# What countries are better than the U.S.A.? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 10, 2019, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-countries-are-better-than-the-u-s-a/832334 "2019-04-10T14:36:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2019, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-countries-are-better-than-the-u-s-a/832334/21 "2019-04-10T19:45:16Z")
> [@FlikTheBlue](#): > > My choice is Japan. I consider myself an otaku and I like all kinds of aspects of Japanese culture. I also tend to be introverted and prefer more formal / ritualized social interactions. Pretty much my answer, provided that I was independently wealthy or had some job other than in their punishingly high-pressure corporate environment. (Of course, plenty of countries would be pretty tolerable if you were independently wealthy.) ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2019, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-countries-are-better-than-the-u-s-a/832334/22 "2019-04-10T19:48:37Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > I’d add any country with UHC and sane gun ownership policies. I think it’s pretty obvious that any country in which people don’t bankrupt their families when they get sick and in which lunatics don’t regularly mow down people is objectively a better country than America. There are not a lot of countries “in which lunatics don’t regularly mow down people”. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2019, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-countries-are-better-than-the-u-s-a/832334/23 "2019-04-10T20:04:03Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > There are not a lot of countries “in which lunatics don’t regularly mow down people”. I’m not going to parse what you think you’re trying to say, I’ll just note that New Zealand just banned most semi-automatic weapons one month after the mosque shooting. I’m sure you remember the shooting because a few days after it, you made a joke about it in an unrelated thread in ATMB. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2019, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-countries-are-better-than-the-u-s-a/832334/24 "2019-04-10T20:08:03Z")
Canada, New Zealand, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, any EU country, South Africa. But not Australia. ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Wiggler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/red_wiggler/32/13190_2.png) [@Red\_Wiggler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Wiggler)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2019, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-countries-are-better-than-the-u-s-a/832334/25 "2019-04-10T20:15:55Z")
As one of the board’s senior citizens, I’d just like to comment that a thread (ok, a conversation) going in this direction three or four decades ago would have resulted in massive pushback from the America firsters, who were much more prevalent in US society back then. To fix the problems, we have to at least acknowledge that they exist and maybe it’s finally happening. ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2019, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-countries-are-better-than-the-u-s-a/832334/26 "2019-04-10T20:18:47Z")
> [@Defensive\_Indifference](#): > > I’ll have to think about what “better” means to me, but for now I’ll cosign this answer. > > BTW, I just learned that Australia has gone 28 years without a recession. That’s pretty amazing. As far as I know it’s also a nice place to live. Maybe a skosh hot for my liking, though. We were fortunate enough to have a nice sensible Labor government in power at the time of the GFC, who immediately responded to it with stimulus - funnelling a bunch of no-questions-asked cash straight into the bank accounts of defined sections of the community (eg parents). God knows what the current mob would have done about it. I pick New Zealand or somewhere in Scandinavia as the “best” countries - both of those places often end up at or near the top of international comparison lists ---
**Author:** ![MortSahlFan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@MortSahlFan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MortSahlFan)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2019, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-countries-are-better-than-the-u-s-a/832334/27 "2019-04-10T20:53:33Z")
I’ll only include countries I’ve lived/visited. -Canada -Australia -Netherlands -Switzerland -Germany And I worked illegally, without their social safety net, although I was never charged for hospital or doctors. I’m sure things would improve even more after learning more of the language, but where one is born determines a lot… There’s nothing I can’t stand when some moron says “Well, then, leave” - not knowing what a visa means outside of a credit card. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2019, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-countries-are-better-than-the-u-s-a/832334/28 "2019-04-10T21:04:45Z")
I voted with my feet. Despite having three kids living in the US, my wife and I have decided to remain in Canada, weather and all. The no. 1 reason is health care. ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2019, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-countries-are-better-than-the-u-s-a/832334/29 "2019-04-10T23:01:49Z")
Dunno about Switzerland. I think they’ve been involved in a lot of shady shit with their banking stuff. ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2019, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-countries-are-better-than-the-u-s-a/832334/30 "2019-04-10T23:34:59Z")
I’ve been told NZ is a tyrannical shithole. ---
**Author:** ![lisiate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f05b48/32.png) [@lisiate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisiate)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2019, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-countries-are-better-than-the-u-s-a/832334/31 "2019-04-10T23:46:29Z")
The US isn’t even on the[only ranking list](https://www.icc-cricket.com/rankings/mens/team-rankings/test)that matters. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2019, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-countries-are-better-than-the-u-s-a/832334/32 "2019-04-10T23:50:01Z")
By many metrics the US is near the bottom of wealthy nations. By some metrics (health care) we are behind lots of middle income nations. Latin America has affordable universal health care in many places. ---
**Author:** ![Asuka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2019, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-countries-are-better-than-the-u-s-a/832334/33 "2019-04-11T00:47:35Z")
> [@snfaulkner](#): > > I’ve been told NZ is a tyrannical shithole. I’ve also been told here Canada is the perfect nation and has never fought a war that wasn’t in self-defense. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2019, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-countries-are-better-than-the-u-s-a/832334/34 "2019-04-11T00:55:27Z")
Yes, it was only a matter of time before those Boers were marching through Ottawa. We had to strike first! ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2019, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-countries-are-better-than-the-u-s-a/832334/35 "2019-04-11T00:58:21Z")
Also, nations with a lower incarceration rate than the US are better. ---
**Author:** ![sisu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@sisu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sisu)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2019, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-countries-are-better-than-the-u-s-a/832334/36 "2019-04-11T01:01:52Z")
Well of course I am going to say Australia because I live here. We have a pretty good standard of living and great healthcare. Education is still fairly cheap. We have every form of climate, I can go skiing in winter or diving on Barrier Reef. We are pretty successful multi-cultural society. You can still have a go and make it. We don’t have a large proportion of our country living below the poverty line, there are some and that is still too many. Oh and we don’t have a large prison population! ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2019, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-countries-are-better-than-the-u-s-a/832334/37 "2019-04-11T01:02:19Z")
As a total package, nothing beats the USA, taking into account country security, education, business, wealth. On individual issues though, many other countries come out ahead. So if you are more concerned about safety, or health, or lifestyle on a modest wage, you would probably be best off elsewhere. If you are wealthy the USA is the best place to be because of the strong rule of law and property protection. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2019, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-countries-are-better-than-the-u-s-a/832334/38 "2019-04-11T01:18:47Z")
Yeah, if you’re a rich white guy, the US is great. If a black kid shows up in your neighborhood you can call the cops and there’s a good chance the cops will straight up kill him. ---
**Author:** ![sisu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@sisu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sisu)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2019, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-countries-are-better-than-the-u-s-a/832334/39 "2019-04-11T01:25:25Z")
> [@Isamu](#): > > If you are wealthy the USA is the best place to be because of the strong rule of law and property protection. Oh Australia, Canada, NZ and a whole bunch of other countries have strong rule of law and property protection. ---
**Author:** ![Asuka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2019, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-countries-are-better-than-the-u-s-a/832334/40 "2019-04-11T01:37:03Z")
> [@sisu](#): > > We have every form of climate, I can go skiing in winter or diving on Barrier Reef. You do also know the United States has basically every form of climate as well, at least as much as Australia? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-countries-are-better-than-the-u-s-a/832334.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-countries-are-better-than-the-u-s-a/832334.md?page=3)