WE'RE NUMBER ONE!

We’re Number One! We’re Number One! Keep shouting it and it may come true. We were—once.

Look at the facts. In a recent study, life expectancy in most U.S. counties is well behind the world’s healthiest nations (in some cases 50 years less).

Oklahoma ranks at the top of a truly unfortunate part of this study. Since 1997, women’s life expectancy has slipped or failed to rise in more than 850 counties, including 82% of the counties in Oklahoma!

The single most alarming problem in America, though, is that of income inequality.

We rank #4 in Income Inequality. (Chili is #1, Mexico #2, and Turkey #3.) Until the difference between what the richest and the poorest is more closely aligned, we most assuredly will not reign again in any ranking that matters.

The U.S. ranks #22 in Percentage Living Below National Poverty Line—just behind Syria and Azerbaijan.

We rank #36 in Life Expectancy, right behind Cuba!

The United States ranks #33 in Infant Mortality Rate. In this area, we’re slightly behind New Caledonia, Cyprus, Brunei, Channel Islands, Cuba, and 26 others.

In Education, we rank #14 in reading (average), #16 in math (below average), and #11 in science. South Korea ranks #1 in both reading and math and #3 in science. Finland holds the #1 spot in science.

We still rank at or near the top in several categories.

The U.S. is #1 in Military Spending. No other country, including those much larger, comes close.

We also rank #1 in Prison Population, with 2.3 million behind bars. China (four times more population) is ranked at a distant second, with only 1.6 million imprisoned.

Our rank is #1 in Prisoner per Capita. We imprison 751 per capita. Russia has 627, with England, Germany, and Japan next, at 151, 88, and 63 per capita, respectively.

We rank #1 in Guns Per 100 Persons (88.8), with Yemen #2 (54.8).

Fortunately, we’re only #8 in Gun-Related Deaths Per Capita. The top seven are South Africa, Colombia, Thailand, Guatemala, Brazil, Estonia, and Mexico.

We could claim American Supremacy again, with lots of work.