People are risking their lives to get into South Korea, Italy, Thailand, and Kenya too. All this means is that there are a lot of places with worse off neighbours.
Do you think that if they had a choice, the people risking their life to get into Italy or Kenya would rather get into the USA, all other things being equal?
Nah, too easy.
You put it better than I could. I’d much rather live in a country where people try to sneak in, that sneak out. Just like my great-grandfather. He didn’t fancy being cannon fodder in Bismarck’s Germany, so he ran for it, stowed away on a ship(got caught but worked passage) and ended up a farmer here in Kansas.
I wouldn’t put the US that far down, but yes, not on the top of my list either.
It’s effing cold there though, so I would not live there, much as I like those countries (I have been to Swe, never to Norway).
It pains to me say this (after all my daughter carries a Danish passport), DK looks better from the outside.
Spain too.
Off the top of my head I’d vote for New Zealand. My husband will probably agree too (a Dane that has been to NZ several times). Canada will get my second vote.
Well, in fairness, the poster who you are replying to’s expert opinion was apparently formed after she watched 5 minutes of teevee after the mass shooting outside of Oslo, so it’s just possible that her conclusion that Norway is the world’s Perfect Utopia may be lacking a bit on substance.
Rachel, when was the last time you were able to escape the Hell On Earth that is America and treat yourself to a lovely Scandinavian sabbatical?
United States of America. Not perfect but we keep trying to make progress.
Chechnya? Georgia? South Ossetia?
My vote is for Canada, BTW
You don’t need to know the language. Just come over and learn it whilst you’re here.
(Brit that moved to Stockholm in 1999, started Swedish classes in 2000 and is in no way looking to move elsewhere).
And some governments were’t toppled. Funnily enough, WW2 didn’t see the Germans taking over all of Europe.
Edit:
But even then, it was just a joke anyway.
Not so much right now, apparently even the pateras have gotten the memo that the economy is “fucked up although of course it’s not a recession”. It’s never a recession…
Maybe it’s lupus?
By the way, I’ve seen a fair bit of Russia Today and it’s awful. Maybe not FoxNews/CNN awful but the BBC and Al Jazeera are miles ahead in terms of English language world news quality (although if the BBC keep cutting its budget that won’t be true for long).
Two out of three ain’t bad.
The Scandic countries are too cold and the people are repressed, anal and their holier-that-thou Liberalism is practically a Religion.
Japan is OK, they know how to treat their elderly citizens.
The UK is going down the crapper.
I’d say America is No.1.
Have you ever been to Scandinavia? You sound like somebody who hasn’t.
No idea, but I’m not leaving the US.
The too cold part would be enough for me. 
Agreed.
That’s a black mark against it, not a positive.
I’m a little curious about how much credit (or blame) the United States is entitled to for “spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ across the Earth”. Christianity was already pretty much established back in 1776. If you want to credit a nation for spreading it all over the world I’d put Portugal, Spain, England, and France all ahead of America.
Freedom of religion is more of a secularizing influence than a proselytizing one. And when did the United States ever send out missionaries?
The thought of learning a new language is way too intimidating! If I were a desirable immigrant, I’d definitely move to Canada. But that doesn’t mean I necessarily think it’s best. Just better than here, and easily accessible without being an entire continent away from everything I know
Agreed. Inside my chest beats the beige heart of neutrality. Inside these veins courses the mauve blood of political disinterest.