Highest Well-Being Countries

I saw the OECD Better Life Index and couldn't help thinking about how they account for inequality. It seems they do it the same way they deal with gender inequality (side note).... So I found this article that applied new measures for inequality:
http://freethinkingdom.weebly.com/1...ter-life-index-well-being-and-inequality.html


Andddd down goes the US

 

I am the Progressive Patriot because to many conservatives seem to believe that they, and only they have the right to the mantle of “patriot” I, however, will submit o you that progressives are the true patriots because of, and not in spite of, the fact that we have a vision of this country being truly great in all ways for all of our people. I’m a patriot because I want America to be respected in the world as a leader in science, diplomacy, education, environmental protection and the evolving standards of human decency. I this to be a great and just country for all people, Not just the rich, not just the native born and white people, not just for heterosexuals, not just for Christians, and not just for males. FOR ALL PEOPLE

At the time of the founding of our nation, at the time of the American Revolution, the rebels were known as the patriots. Those patriots were not content with the status quo. They wanted to move ahead, they sought to build a nation based on the ideal of freedom and democracy. Yes, they sought to throw off the yoke of an oppressive government , and yes, conservatives today-those who call themselves “patriots”-also seek to limit the influence of what they see as an oppressive government. The only difference, as they see it, is that now, that government is our own. However, I will submit to you that today’s source of oppression is perpetrated, not by government per se, but by those forces within government as well as outside of government who seek to thwart progress, and worse, undue much of what has been accomplished in areas such as labor, civil rights, education, science and the environment. Patriotism is progress. Progress is patriotism.

 

You know...I have never understood why anyone would have an issue with the word PROGRESSIVE.

But to my surprise there are a few members here who hear the word Progressive and immediately FREAK OUT as if it is a bad word or something.

Now I consider myself to BE PROGRESSIVE as I support anything that will get Humanity on the right track and as far as what the RIGHT TRACK would be I think it is very much detailed in our own Constitution and Bill of Rights.

Thomas Jefferson and other Founding Fathers created what is most likely the SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT DOCUMENT EVER WRITTEN.

And the BEAUTY of the U.S. Constitution is it's ability to EVOLVE WITH THE TIMES....yet at the same time make it impossible for any Majority or Minority to change the MEANING and the INTENT of the U.S. Constitution.

The basic premise which it details is that people have a RIGHTS that are so self evident everyone can immediately identify with these rights....equality, pursuit of happiness, Freedom of Speech....Freedom to believe or not believe in a Religion....Freedom to protect oneself and protect the Constitution by bearing arms...and etc.

The thing is the VAST MAJORITY OF AMERICANS are Moderates or Centrists and they simply want to take the GOOD IDEAS from any Political Party and use them to solve problems....but there is a very small Minority of both the Extreme Left and Extreme Right Wings that are people who simply SHOUT THE LOUDEST....and are not interested in working together but are simply interested in doing or saying everything and anything they can to show or help create failure for whatever Party happens to be holding the Presidency.

THIS HAS GOT TO STOP!!!!

And the American People KNOW this has to stop.

An example of how the American People will respond can be seen in an Internal Report from the Republican National Election Committee as they detail in this report how the Republican Party MUST dump the Extremists in the party in order to attract younger members and how the GOP has to get back to what it used to stand for....creating the environment for which both small and large businesses can thrive and grow which in turn creates JOBS.

The Report details how the next GOP Platform needs to eliminate Ultra-Religious Ideologies but still stand for High Moral principles as long as such principles NO NOT INFRINGE UPON THE CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS OF AMERICANS.....and if it does not do this it will cease to be a viable Political Choice in a Modern era.

The DEM's have got their own issues as well one of them being their total inability to help small businesses.

AboveAlpha

 

I've been told that "Progressive Patriot " is an oxymoron. What clap Trap!

 

The statements I hear often that make me laugh is when a member might say...."We need to get things back to way they were in the 1950's!"

Uhhh....yeahhh...NO!

I am a White Alpha Male and even I don't want things to go back to the way they were in the 1950's!!! LOL!!!

And I am certain that women don't want to go back to a time when it was ILLEGAL in many Midwestern Bible Belt States for a woman to dress like a Man...ie...wear PANTS!!! LOL!!!

I kid you not as today I watched a Mini Documentary about the First Two Women who drove Cross Country on Indian Motor Cycles and ended up being arrested MULTIPLE TIMES in the Bible Belt States for wearing MEN'S CLOTHING! LOL!!!

And I am certain if a person was Black or Hispanic or a Minority they certainly don't want to go back to how it was in the 1950's.

