The number of so-called experts (almost everyone I meet apparently) who feel qualified to pass judgment is quite staggering. Which is really quite strange as not many Americans as a percentage of the population have ever actually been there and of those who have I wonder just how many of them had to use our medical services. Funnily enough 65% of Americans can’t even find the UK on world map. Actually if you think that’s bad 20% of Americans can’t even find America on a world map.

As I said the number of lies spouted as fact has finally pissed me off. American health care sucks in comparison. And yes I do have knowledge of the system here. And in the UK of course, and also Canada, Iceland and New Zealand.

I really felt like banging my head against the wall over all this – I can’t believe that Americans can be so dumb as to fall for all the crap being talked about health care. As for a protester carrying a placard saying “get your government hands of my medicare” well, words failed me.

Still, on a lighter note (at least to me anyway – it stopped my feeling quite so angry at all the morons), the following statistic illustrates quite nicely why the “experts” can safely be ignored (and why the gene pool is in such danger) -  18% of Americans think the Sun revolves around the Earth.

I kid you not.

I guess this is good news if you’re American. Many other countries wouldn’t be so happy if their life expectancy suddenly dropped to that level.

I was also somewhat perturbed at the naivite and lack of world knowledge of some Americans in the blog that followed the article when such comments as…

Well, it’s probably because the U.S. has the best health care in the world? I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else.

… appeared. Yes… Of Course America has the best health profit system in the world. Oh, and while I’m at it that hoary old chestnut about America subsidizing the rest of the world also surfaced. Ye gods. I really can’t believe that anyone here still falls for that one as the reason for the highest medical costs in the world. That particular little factoid has been debunked so many times it’s beyond a joke.

Anyway, for all my American friends here is a league table of the top 50 countries life expectancy rates. So before you get too excited at the extra time you now have, take a look and see where you rank.

1 Macau 84.36 
 
2 Andorra 82.51 
 
3 Japan 82.12 
 
4 Singapore 81.98 
 
5 San Marino 81.97 
 
6 Hong Kong 81.86 
 
7 Australia 81.63 
 
8 Canada 81.23 
 
9 France 80.98 
 
10 Sweden 80.86 
 
11 Switzerland 80.85 
 
12 Guernsey 80.77 
 
13 Israel 80.73 
 
14 Iceland 80.67 
 
15 Anguilla 80.65 
 
16 Cayman Islands 80.44 
 
17 Bermuda 80.43 
 
18 New Zealand 80.36 
 
19 Italy 80.20 
 
20 Gibraltar 80.19 
 
21 Monaco 80.09 
 
22 Liechtenstein 80.06 
 
23 Spain 80.05 
 
24 Norway 79.95 
 
25 Jersey 79.75 
 
26 Greece 79.66 
 
27 Austria 79.50 
 
28 Faroe Islands 79.44 
 
29 Malta 79.44 
 
30 Netherlands 79.40 
 
31 Luxembourg 79.33 
 
32 Germany 79.26 
 
33 Belgium 79.22 
 
34 Saint Pierre and Miquelon 79.07 
 
35 Virgin Islands 79.05 
 
36 United Kingdom 79.01 
 
37 Finland 78.97 
 
38 Jordan 78.87 
 
39 Isle of Man 78.82 
 
40 Korea, South 78.72 
 
41 European Union 78.67 
 
42 Puerto Rico 78.53 
 
43 Bosnia and Herzegovina 78.50 
 
44 Saint Helena 78.44 
 
45 Cyprus 78.33 
 
46 Denmark 78.30 
 
47 Ireland 78.24 
 
48 Portugal 78.21 
 
49 Wallis and Futuna 78.20 
 
50 United States 78.11 

Now if you’re not quite so happy with your new life expectancy as you were before, do a little research and see how many countries above you have universal health care. You know… countries where health care is a right and not a privilege.

And by the way… the US only made it to #50 because the CIA’s figures were higher than the CDC’c.