Yahoo Answers is shutting down on May 4th, 2021 (Eastern Time) and beginning April 20th, 2021 (Eastern Time) the Yahoo Answers website will be in read-only mode. There will be no changes to other Yahoo properties or services, or your Yahoo account. You can find more information about the Yahoo Answers shutdown and how to download your data on this help page.

rsc3033 asked in Politics & GovernmentPolitics · 6 years ago

United States, is it REALLY the land of the free?

The United States comes in at only No. 12 in the latest Index of Economic Freedom, due in part to high taxes, corruption, and the regulatory burden.

Rankings are compiled by measuring 10 freedoms in four broad categories: Rule of Law (property rights, freedom from corruption), Limited Government (fiscal freedom, government spending), Regulatory Efficiency (business freedom, labor freedom, monetary freedom), and Open Markets (trade freedom, investment freedom, financial freedom).

The top five nations/territories for economic freedom are Hong Kong, Singapore, New Zealand, Australia, and Switzerland.

The index observes that "corruption in government and the political process remains a concern" in the U.S., and "the regulatory burden has been mounting. Since 2009, over 150 new major regulations have been imposed at an annual cost of more than $70 billion."

Other countries that place higher than the United States, beginning with No. 6, are Canada, Chile, Estonia, Ireland, Mauritius, and Denmark.

10 Answers

Relevance
  • 6 years ago
    Favorite Answer

    You'll never be free, if you elect liberals.

    Attachment image
  • 6 years ago

    Isn't terrorism and the threat of environmental disaster wonderful ways to get Americans to surrender their Freedoms? Along with secondary threats like inequality?

    Can't wait for the day Libs initiate hotlines to report suspicious and deviant activity. You can remain anonymous and still get that reward! Hold on----actually I think a few ARE already up and running---

  • 6 years ago

    Individual freedoms are huge in the US.

    I will agree that the economic freedoms are out of whack - like you noted.

    And some individual freedoms have been squeezed a bit lately.

    But there remains enough freedom and opportunities, that I still would say that we are still the land of the free.

  • Anonymous
    6 years ago

    The US is a fascist country mostly dominated by Zionist Jews. There is no "capitalism" and the country is living off the dollar as the reserve currency. When the dollar collapses, the party will be over. The "American Dream" is so nonexistent that I seriously doubt many believe in it anymore. Most Americans are happy to be living paycheck to paycheck.

  • How do you think about the answers? You can sign in to vote the answer.
  • Anonymous
    6 years ago

    I would imagine that Economic freedom of the rich to operate without rules, must be highest in places like Bangladesh where you can build a factory with cheap labor and materials and when it collapses killing thousands you are never charged or fined.

    Isn't "Economic Freedom" grand!

  • RockIt
    Lv 7
    6 years ago

    No, its the land of Huge Broken Government destroying the best idea humans ever came up with for a society. It was only a matter of time before all the filth destroyed all the beauty.

  • Anonymous
    6 years ago

    If you count our prison population, the USA has more people in prison than any other nation. Land of the Not Free.

  • 6 years ago

    But NZ, Australia and Switzerland are famous for progressive taxation, universal healthcare, government provision of college education and a host of other things cons tell us are bad for the economy.

  • Anonymous
    6 years ago

    It was until Obama and he is rapidly reducing it to the image of an African Ghetto.

  • 6 years ago

    Hey, you're welcome to move to Cuba now.

Still have questions? Get your answers by asking now.