What nation is the freest in the world? I know it's not US

[freeplessinseattle]

but would like to have some more ammunition for a debate I'm having with some flag worshipping morans.

I also remember reading here a few months back about gender equality in gov't and that the US was behind several other nations, anyone have that info handy?

Thanks in advance!

[acmejack]

1. Here ye go!

http://www.freedomhouse.org/ratings/index.htm

[freeplessinseattle]

5. Nice site, thanks. It's helpful but it doesn't say where the US

falls relative to all the other countries that also received a 1 (free) rating, as far as I can find, but is a great site!

[BrklynLiberal]

2. Well, to start with, a couple of dozen other countries have had women

as elected Head of State, including England, Canada, India, Pakistan, Israel, New Zealand and several others that I cannot come up with right now.

Here is a table of Women Presidents and Prime Ministers...since 1953
http://www.capwip.org/participation/womenheadofstate.html

[freeplessinseattle]

13. so why aren't the US people "ready" for a female prez?

what does that say about how advanced we are?

Thank you for your reply!

[spooky3]

26. since that table was published in 2000, Indonesia (most populous

Muslim country in the world) elected a female president.

ttp://www.guardian.co.uk/indonesia/Story/0,2763,527490,00.html

[Lone_Wolf_Moderate]

3. What nation is freer than America?

Do you really believe that there are nations freer than America?

[freeplessinseattle]

8. Yes, I do, if you want to convince me otherwise be my guest.

that's what this thread is about, finding out where we stand and where we could enhance our freedoms.

[Lone_Wolf_Moderate]

24. Tell me why you think we aren't free, or as free as we could be.

[GreenArrow]

22. define

"free".

[Lone_Wolf_Moderate]

23. OK, I'm working with the standard definition here.

America is the only place where we have a Constitution that guarantees our basic, individual rights. These rights are natural rights, protected by (not granted by) government. I'm interested to know how you define "free." In America, wehave free speech, freedom of the press, religion, equality under the law, etc.

Now I know what you're thinking. Bush and the right-wingers have undermined those freedoms. To a certain extent, you might be right. The fact is, America still is a democratic republic, the best in the world. We're not perfect, but we're still a democracy. We are still good.

[BrklynLiberal]

4. Here is a list

1. Sirimavo Bandaranaike, Sri Lanka
Prime Minister, 1960-1965, 1970-1977, 1994-2000.

2. Indira Gandhi, India
Prime Minister, 1966-77, 1980-1984.

3. Golda Meir, Israel
Prime Minister, 1969-1974.

4. Isabel Peron, Argentina
President, 1974-1976

5. Elisabeth Domitien, Central African Republic
Prime Minister, 1975-1976

6. Margaret Thatcher, Great Britain
Prime Minister, 1979-1990.

7. Maria da Lourdes Pintasilgo, Portugal
Prime Minister, 1979-1980.

8. Lidia Gueiler Tejada, Bolivia
Prime Minister, 1979-1980.

9. Dame Eugenia Charles, Dominica
Prime Minister, 1980-1995.

10. Vigdís Finnbogadóttír, Iceland
President, 1980-96.

11. Gro Harlem Brundtland, Norway
Prime Minister, 1981, 1986-1989, 1990-1996.

12. Soong Ching-Ling, Peoples' Republic of China
Honorary President, 1981.

13. Milka Planinc, Yugoslavia
Federal Prime Minister, 1982-1986.

14. Agatha Barbara, Malta
President, 1982-1987.

15. Maria Liberia-Peters, Netherlands Antilles
Prime Minister, 1984-1986, 1988-1993.

16. Corazon Aquino, Philippines
President, 1986-92.

17. Benazir Bhutto, Pakistan
Prime Minister, 1988-1990, 1993-1996.

18. Kazimiera Danuta Prunskiena, Lithuania
Prime Minister, 1990-91.

19. Violeta Barrios de Chamorro, Nicaragua
Prime Minister, 1990-1996.

20. Mary Robinson, Ireland
President, 1990-1997.

21. Ertha Pascal Trouillot, Haiti
Interim President, 1990-1991.

22. Sabine Bergmann-Pohl, German Democratic Republic
President, 1990.

23. Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar (Burma)
Her party won 80% of the seats in a democratic election
in 1990, but the military government refused to recognize the results. She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991.

