The Decline of an Empire

(This post is part of my eBook, The United States Empire and its Fall)

No claim is made as to the absolute accuracy of the numbers below.
The rankings were compiled around 2015, at various times and from many different sources.
If the reader is skeptical, then please do your own investigation.
In any case, whether 100% accurate or not, you get the picture.
A society out of balance and in decay.

US in World Ranking

1	Military Spending • As big as the next 10 militaries together. In 2019 the US increased its military spending by more than Russia’s entire defense budget.
1	Most Foreign Military Bases • 800 – 1000. All other countries together have about 40.
1	Greatest Threat to World Peace • 68 countries polled. The US by a huge margin.
1	Disparity Between Rich and Poor Among the 20 Richest Countries
1	Share of the Labor Force Working as Security or Guard Labor
27	Wealthiest Middle Class
1	Health Care Spending as % GDP
37	Health Care Service
50	Life Expectancy
23	Most Passenger Miles by Train (total, not per person) • Netherlanders travel twice as many miles as Americans by train. Japanese, 27 times.
10	Most Carbon Emissions per Capita • #2 among large countries. Over three times as much as China.
1	Gun Ownership
10	Gun Related Deaths per Population
1	Most Juveniles in Prison
1	Percent of Population in Prison • 5 times higher than Europe. The US has 5 % of the world’s population, yet 25 % of the world’s prisoners.
1	Most Prisoners in Solitary Confinement in a Democratic Nation • Estimates are 80,000 people in solitary.
142	Not Using the Death Penalty • 141 countries ban or haven’t used the death penalty in 10 years. The US is among 50+ still using it. (China, India, Muslim world)
5	Most Executions in 2011 • After China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Iraq.
175	Having the Death Penalty for Drug-Related Crimes • The US is one of only 23 countries.
1	Child Abuse Deaths Among Industrialized Nations
2	Highest Child Poverty Among 35 Richest Countries
47	World Press Freedom Index 2012 (Reporters Without Borders)
Last	Vacation Time by Law • 0, None.
191	Paid Leave for New Mothers by Law • 0, None. Along with only 3 other countries: Liberia, Papua New Guinea, and Swaziland.
79	Conditions for Workers • On a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the worst, the US is rated 4.
39	Maternal Mortality • The highest of any industrialized nation. The rate has gotten twice as bad in the last 20 years, the US being one of only 4 countries where it’s getting worse instead of better.
8,18	Obesity • Men rank 8, women 18. 7 of the countries with more obese women are the Polynesians.
1	Consumption of Pain Pills. • The US consumes 80% of the world’s opioid pain medications and 90% of the hydrocodone. The mg. per person use increased 400% from 74mg. to 369mg., between 1997 and 2007.
94	Women in Parliament or Congress • 17%, the average is 19.5%
Last	Public Media Funding • Last among industrialized nations. $1.43/person. The US spends more, about $2.40/person, for foreign radio.
27	College Students with Degrees in Science or Engineering • 27th out of 29 wealthy countries.
48	Quality of Math and Science Instruction • 48th out of 133 developed and developing nations. (World Economic Forum)

More Numbers

70/day	Sexual assaults in the military.
18/day	Suicides in the military. (this doesn’t count veterans)
35/day	Murders.
1 of 5	Women who will be raped in college.
5,000	Amount of Americans killed by police in the 10 years of the Iraq war; more than were killed in the war.
11,766	The number of American women who were murdered by current or ex male partners during 10 years of the Iraq war.
1,800	Stop and Frisks per day in New York City for many years.
50,000/year	Swat raids have increased since 1980 from 3,000/year to 50,000/year.

US as Outlier in the World Community: United Nations Votes

The number shown on the left is the number of countries voting yes for a UN resolution or treaty.

172	Voting to Establish a Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone in the Middle East • Only the US and Israel voted against it.
166	Agreeing to Not Militarize Space • Only the US and Israel voted against it.
187	Voting to End the Embargo Against Cuba • Only the US, Israel and Brazil voted against a UN resolution calling for an end to the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States against Cuba.
128	Voting to Condemn US’s Decision to Recognize Jerusalem as the Capital of Israel • The US voted against the condemnation, joined by only Israel, Guatemala, Honduras, Micronesia, Nauru, Togo and Tonga, Palau, the Marshall Islands.
158	Voting to Implement Recommendations in the Secretary-General Report on the Causes of Conflict and the Promotion of Durable Peace and Sustainable Development in Africa • The US was the only country to vote against it.
196	Signatories to the Convention on the Rights of the Child • The US is the only country that has refused to embrace the world’s most-ratified human rights agreement. Bill Clinton signed the UN convention in 1995, but the US Congress has never ratified it.
162	Signatories of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities • Intended to protect the rights and dignity of persons with disabilities, the US is the only country that has signed it but not ratified it.
189	Have Ratified or Acceded to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women • 5 countries have not signed the convention and the US and Palau have signed but not ratified it.