philosopher Posted January 21, 2010 Report Share Posted January 21, 2010 (edited) http://www.heritage.org/index/ Alarmingly, the US is no longer rated "Free" (the best category), but only "Mostly Free." Edited January 21, 2010 by philosopher Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluecherry Posted January 21, 2010 Report Share Posted January 21, 2010 Dang, we sunk below Canada? Seriously? This is a sorry state of affairs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bastian Hayek Posted January 21, 2010 Report Share Posted January 21, 2010 In fact I once read that Alberta ranks before Texas in Economic Freedom. If I were living in North America I would seriously consider moving to Calgary or Edmonton. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Sophia~ Posted January 22, 2010 Report Share Posted January 22, 2010 (edited) I think this change in ranking reflects what happened in financial, housing, and automotive industries. It is also a forecast for things to come as a result of those changes. Edited January 22, 2010 by ~Sophia~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thales Posted January 22, 2010 Report Share Posted January 22, 2010 Dang, we sunk below Canada? Seriously? This is a sorry state of affairs. I think Russia is going to be investing in Canada instead of the U.S. ... hang on looking for story. Here it is: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/22f1bd26-05db-11...&SID=google If America sinks too low it will lose international respect. We are respected for our freedom, economic and military power. Lose those things and nobody will care. We'll be a has been. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jake_Ellison Posted January 22, 2010 Report Share Posted January 22, 2010 Except a few on the bottom there, the US lost the most points, with -2.7. The UK is second, with -2.5. That's a pretty sad state of affairs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zip Posted January 22, 2010 Report Share Posted January 22, 2010 I think this change in ranking reflects what happened in financial, housing, and automotive industries. It is also a forecast for things to come as a result of those changes. And the US government continuing to spend the money of it's citizens great, great, great grandchildren... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HansH Posted January 22, 2010 Report Share Posted January 22, 2010 (edited) The North Korean Workers Party elite has reason for celebration; in one year they managed to decrease their country's score 50%! Edited January 22, 2010 by HansH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philosopher Posted January 23, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 23, 2010 If America sinks too low it will lose international respect. We are respected for our freedom, economic and military power. Lose those things and nobody will care. We'll be a has been. That's an important point I think. The Index focuses on the link between economic freedom and prosperity, but there is also a link between economic freedom and military power. If the government has too many big social programs they can't afford a big military. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Wolf Posted January 23, 2010 Report Share Posted January 23, 2010 If America sinks too low it will lose international respect. We are respected for our freedom, economic and military power. Lose those things and nobody will care. We'll be a has been. I thought everyone hated us for our economic and military power. I mean, that's what liberals keep telling me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maken Posted January 26, 2010 Report Share Posted January 26, 2010 Um, I thought Hong Kong was strictly regulated??? How does that equate to economic freedom? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMeganSnow Posted January 26, 2010 Report Share Posted January 26, 2010 In a lot of cases, it's not the overall economic freedom that matters to individuals, but whether there are punishing restrictions in their personal area. I wouldn't want to live in Australia, for instance, even though it's near the top, because of the absurd controversy going on there about M-rated VIDEO GAMES of all things. (That, and there aren't many developers in Australia and games tend to be released late there). To a lot of people, this is not something they're going to worry or care about, but it is an issue to me because that's my chosen field. A numerical summary is not always the best way to express a complex total. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrocktor Posted January 26, 2010 Report Share Posted January 26, 2010 I thought Hong Kong was strictly regulated? Maybe you are thinking of Singapore? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jake_Ellison Posted January 26, 2010 Report Share Posted January 26, 2010 Um, I thought Hong Kong was strictly regulated??? How does that equate to economic freedom? The criteria (level of taxation, property rights, regulation, etc.) are explained in some detail on the website. I'm sure if you look into it more, you'll find it explained what aspects of the Hong Kong economy are more free than the US one. I'm sure taxation is the first thing, but there are others as well. To me, it made sense, as long as one keeps in mind that this is strictly about economic opportunities, especially for investors, not for people intending to raise a family. Obviously, the strength of the US also lies in its free speech, gun rights, democratic political system, civil rights, etc., all of which are not considered in this "economic freedom" rundown, but should be kept in mind if you have plans beyond investing in a foreign country, or living and working there only for a limited time, while retaining the option of returning to the US. Or, you can move to Switzerland. That country is looking better and better every day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ex_banana-eater Posted January 9, 2011 Report Share Posted January 9, 2011 If you care about your career, Hong Kong and Singapore are great places to be. Even if you don't work there, incorporating there might be something to think about. No special reason to bank in Switzerland anymore after some recent events. Famed investor Jim Rogers packed his bags and moved to Singapore once he decided to start a family. Singapore is usually at the top of international tests evaluating student skills like math, science, and literacy. Hong Kong, South Korea and Taiwan are usually not far behind. Plus, he wanted his kids to grow up speaking fluent mandarin. That whole region has a lot of great places that have bright futures, including Shanghai, Australia, New Zealand, Macau, Hong Kong, Singapore, and other cities that are set to grow in emerging countries. On the other hand, outlook for the US is not so bright. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CapitalistSwine Posted January 9, 2011 Report Share Posted January 9, 2011 Honestly I have never cared for the results of this index. I always felt that many countries were misplaced on there (mostly suggesting they were more free than they actually were) but idk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ex_banana-eater Posted January 16, 2011 Report Share Posted January 16, 2011 2011 Index Released: http://www.heritage.org/index/ Capitalistswine, why did you think countries were misplaced? What type of weighting and measures do you use when evaluating that is different from their index? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichyRich Posted January 16, 2011 Report Share Posted January 16, 2011 One criticism I have of this index is that the top two ranking countries, Hong Kong and Singapore, are "city states" and not comparable countries to the USA or Germany etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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