24. Khaleda Zia, Bangladesh
Prime Minister, 1991-1996.

25. Edith Cresson, France
Prime Minister, 1991-1992.

26. Hanna Suchocka, Poland
Prime Minister, 1992-1993.

27. Kim Campbell, Canada
Prime Minister, 1993.

28. Sylvie Kinigi, Burundi
Prime Minister, 1993-1994.

29. Agathe Uwilingiyimana, Rwanda
Prime Minister, 1993-1994.

30. Susanne Camelia-Romer, Netherlands Antilles
Prime Minister, 1993, 1998-

31. Tansu Çiller, Turkey
Prime Minister, 1993-1995.

32. Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunge, Sri Lanka
Prime Minister, 1994, President, 1994-

33. Reneta Indzhova, Bulgaria,
Interim Prime Minister, 1994-1995.

34. Claudette Werleigh, Haiti
Prime Minister, 1995-1996.

35. Sheikh Hasina Wajed, Bangladesh
Prime Minister, 1996-.

36. Mary McAleese, Ireland
President, 1997-.

37. Pamela Gordon, Bermuda
Prime Minister, 1997-1998.

38. Janet Jagan, Guyana
Prime Minister, 1997, President, 1997-1999.

39. Jenny Shipley, New Zealand
Prime Minister, 1997-1999.

40. Ruth Dreifuss, Switzerland
President, 1999-2000.

41. Jennifer Smith, Bermuda
Prime Minister, 1998-.

42. Nyam-Osoriyn Tuyaa,
Mongolia, Acting Prime Minister, July 1999.

43. Helen Clark, New Zealand
Prime Minister, 1999-.

44. Mireya Elisa Moscoso de Arias, Panama
President, 1999-.

45. Vaira Vike-Freiberga, Latvia
President, 1999-.

46. Tarja Kaarina Halonen, Finland
President, 2000-.

http://womenshistory.about.com/library/weekly/aa010128a.htm

[BrklynLiberal]

6. Link between Gender Equality and Economic Development

Last Updated: June 20,2005

Research from around the world has shown that gender inequality tends to slow economic growth and make the rise frompoverty more difficult. The reasons for this link are not hard to understand. Half of the world’s population is female, hence, the extent to which women and girls benefit from development policies and programs has a major impact on countries’ overall development success. Research also shows that women and girls tend to work harder than men, are more likely to invest their earnings in their children, are major producers as well as consumers, and shoulder critical, life-sustaining responsibilities without which men and boys could not survive much less enjoy high levels of productivity. Women’s empowerment is particularly important for determining a country’s demographic trends—trends that in turn affect its economic success and environmental sustainability.

For all these reasons, the World Bank views the third Millennium Development Goal—to promote gender equality and empower women—as a central component to its overall mission to reduce poverty and stimulate economic growth. The Bank has an Operational Policy that spells out its responsibilities in this area, and a strategy to implement this policy. This website provides information on Bank policy, strategy and implementation, as well as tools useful for integrating gender issues into analytical work, development operations and capacity building.

http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/TOPICS/EXTGENDER/0,,menuPK:336874~pagePK:149018~piPK:149093~theSitePK:336868,00.html

[freeplessinseattle]

9. oooh, great reference, thank you! n/t

[leftofthedial]

7. Survey says . . .

Sweden

[freeplessinseattle]

10. now that makes sense, why didn't I think of that? Do you have a

reference so I can blow my acquaintances minds? if not, no biggie, now that I know maybe I can find the info more easily.

[leftofthedial]

12. I honestly can't remember the source, but a fairly recent DU post

listed the results of an international study of "freedom"

I'll look for a source . . .

[freeplessinseattle]

14. oh, you're too nice, you don't need to go to that trouble for me

I'm just wanting to have all my ducks in a row to educate some misguided "patriots", but don't mind doing the legwork, though the help I'm receiving is fantastic and much appreciated!

