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Wednesday, July 23, 2008

The Measure of America Report

The challenges facing America's working families aren't insurmountable -- but for many, they seem to be growing larger every day.

From rising energy prices to static wages to declining access to health care, many Americans feel like they're working harder only to fall further behind.

It's not just perception. A new report funded by Oxfam America, the Rockefeller Foundation and the Conrad Hilton Foundation -- the Measure of America Report -- combined measurements of health, education and income into one measurement called "the human development index," which is based on an index used by the United Nations.

The results:

*[T]he US ranked 42nd in the world for life expectancy despite spending more on health care per person than any other country....

* Of the world's richest nations, the US has the most children (15%) living in poverty

* Of the OECD nations, the US has the most people in prison - as a percentage and in absolute numbers

* 25% of 15-year-old students performed at or below the lowest level in an international maths test - worse than Canada, France, Germany and Japan

* If the US infant mortality rate were equal to first-ranked Sweden, more than 20,000 babies would survive beyond their first year of life


The report broke down its findings by states and congressional districts. For a graphic showing the state-by-state results, click here.

Technorati Tags: activism, economy, politics, poverty, families, working+families, 2008 elections, barack obama, john mccain, social justice, current affairs, current events, immigration.

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