Best country to live in?

[luiz]

Handy hint: "we are the only free country" is not a literal quote.

Incidentally I just learned that Brazil just completed, like, the most impressive census anywhere ever. So there's a new thing I know.

But I never heard even things with that motif.

Quite the opposite. Americans are very fond of making fun of themselves; they'll constantly mock their culture, political institutions, etc. OTOH in some countries (particularly small countries) the nationals will vigorously defend everything about their country when talking to foreigners.

 

[Tee Kay]

Edit: oh I fail. Forget it

 

[Arwon]

But I never heard even things with that motif.

Quite the opposite. Americans are very fond of making fun of themselves; they'll constantly mock their culture, political institutions, etc. OTOH in some countries (particularly small countries) the nationals will vigorously defend everything about their country when talking to foreigners.

Yeah, as I say, clearly you have encountered different Americans wherever you went than my family did living, going to school, and working in Republican Southern California.

 

[Mustakrakish]

According to Newsweek it's Finland.

Yeah according to Newsweek it's Finland alright. But it shouldn't be 1st by any measure. If only because health care is anything but good. And 102 points? Overeducated? Please... Where are those world famous Finnish scientists then?

 

[Silurian]

Macedonia #1

Good women, beer, food and country

 

[metatron]

Newsweek

Quality of life:
Sweden 88.65
USA 88.58

Are they nuts?

Sweden completely obliterates the U.S. in every metric they choose for that category except for one: Consumption. So does every other nation like ten places down from the U.S.
Homocides, crappy environment, rotten institutions, a Brazilian sized Gini value, who cares? As long as some guys buying new yachts pull up the consumption figure quality of life is probably fine.

 

[Akkon888]

Svalbard. I enjoy the cold, the peace, and the fact that there is no bad news of murders/rapes/robberies etc. I would love to go back. You can look it up if you want.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Svalbard

 

[Xanikk999]

Quality of life:
Sweden 88.65
USA 88.58

Are they nuts?

Sweden completely obliterates the U.S. in every metric they choose for that category except for one: Consumption. So does every other nation like ten places down from the U.S.
Homocides, crappy environment, rotten institutions, a Brazilian sized Gini value, who cares? As long as some guys buying new yachts pull up the consumption figure quality of life is probably fine.

Remember thats an overall ranking. The United States is incredibly diverse. There are plenty of places with a great living and work enviroment, great institutions and a quality gini value, and low homocides. I live in Fairfax country which is one of them.

The stereotypes I notice outsiders have of this country are misconceptions based on widely publicized news stories and facts that arent indicative of the entire country.

 

[metatron]

Remember thats an overall ranking. The United States is incredibly diverse. There are plenty of places with a great living and work enviroment, great institutions and a quality gini value, and low homocides. I live in Fairfax country which is one of them.

The stereotypes I notice outsiders have of this country are misconceptions based on widely publicized news stories and facts that arent indicative of the entire country.

I agree that there are some wonderful places in the U.S. to live. Unfortunatly there is a fair share of less desireable locations as well.
What you point out as exceptionally positive is allmost the norm in Sweden. Those figures are where they are for a reason.
Still you don't have to share my point of view. Pure consumption may overrule all that. I personally doubt it in this case though.

Fairfax is a nice place to live. Point taken. But it's not exactly representative.
Homicide rates amply illustrate that:

Fairfax: 0.3 (the lowest in the U.S. in '04)
Honululu: 2.9 (the fifth lowest of all jurisdictions in '04)
Detroit: 42.1

Sweden (at large): 0.9

And that's not even that low by European standards. Most of central Europe hovers around 0.6. The Netherlands manage 0.5 including lots of places as affluent and calm as Fairfax. Like Rotterdam.

I'm sure you see my point.

 

[otago]

USA num 1, hmm, people go and have a look at Detroit, it is a pity what can happen to a city.
Wonderful old buildings going to rack and ruin.

 

[StittsvilleJame]

I like it here.
And it really isn't that cold. It can be cold in the winter, but so is Wisconsin (which is also farther north, btw)

In the summer, the temperature is quite often over 30, with humidity sometimes pushing it into the the low 40's.

I'm sure it's nice in all the countries in the poll though, just different, which makes me want to live in all those places some day (or at least visit).

 

[Dachs]

USA num 1, hmm, people go and have a look at Detroit, it is a pity what can happen to a city.
Wonderful old buildings going to rack and ruin.

Isn't that like saying "New Zealand sucks, just look at Otago"? The place, not the poster.

 

[Mango Elephant]

I agree that there are some wonderful places in the U.S. to live. Unfortunatly there is a fair share of less desireable locations as well.
What you point out as exceptionally positive is allmost the norm in Sweden. Those figures are where they are for a reason.
Still you don't have to share my point of view. Pure consumption may overrule all that. I personally doubt it in this case though.

Fairfax is a nice place to live. Point taken. But it's not exactly representative.
Homicide rates amply illustrate that:

Fairfax: 0.3 (the lowest in the U.S. in '04)
Honululu: 2.9 (the fifth lowest of all jurisdictions in '04)
Detroit: 42.1

Sweden (at large): 0.9

And that's not even that low by European standards. Most of central Europe hovers around 0.6. The Netherlands manage 0.5 including lots of places as affluent and calm as Fairfax. Like Rotterdam.

I'm sure you see my point.

The reason we have a larger homicide rate is because unlike y'all weakling Europeons acting all 'Eastern' over there, when someone comes up in OUR faces acting like they're entitled to do so when we ain't done nothin' to their sorry ass in the first place we ain't gonna just stand there and take it, we'll take out our guns/knifes/keys WHATEVER and shank their sorry hides. Straight up. I'd much rather live here than someplace where people gonna look down on me with their nose up in the air thinking they're better than me and the police on my tail like flies on dog crap 'cause I gave a rude backwater hehank what he deserved.

 

[StittsvilleJame]

The reason we have a larger homicide rate is because unlike y'all weakling Europeons acting all 'Eastern' over there, when someone comes up in OUR faces acting like they're entitled to do so when we ain't done nothin' to their sorry ass in the first place we ain't gonna just stand there and take it, we'll take out our guns/knifes/keys WHATEVER and shank their sorry hides. Straight up. I'd much rather live here than someplace where people gonna look down on me with their nose up in the air thinking they're better than me and the police on my tail like flies on dog crap 'cause I gave a rude backwater hehank what he deserved.

Wow. Is this a serious post?

 

[Mango Elephant]

Wow. Is this a serious post?

Damn right it's a serious post. When some ignorant son-of-a-gun comes up to ME when I ain't done nothing to him in the first place you better beleive Imma shank a ho. I ain't gonna let no one be rude to me and get away with it, I don't know how y'all roll up in Otawa but down here in North Carolina when someone gets in our face acting like that there's gonna be a fight. I don't get pushed around by no one, get at me.

 

[Arakhor]

Woah. Personality transplant, much?

 

[Arwon]

Hee hee hee.

 

[luiz]

Don't know if anyone mentioned it yet, but here's the UN's 2010 Human Development Index ranking (just top 10):

Norway 0.938
Australia 0.937
New Zealand 0.907
United States 0.902
Ireland 0.895
Liechtenstein 0.891
Netherlands 0.890
Canada 0.888
Sweden 0.885
Germany 0.885
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_development_index

Anglo-Saxon nations FTW?

 

[Arwon]

But Norway is still beating us!

 

[Arakhor]

Anglo-Saxon nations FTW?

Except that it seems that the original Anglo-Saxon nation currently isn't even in the top 20.