[BrklynLiberal]

11. Try this..

http://www.heritage.org/research/features/index/countries.cfm

Here is the home page.

http://www.heritage.org/research/features/index/

January 05, 2005
USA No Longer Freest Country

Long a symbol of economic prosperity, America for the first time no longer ranks among the top 10 free nations of the world, according to The 2005 Index of Economic Freedom, just released by the Heritage Foundation and the Wall Street Journal.

"The United States is resting on its laurels while innovative countries around the world are changing their approaches and reducing their roadblocks," said Marc Miles, a co-editor of the book, along with Ed Feulner and Mary Anastasia O'Grady. "The U.S. is eating the dust of countries that have thrown off the 20th-century shackles of big government spending and massive federal programs."

The top 10 countries are: Hong Kong, Singapore, Luxembourg, Estonia, Ireland, New Zealand, U.K., Denmark, Iceland and Australia, followed by Chile.

http://www.subzeroblue.com/archives/001978.html

[freeplessinseattle]

16. Nice! This is perfect, and not even in the top ten

and I don't think the US was ever #1 anyway. How humbling.

I love it:)

[BrklynLiberal]

15. New documenatry shows how Holland succeeds at being the freest country in

the world

http://cannabisculture.com/articles/2065.html

This is a good one... :rofl:

[izzie]

20. I never can pull up things that say to save. Some day I will figure out ho

Thanks as I would have said it would be a Northern Country in Eur. Many years ago I spend a little time in Holland and I really liked it.

[JHBowden]

17. Is freedom defined as lack of coercion?

If so, we are definitely near the top when we look at economic and social issues, though probably not at the top.

Those who define 'freedom' in terms of accomplishing objectives aren't really talking about freedom. For instance, how does having a woman head of state imply a nation is free?

[freeplessinseattle]

19. I didn't say they were related, gender equality is relevent

to the discussion I'm having with my friends about how advanced the US is relatively. I'm not saying I hate America, to the contrary, I love my country that is why I want to nurture it and find areas that we could improve on.

[murray hill farm]

18. personally...

i felt freer living in mexico..much freer...i felt there were a lot of hoops to continually jump through because i was a us citizen living there...but as far as rights and freedom to just be me...i felt much freer. now...i didnt do things that would call for the govt to question my freedoms...i didnt break the laws, i respected the culture and enjoyed it..i felt priviliged that they would let me live in their country...but i was never hassled and never treated as if i might be up to something..and was never viewed as guilty until proven innocent..like i am in the usa. i am in georgia now for the summer and into fall...but here right after i moved in a detective came to the door looking for some guy i had never heard of..so i told him that i had just bought the house..and that the person he was looking for didnt live here..i was polite..why not..i had no reason to not be..guy is doing his job, etc. but then it started...did i mean that the guy wasnt here now..but that he would be back later? had i ever lived with this person? did i know this person? was i related to this person? could he come in and look through the house so that i could prove the person wasnt there? i said "no"...i said i didnt know the person...and that i had just bought the house, etc. ok...he says...what is your ss#, how tall are you? what color are your eyes? how much do you weigh? how oold are you? i told him that he should go get a search warrant..ha! Otherwise..never come back here. this kind of thing would never happen in mexico...and yet...to the observer..it looks like what one would think of as a marshal law situation in mexico...there are always truck loads of federal police everywhere..when driving through mexico, there are many stops by road checks...but...there this is normal...and always they are polite and friendly and helpful..and they ARE just doing their job...so, that mostly they just make you feel good to see them. Freer is a difficult comparison to make...really u would have to live..and have lived in the usa and other countries...it is a feeling..a quality of life. i feel safer in mexico because of the federales and because of the protection they provide. i feel safer because people who live there cannot own guns. locally, if your house is broken into...and u go to the police...they will do nothing..ha...but they do routinely provide rides to local folks who need to get to the grocery store. i think you have to go and experience the differences, to define for yourself what is "freer" surveys take into account specific things that say free or not so free...and these may have nothing to do with how free one is in any given country.

[MadisonProgressive]

21. Belgium of course!

http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/BELGCUL.html

[snowbear]

25. Costa Rica is a pretty awesome place too!

Love it there! :bounce: