WORLD HAPPINESS INDEX.

     There is a world happiness index, measured by the famous Gallup polling people. The happiest place in the world has been sitting firmly on that precipice for the last six years. That country is Finland, the newest entrant to NATO, along with Sweden, who sits comfortably in the number six spot on that list. Finland and Sweden were happy to remain neutral until about eighteen months ago when Russia invaded Ukraine. Since Finland, Sweden and Norway share geographical closeness with Russia they were motivated to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in case Russia should annex Ukraine into its territory and seek more. Now that Russia is quite likely to suffer defeat in its quest, they are even happier. 

     Did I mention that Finland contains a part of the Arctic circle within it's land mass? Even in its most southern region it borders the North Atlantic, which is known by mariners for its icebergs. It is in short, a country where cross-country skiing is a form of transport, as well as a sport. This would be analogous with people living in North Dakota being happy at all. In fact, every one of the Northern countries of Western Europe are in the top 9 on the Happiness Index. By contrast the USA, number 16, remains in the bottom of the top 20. Number 4 Israel and number 10, New Zealand are not part of Europe though still measurably happier than the US. Israel may be on the cusp of falling from its happiness, thanks to a conservative coalition in the Knesset. Conservatives, it seems, ruin everything.

     How is it that the Northern European nations, where mukluks and polar fleece are a necessity even in the summer, are so happy.  It can't be skiing. I used to be a downhill skier and can attest to the joy of carving downhill turns. Cross-country skiing brought me less joy, perhaps because my weight would cause me to fall into depressions under the snow. The Nordic countries even enjoy, and excel at cross country; so much so that it is also called Nordic skiing. They even excel at the bi-athelon, which is Nordic skiing and target shooting combined. Imagine some fat MAGAt with their AR-15 slung over one shoulder, standing in the snow on skinny little Nordic skii's.

     What qualities make living in these frigid countries so much more enjoyable than we can expect in this country? We too, have areas for skiing. We also have coastal vacation spots where sun-tanning can be practiced. My own state of Oregon has lovely beaches but the water is  cold enough to require a wet-suit. California has long had the beaches where the "beachboy" is both legendary and a song group of the 60s. Sadly, the southern beaches along the Gulf of Mexico have fallen into disfavor, Texas and Florida chief among them. For a long time they have dealt with hurricanes made more destructive due to our fossil fuel usage. In some states we are actively seeking climate change mitigation, not so in the  communities of the old south. Mitigation efforts are showing promise, even in the parts of the old south that are trying it, but one particular party, who thinks the Confederacy should be held in high esteem, would prefer to emphasize fracking and drilling. It's almost as if they are being bribed by the fossil fuel industry. The formerly Supreme Court seems inclined to favor fossil fuels, I wonder why. In Florida there is an infestation of rotting Sargasso weed, with the insects and smell that accompany its decomposition. There is also a brain-eating bacteria, which would explain the dominant political party In that sorry state. And a rise in leprosy, which would indicate that maybe God does not favor them in the way they believe. Texas and Florida both have petroleum leaking from drilling sites and threatening the fishing and shelfish industries. The race to stupid is not confined to only Florida and Texas. Chances are, if you have or have had until recently, a statue of a Confederate general in your public places, you are being ruled by stupid people who identify with a fat-ass former president who started an insurrection so that he could hang on to the job that he legally lost.  

     Why is it that we, who historically have influenced other countries to become more democratic, are so far behind these relatively new democracies in happiness? Maybe it is because the northern countries of Europe offer their citizens public healthcare. In addition their children have public education through college free of charge. In some cases, students get a stipend. They have generous maternity benefits usable by both parents, paid for by the state. They have higher minimum wage laws and union representation on the Boards of Directors. They even have low income housing allowances. These countries also have strong private capital economies. The socialism conservatives fear has not weakened their pursuit of capitalism. It has given the workers freedom from capital predation. We may infer that their higher courts are less likely to be "good friends" with wealthy corporate scions in those countries, or those who inherit that wealth, but i cannot say that for sure. Is there wealth? Absolutely! There is just not obscene wealth where political bribes can even increase that wealth. There is wealth enough to build beautiful super yachts for American and Russian oligarchs. Jeff Bezos wanted them to tear down a centuries-old bridge to have his $500 million super yachts moved to Rotterdam harbor. Not even his wealth could induce them to tear down that bridge. We may  infer that he was not able to bribe a public official to bring the cost down.