Are we surprised that the United States ranks almost last in the industrialized world for children's overall well-being? Here's NYT blogger Tom Zeller Jr.'s take:
The United States ranked second to last over all, and breaking things down by category, it was hard to find bright spots... Worst category? Health and safety — a category comprised of combined indicators including infant deaths, birth weights, childhood immunizations, and death by accidents before the age of 20. The United States ranked dead last.
Not exactly a shocker, as far as I'm concerned. We don't guarantee women giving birth even a nanosecond of leave after they have a baby. I know women whose stitches weren't healed and couldn't even sit down but were forced to go back to work just to keep their jobs. Daycare--which can cost upwards of $5,000 per year--is the responsibility of families alone. Ditto for health insurance.
In honor of America's ranking, I'm announcing a slogan contest for the United States. Here are my entries:
America: We don't need no stinkin' maternity leave
America: Promoting rugged individualism, even for babies
America: Where 'Won't somebody please think of the children?!?' is just a joke on a cartoon
America: It's not like we dump naked, uninsured paraplegics on Skid Row every day
America: Keep your socialized medicine off my body
America: Screw the born
America: Inequality as wide as the Grand Canyon
OK, your turn. Give me your best in the comments.