Team USA currently ranks #1 in the medals count at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. However, China has earned more gold than America's best athletes.
Winning the medal count is nice for our nation's collective ego but I always take notice of who is standing at the top spot of the podium.
Ranking high in world competition is thrilling. It gives us working slobs something to scream about. Something to rally behind. Success at high-profile, world-wide competition makes global headline news. It is great theatre and great public relations.
But what about world competitions that garner less attention? The events that are a little harder to rally around or take too much time to research? Have we lost our edge? Are we trailing in the game of national common sense?
Yes, I know that the United States ranks #1 in the 'Best Country for Education' category of 'a PERCEPTION-based global survey.' So, people seem to think we are pretty smart. This is further proof that good PR goes a long way. However, education analysts rank London, England as 'the best city in the world to be a university student.' London is followed by Munich (Germany), Tokyo (Japan), Seoul (South Korea), Berlin (Germany), Melbourne (Australia), Zurich (Switzerland), and Sydney (Australia). Paris (France) and Montreal (Canada) came in tied for 9th with BOSTON (USA, USA, USA.) I wouldn't worry about it, though. Boston is not a big college town, according to the mockumentary 'This is Spinal Tap.'
Yes. Our best 'college town' ranks 9th in the world. What about our public school systems? Where do they rank overall? According to the UN's 'Global Citizen For Human Rights' initiative, The USA ranks 29th in 'Best Education Systems.' This survey ranked early-childhood enrollment rates, Math/Science/Reading scores in the elementary, middle, and high school levels, as well as, college graduation rates.
Oh well. Education may not be our thing. So what, nerds? Some of the smartest people I know are not 'book smart.' We can be ignorant but happy, right? Well, The 2021 World Happiness Report puts Americans at 19th. Finland is #1 followed by Iceland, Denmark, Switzerland, Netherlands, Sweden, and Germany.
Can money buy happiness? I hope not. The US Government (wake up, taxpayers) has the highest amount of debt in the history of the planet. We also rank 6th in 'debt-to-GDP' ratio at 127%, according to US News & World Reports.
Where does America rank in the world on the 'trust' scale? A gumbo of sources and surveys reveal that we are 15th. Be glad I did not just go with the US News & World Report ranking. That judge was pretty harsh. Our neighbor to the north stands atop the podium, regardless. The top ten looks the same as in the other categories: The Nordic countries, Australia, Switzerland, Germany, etc.
Uganda and Finland are the world's fittest nations, according to the World Health Organization. Fattest? The USA places 14th in obesity rankings behind a bunch of small countries you couldn't find on a map. You know, the small nations that have one 'athlete' representing all 75,000 residents. So, we are fat. What about drunk? Unfortunately, the US is only slightly above average in alcohol consumption per person - ranking 17th.
We are third in size of our Armed Forces behind China and India. However, we lead in spending 3-to-1 over our closest competitor: China. We are also considered the 'proudest' nation. Proud & Free, right? No.
The 'Human Freedom Index' presented by the Cato Institute and the Fraser Institute recently used 76 indicators to measure 'freedom' in 162 countries. It ranked us 15th.
Before you start feeling down about the fact that we may be, collectively, fat, dumb, and broke. Let's get back to my original thought. Have we lost our minds? Do we, as a nation, have any common sense left?
May I present some headlines from this past week for you to consider? Headlines that may have gotten buried by the media in frenzy over the Games? Although, there is a rumor that the judge from the White House colluded with the Google judge to keep some trending scores low.
Gold: FEDS Exempting Some Illegal Migrants From Normal ID Requirements On Flights!! Yup. So, the Transportation Security Agency is waiving the government photo ID rules for airline travel for certain members of the population. No ID? No problem. DING: You are free to move about the country - unless you are a legal resident. Then you'll stand in security lines, present photo ID's, and get felt up. TSA officials believe that the overworked members of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, who processed nearly 200,000 migrants jumping the southern gates last month, properly checked everyone. Remember that many of the new arrivals surrendered to CBP without proper identification. BTW: the migrant facility at Ft. Bliss holding 2,000 kids is nicknamed 'Camp Covid.'
Silver: Capitol Police Asked To Arrest The Maskless!! Yup. Congressional aides and visitors who do not wear masks on the House of Representatives side of the U.S. Capitol complex could end up in handcuffs by order of the Speaker. The mandate does apply to members of Congress however they'll get special treatment by the House Sergeant at Arms. Many feel this is all for show. CNN recently reported that 100% of Democrats in both chambers and 92% of Senate Republicans are vaccinated while nearly 50% of House Republicans are. Remember: President Biden stated last week that "We follow the science…..we have a pandemic among the non-vaccinated. Those who are not vaccinated. If you are vaccinated you are safe. If you are vaccinated you have over a 98% chance of not catching the virus.'
Bronze: Biden DOJ Sues Texas Over Transporting Sick Illegal Aliens. Yup. Americans have endured mask mandates and shutdowns during 'these unprecedented times.' In spite of evolving guidelines, The Centers for Disease Control still recommends 10-days of isolation for those who have tested positive for Covid-19. However, US Attorney General Merrick Garland is suing Texas because the Lone Star state will not allow unauthorized migrants who could have Covid to be relocated elsewhere in the country.
That is all, your honor. I leave the decision in the hands of the jury or judges or public opinion.
Thank you. Have a great day!
Kevin Battle has attended the Olympics but not as a competitor. He is Co-Host of the KDKA Radio Morning Show with Larry Richert. It airs M-F 5a-9a on Pittsburgh's 100.1FM & AM1020 KDKA or on the free Audacy app. Ask your smartspeaker to: 'Play KDKA.'
