Outdoing the Big Guns

“Even when New Zealand isn’t top of the list, they’re outranking and outperforming the United States on just about any index you want to consider,” contributor Nonny Mouse writes for political blog Crooks and Liars. “One of the smallest countries in the world is kicking our ass when it comes to actually living up to the standards we Americans pretend we still have. New Zealand is the smallest economy in the top 10 at $162 billion, but it ranks first in personal freedom and investor protection, as well as a lack of red tape and corruption. [New Zealand is also] first in the world on the basis of performance in three areas: access to education, quality of education and human capital. Don’t even get me started on the All Blacks.”