And I CERTAIN there are a HELL of a lot of Alter Boys who sure as HELL do not want to back!!!

The ONLY thing that is constant is CHANGE and a person either adjusts to rapid changes or they lose out and become irrelevant.

A Progressive is ALWAYS LOOKING FORWARD....and a PROGRESSIVE can be a Republican or a Democrat or Independent or a Man or Woman and can be of any Religion or be Atheist or Agnostic and can be straight, Gay, Bi....or whatever floats their boat and you know why?

BECAUSE THEY HAVE A RIGHT TO BE UNDER THE U.S. CONSTITUTION AND IT IS NO ONE ELSE'S BUSINESS TO TELL ANYONE WHAT THEY SHOULD OR SHOULD NOT DO AND WHAT THEY SHOULD OR SHOULD NOT BELIEVE!!!!

And ABOVE ALL....a Progressive U.S. Citizen has HOPE in the Future and see's A BETTER BRIGHTER FUTURE...not a Darker one and because this is what they see and hope for....they are optimistic and concentrate on wanting to improve life for everyone.

AboveAlpha

 

Taxcutter asks:
If government enforced equality of economic outcome was so damn important, where's Cuba? Cuba has government-enforced equality in spades.

 

Yeah....that concept is part of a Ultra-Left Wing agenda....and such agendas as these and those of the Ultra-Right Wingers who if they could would have a statue of Jesus in every State and Federal Building and outlaw Legal Abortion.....as the EXTREMISTS which hurt the Nation.

AboveAlpha

 

Taxcutter says:
OK. So where's Cuba on this list? They have extreme equality of economic outcome, completely enforced by their government. If government-enforced equality of economic equality mattered so much, I'd have thought Cuba would be at least in the top five.

 

Obviously you are joking as Cuba and Communism do not work.

AboveAlpha

 

But Cuba is the ne plus ultra for government enforced income equality. Cuba has no minimum wage law but it does have a maximum wage law and the max wage is pretty darned low. I would think Cuba is a veritable nirvana for advocates of government-enforced equality of economic outcome.

That life in Cuba mortally sucks wouldn't matter to "equality" fans.

 

Well...here is the thing....I am BEYOND CONSERVATIVE when it comes to Fiscal Issues and Military ones....and especially Intelligence issues.

But I am also Socially Liberal.

As far as I am concerned the word Progressive simply stands for a person who desires to move forward and improve things not attempt to dwell in the past.

AboveAlpha

- - - Updated - - -

Yeah....Human Nature will not allow such a ridiculous concept.

People work had and work smart they have a right to earn better.

AboveAlpha

 

The ACA is a disaster ? Really? You can keep putting that out there all you want, it does not make it true. The republicans can try to make it fail, but that's not working either. It's irresponsible to put that crap out there because people can and do benefit from it.

Let me tell you a story. There is a young maintenance guy at the gym where I go who had an accident, but keept working in pain because he has no health insurance. The job does not provide it , nor does he get sick days. He said that he was going to try to get charity care" I asked him if he applied for Obamacare. He said that he heard that it was not going well and too expensive. He knew very little about it , in part because the piece of crap Republican Gove. of this state turned back $7.5 Million to the state-which we were given to set up an exchange which he chose to forgo- but that he could have used for public education.. Anyway, bottom line, I encouraged him to apply, he did and now he's covered along with his family. So stop spreading lies. We know it's not perfect but it's better than what we had

 

Cuba is not a member of the OECD.

 

But Cuba does have total economic equality (OK, maybe Fidel and Raul are exempt) and that should make it heaven on earth for equality types.

 

The “Save American Workers Act,” which has over 200 GOP sponsors, would change the 30-hour definition of full-time work in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to 40 hours. An analysis from the Congressional Budget Office (CB) says that this act would cost 1 million workers their health insurance, and add $74 billion to the deficit.

Most of these people would then get their coverage through Medicaid, CHIP, or on the ACA’s exchanges. Some would probably remain uninsured and just pay the penalty. The projected deficit increase would come from a decrease in the penalties that businesses would pay for noncompliance.

http://www.addictinginfo.org/2014/02/26/gop-aca-plan-1-million-lose-insurance/

 

Kind of like liberals and the mantle of "progressive," huh?

 

Right!! You nailed it!!

These misguided parrots (repeating their programmed talking points) manipulating the minds of people and literally talking them out of getting healthcare (help), are the some of the worst kinds of people on this planet.

 

No, liberals are progressive, as in moving forward. Conservatives are stuck in the mud and afraid to move forward, at best. At worst, as is more and more the case, they want to go backwards. Do you claim to be progressive? I described what being a patriot means to me. What does it mean to you?

