greatest nation in the world.” Only one of these claims is partially true.
The “quality of life” for all of a nation’s people is the most important issue — nothing else is even close. The United States is not the greatest country in the world, In the most recent study, the quality of life for the American people ranks 14th in the world of developed nations. Add to this the fact that America is the most racist nation in the world, and it is far from a great country.
Technically, America is the richest country in the world, but only if one is in the top 10 percent. One-half of all Americans struggle in the low-income bracket, or below the poverty line. Therefore, that title is very misleading. The most important indicator of a downward trend is the fact that America’s middle class is shrinking.
“The truth lives here,” and this author can tell everyone that their government continues its policy of placing profits before people. The perfect example is happening today. Inflation is a fallacy. Every large company experienced an increase in their profits during the peak of the pandemic and is now raising their prices because they can. The petroleum industry continues to receive subsidies in the form of tax breaks while raising the price of a gallon of gas by nearly 40 percent. Their profits have not decreased, but more profits supersede the needs of the American people. A similar situation occurred in the mid-1970s and the prices never returned to what was fair. The government did nothing about it then and is doing nothing today.
A little note here. No longer can people go to the store and buy a half-gallon of ice cream or a pound of bacon. The prices have been raised for both, but their favorite ice cream is now only 12 ounces, not 16, and the same is true for packaged bacon. This situation occurs in many other items on America’s grocery store shelves today.
None of this concerns the rich and powerful. While the rest of America struggles to maintain a certain quality of life, they are putting more money in their offshore accounts. They continue to enjoy a couple of bottles of wine during dinner which is priced beyond people’s reach at $400 each.
Everything is easier for the rich and powerful, from the way they are treated by the judicial system, to the basic necessities of life. They enjoy a quality of life that was once intended for all 331 million of the nation’s people.
The truth is the United States has become a plutocracy. Because a plutocracy cannot exist for long in a democracy, Trump and his party continue their efforts to replace the current form of government with a fascist regime. The nation this author loved in his younger life has become a business, far from the country of the Founding Father’s intent.
The top five nations with the best quality of life are Finland, Denmark, Norway, Belgium, and Sweden. Each of these nations shares several important concerns for their country’s people: universal healthcare, free education, family leave, free childcare for working parents, guaranteed paid vacations, and a very small military presence.
They are the opposite of the nation’s government: people are more important than profits, and war is not good business.
You can change the direction in which our country is headed today. Your vote is powerful, as proven in 2020. If you choose not to vote, you are surrendering to the rich and powerful.
Op-ed by James Turnage
Sources:
World Population Review: Standard of Living by Country | Quality of Life by Country 2022
CEO World: The World’s Best Countries For Quality of Life, 2021
Top and Featured Image Courtesy of Thomas Hawk – Creative Commons License
Inline Image Nathan Rupert’ Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
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