Forbes Best Governments

http://www.forbes.com/pictures/eglg45ehhje/the-best-governments/

"A look at the top 10 most open and accountable governments in the world as ranked in the Rule of Law index by the World Justice Project of Washington DC. These nations may not be nirvana. They've got plenty of social and political problems. But in the grand scheme of things, they are the best of the not-so-great-afteralls that we have on God's green Earth. "

Form 1 - 10: Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Australia, New Zealand, The Netherlands, Austria, Germany, Japan.

Based on:

http://worldjusticeproject.org/rule-of-law-index-data

Originally posted by JS357
http://www.forbes.com/pictures/eglg45ehhje/the-best-governments/

"A look at the top 10 most open and accountable governments in the world as ranked in the Rule of Law index by the World Justice Project of Washington DC. These nations may not be nirvana. They've got plenty of social and political problems. But in the grand scheme of things, they are the best ...[text shortened]... , Austria, Germany, Japan.

Based on:

http://worldjusticeproject.org/rule-of-law-index-data

Shhhhh, we're not supposed to talk about those "big government" countries. It's just not....American!

Originally posted by bill718
Shhhhh, we're not supposed to talk about those "big government" countries. It's just not....American!

It's OK, nobody will read this in any depth.

Really "big" government countries (think China) do rather poorly.

Incidentally, at the second link you can click on a category (column) and get the ranking of countries for that category, low to high, or click again, high to low. They seem basically on target for being correct or stupid left wing propaganda; your pick.

Originally posted by bill718
Shhhhh, we're not supposed to talk about those "big government" countries. It's just not....American!

But none of these countries have large governments.

It sounds to me that you favor state rights over that of the federal government since states in the US are about the same size as these small European governments.

In addition, the EU is the enemy to these small nations in terms of sovereignty and prosperity. You will all soon be as miserable as those in the US.

Originally posted by whodey
But none of these countries have large governments.

Wait... what? All of those Northern European countries have vast welfare states and high taxes. Perpaps it's more accurate to say they don't have intrusive governments (except when it comes to drug use).

As for the list, those lists are always rather arbitrary. Personally, I'd rather live in Switzerland or Luxembourg than Germany.

Originally posted by whodey
But none of these countries have large governments.

It sounds to me that you favor state rights over that of the federal government since states in the US are about the same size as these small European governments.

In addition, the EU is the enemy to these small nations in terms of sovereignty and prosperity. You will all soon be as miserable as those in the US.

"It sounds to me that you favor state rights..."

It's not my data. I consider it food for thought.

They are all nations with geopolitical subdivisions, like the USA. There are provinces, counties, cities, etc. Their national governments do a lot of what we do on a state-by-state basis.

Germany is a federal republic with 16 states. "Federalism is one of the entrenched constitutional principles of the Federal Republic as established in the Basic Law (the constitution and supreme law)." (wiki on states of Germany)

Originally posted by JS357
http://www.forbes.com/pictures/eglg45ehhje/the-best-governments/

"A look at the top 10 most open and accountable governments in the world as ranked in the Rule of Law index by the World Justice Project of Washington DC. These nations may not be nirvana. They've got plenty of social and political problems. But in the grand scheme of things, they are the best ...[text shortened]... , Austria, Germany, Japan.

Based on:

http://worldjusticeproject.org/rule-of-law-index-data

The World Justice Project has an office in Washington, DC, indicating to me it is a propaganda/lobbying entity.

Just scanning through, I found the first data line incredible. Like to know their process for labelling a countries income, but not enough to study the methodology.

Originally posted by normbenign
The World Justice Project has an office in Washington, DC, indicating to me it is a propaganda/lobbying entity.

Just scanning through, I found the first data line incredible. Like to know their process for labelling a countries income, but not enough to study the methodology.

Wow, I guess everybody having an office in DC is like that.

FYI here is how the index works.