I cannot help fearing that men may reach a point where they look on every new theory as a danger, every innovation as a toilsome trouble, every social advance as a first step toward revolution, and that they may absolutely refuse to move at all.”
~Alexis de Tocqueville
“A conservative is a man with two perfectly good legs who, however, has never learned to walk forward.”
~Franklin D. Roosevelt

 

for once pull your head out of your butt, sober up from your Obama koolaid drunk haze, and step outside you liberal utopia bubble and take a look around

we will start with how America feels about the train wreck of Obama care

Public Approval of Health Care Law
RCP Average 1/22 - 2/15 -- 39.0 51.6 Against/Oppose +12.6
Rasmussen Reports* 2/14 - 2/15 1000 LV 45 52 Against/Oppose +7
FOX News* 2/9 - 2/11 1006 RV 37 55 Against/Oppose +18
Gallup 1/31 - 2/1 1017 A 41 51 Against/Oppose +10
PPP (D) 1/23 - 1/26 845 RV 38 52 Against/Oppose +14
NBC News/Wall St. Jrnl 1/22 - 1/25 800 A 34 48 Against/Oppose +14

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/other/obama_and_democrats_health_care_plan-1130.html

it has never been in favor and it never will


Repeal of Health Care Law: Favor/Oppose
RCP Average 6/28 - 12/16 -- 52.3 42.8 Favor Repeal +9.5
FOX News 12/14 - 12/16 1027 RV 53 41 Favor Repeal +12
Rasmussen Reports 11/9 - 11/10 1000 LV 55 41 Favor Repeal +14
Quinnipiac 7/1 - 7/8 2722 RV 49 43 Favor Repeal +6
CNN/Opinion Research 6/28 - 7/1 1390 RV 52 46 Favor Repeal +6
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/other/repeal_of_health_care_law_favoroppose-1947.html

and the public has always been in favor of a repeal

you are in real denial of the damage this law has done and will continue to do
we have already seen the so called good in the law and has remained unpopular so just wait for the bad that has been delayed to hit us and you think it is unpopular now?

 

WE could trade barbs all day and night. It won't change the fact that it's working and will work better if republicans will get out of the way and stop telling lies:

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/DC-Dec...-to-cost-economy-2.3-million-jobs-Not-so-fast.

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/11/...-theyre-smear-junkies-thats-all-they-ever-do/

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/insurance-companies-misleading-letters-obamacare

http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/article/2013/sep/24/top-16-myths-about-health-care-law/

 

so your trying to say republicans can get the majority of the public to disapprove Obama care and want it repealed from day one but couldn't get Romney elected your giving the republicans to much credit

 

That's all good and well, but here's my thing: Are we really improving, and truly "moving forward" in the sense of a positive direction? You could do things drastically different from what was working before, but that doesn't necessarily mean it was progressive. Or that you moved forward. What it meant, in that context is that the progressive "hated the system" and just wanted to tear it down, it didn't matter what we replaced it with, anything else was better.

I moved out of step with the Progressive Party, when it began rejecting alternatives not because these alternatives were bad, but because they weren't "progressive" alternatives. An example is the ACA. The out-of-pocket costs, the centralized power and the mandate all of which defied the constitution(and thereby defied what the Founders believed), was not progressive but draconian.

But in early 2009, to voice these concerns was in Chris Matthews's words, "to be racist". As an ideologically naive 17 year old "white" boy, this actually stunned me. I thought that in voicing support for the President in general, and my support for Liberal policies meant that I was "moving forward".

The party that supposedly rejected racism, espoused racism the most in its ranks.

I since then became an independent, to find my home in Centrist-Nationalism. For the Homeland, regardless of race, sex or orientation. But I know now that'll never come from the two-party traitors in our country.

One is broken, never again to be rebuilt(The GOP). The other is quickly fading into obscurity with its failed economic, political policies and its class warfare mindset, inspite of supposedly being "for the United States"(The Democrats)

 

The majority may say that they disapprove in general, but ask them if they like the fact that insurers cant turn you down for a pre existing condition, ask them about annual and lifetime caps that are gone, ask them if it's a good thing that women can't be charged a higher premium than men....you'll get a different result. Ask people that are out of work who are over 50 with poor job prospects but to young to get Medicare, that now can get coverage and see what they say. Now ask the Republicans what they would replace the ACA with and see what kind of non-answer you get. The misinformation and lies did a good job of denting the Obamacare rep, but their talents could not help stupid ass Willard

 

PS, And ask that young father who I told you about!