A Descent Into Irrelevancy
8 
Is this our future?
There’s no denying it, is there? We live in the grandest country in the world. Sound familiar? I’m sure that’s what we’d all like to think – the way we grew up thinking – and it’ll always be like that, right?
Perhaps not so much. I am indebted to Jeff Daniels, actor, musician and playwright, for the following statistics, which would seem to cast a damper on that claim.
Were you aware that the United States of America is:
7th in literacy
27th in math
22nd in science
49th in life expectancy
178th in infant mortality
3rd in median household income
4th in labor force and in exports
We lead the world in only three categories:
Number of incarcerated citizens per capita
Number of adults who believe in angels
Defense spending – where we outspend the next 26 countries combined.
One of the most important stats seems to have escaped his notice:
The United States, as of 2010, was 37th in the world in health care, despite the fact that Wikipedia tells us: “According to the World Health Organization (WHO), total health care spending in the U.S. was 15.2% of its GDP in 2008, the highest in the world.[3] The Health and Human Services Department expects that the health share of GDP will continue its historical upward trend, reaching 19.5% of GDP by 2017.”
Taking all this into consideration, would it not behoove the Supreme Court of the United States, and all the rest of us, to embrace the Affordable Care Act? Sheer common sense should dictate that we do so. Our instincts for survival should demand that we do so! In fact, even Republicans are overwhelmingly in support of this act, so long as it is not called Obamacare.
Can it be possible that sheer unreasoning hatred of one man could finally be the thing that pushes us over the edge of the cliff into chaos, that sounds the death knell on our country as a world power and leaves us as nothing but a cautionary footnote to history. An example of what recklessness, greed, stupidity and pride can do to bring a once powerful country to its knees? I guess time – and Thursday – will tell.
A Descent Into Irrelevancy ,
Born in a small, Illinois log cabin. No, that won't work. The pampered only child of incredibly wealthy parents. No, that doesn't fly either. Raised by French nuns after her aristocratic parents were beheaded. No, that's been done! An East Coast transplant to the Pacific Northwest, this notoriously late bloomer began her new life with a new career as a writer and blogger. She has taken to both the new location and the career move like a duck to water. Writing for Expats Post is a new adventure, and our intrepid risk-taker is diving in, feeling right at home with so many old friends.
Reached for comment she replied, "Okay, I wrote my bio, may I Please go out and play?"
We expect great, or perhaps merely more coherent, things from this writer. (Okay, that's a wrap. What a wacko!)
Tags: Affordable Care Act, Defense Spending, Health Care, Infant Mortality, Irrelevancy, Literacy, math, Obamacare, science., U. S. Supreme Court, United States
Melody you are so right! The healthcare thing really bothers me as I am one of thousands of Americans who doesn’t have it and cannot afford it. I did know that the statistics weren’t good though. You only have to open your eyes to know. sighs… you rock Melody!
Dani, I can’t imagine why so many Americans can’t put one and one together and come up with two. We are So much better off now than we were four years ago. Why can’t they see? And you rock, too, kiddo!
Funny that you have written about Jeff Daniels and what he verbalized (with heated eloquence), in his answer in an interview on the new HBO hit show “The Newsroom”. I have watched the season opener three times and the points covered need to be listened to a few times. The news was presented like it was when I was growing up, and is news I can watch. If you haven’t seen this show, I urge you to do so. It is outstanding writing and Allan Sorkin has, once again, hit the ball out of the park. Mr. Daniels’ performance is outstanding.
I wish we all loved our country and wanted to try to be the best we can be … everyday. It surely would make a difference.
Theresa, that almost makes me want to get HBO. Almost. I know what you mean, though. I remember when the news was presented objectively and without all the heated rhetoric and the meanness of today’s news “commentators”.
However, it would seem to me that with the availability of actual facts, people could make more of an effort to find out what’s really going on. Perhaps they don’t recognize how close to the edge we’ve skated in our “reality”-based world.
Melody,
You nailed it! The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court was on the side of the angels, not that of the a-holes.
The Affordable Care Act stands. Now the ravenous Republicans will begin their smear campaign anew.
Arise citizens and protect, preserve, and defend the Republic from the predatory plutocrats and their minions.
Larry
Larry, I went to sleep praying and woke up the same way. I was hoping against hope that this would happen. I think Chief Justice Roberts just didn’t want to be one of the members of the Court that sent the people of America rioting into the streets. But in the end what counts is that the ACA is still here! I’m so grateful!