"World Justice Project determines a country’s "rule of law" ratings with analysis it gathers from two anonymous polls. One reaches out to the local judiciary and experts in civil, commercial, criminal, labor and public health law in the country being evaluated. The other is a poll of the general public in the country’s three largest cities.

Using the information it gathers in those polls, the World Justice Project charts a country’s rule of law based on a number of sub factors, including whether the criminal justice system is free of corruption and to what extent the government has checks and balances in place, among many other factors. "

http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/news/2012/03/09/dc-based-world-justice-project-opens.html?page=all

Originally posted by KazetNagorra
Wait... what? All of those Northern European countries have vast welfare states and high taxes. Perpaps it's more accurate to say they don't have intrusive governments (except when it comes to drug use).

As for the list, those lists are always rather arbitrary. Personally, I'd rather live in Switzerland or Luxembourg than Germany.

I could care less if states in the US chose to mimic small European governments if they so choose. That is their right. However, I am opposed to a federal government that imposes it's will on the American people whether they be conservative states or liberal states. In addition, I am opposed to a government that empowers an army of unelected bureaucrats via regulation that are equal to passing laws. In fact, the vast majority of elected federal officials in the federal government Americans cannot vote for or against, yet they have much more power than their own state representatives do over their own affairs.

Collectivists hate democracy.

Originally posted by whodey
I could care less if states in the US chose to mimic small European governments if they so choose. That is their right. However, I am opposed to a federal government that imposes it's will on the American people whether they be conservative states or liberal states. In addition, I am opposed to a government that empowers an army of unelected bureaucrats vi ...[text shortened]... than their own state representatives do over their own affairs.

Collectivists hate democracy.

What about Texas officials "imposing their will" on "liberal" districts of the state?

Time for the crickets to start chirping again...

Originally posted by KazetNagorra
What about Texas officials "imposing their will" on "liberal" districts of the state?

Time for the crickets to start chirping again...

It sure beats holding more than half the nation captive.

Currently, conservatives are only 5 states short of amending the Constitution.

Originally posted by JS357
Wow, I guess everybody having an office in DC is like that.

FYI here is how the index works.

"World Justice Project determines a country’s "rule of law" ratings with analysis it gathers from two anonymous polls. One reaches out to the local judiciary and experts in civil, commercial, criminal, labor and public health law in the country being evaluated. T ...[text shortened]... //www.bizjournals.com/seattle/news/2012/03/09/dc-based-world-justice-project-opens.html?page=all

"Wow, I guess everybody having an office in DC is like that."

There has to be a reason for locating in DC. Rents there are astronomical, so most info based entities are there to lobby the government.

If your methodology info is correct, it is highly unscientific. As I mentioned, the first data field on income is highly arguable. The income levels aren't defined in any way. I doubt any real conclusions can be garnered from this outfits polling.

I'm reading a book by Trevor Louden, a Kiwi, called Enemies Within. A host of rather innocuous sounding entities exert considerable influence on US policy via a network of caucuses and think tanks, with very common memberships, although not always the same throughout. They purport to be Progressive, Socialist, Democrat, and a few outright Communist, but regardless of their outward claims, they all have similar basic ideas and goals.

Interestingly, several of these outfits have names exactly the same as a number of right wing groups I've seen during the last two decades. In short, I am always suspect of groups trying to influence policy and opinion, especially when they pretend to be neutral or bipartisan. The more innocuous they sound the more likely they are to be predatory.

The post that was quoted here has been removed

It would cause me to be suspicious of their motives. After all, there are lots of places with equally good facilities with lower rents than Washington, DC, many with more University presence. What is there in DC that isn't anywhere else?

Originally posted by normbenign
It would cause me to be suspicious of their motives. After all, there are lots of places with equally good facilities with lower rents than Washington, DC, many with more University presence. What is there in DC that isn't anywhere else?

Their biggest donor appears to be the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. No wonder they ranked Computerstan the #1 country in the world!