Looking Forward to the Future

How long can a nation retain its world leadership with stupid citizens? Not rhetorical. Check this out.

"The lowest-ranking country in terms of discounting evolution is Turkey. The United States is next," said Miller, who has analyzed surveys on belief in evolution from around the world. "The way we characterize religious fundamentalists in Turkey and in the U.S. is that they are both one-book religions.

"Fundamentalists in this country say everything you need to know is in the Bible, period. Islamists say everything you need to know is in the Koran, period," said Miller, a professor in political science.

That Turkey. Quite a partner, huh? And could this finding have anything to do with this--the growing health care (or lack of it) in this nation?

What is clear is that the problem is getting worse, not diminishing, she warns. The fragmented, uncoordinated healthcare system is plagued by high administrative costs and missed opportunities to control chronic conditions and prevent life threatening conditions.

If the US hopes to achieve a high performance health system that is value for money, it will have to tackle the perplexing problems of access, quality, and cost, and overcome considerable political and economic obstacles, as well as institutional resistance to change.

We'll hop right on that as soon as we get folks to agree on how bacteria and germs become resistant to our drugs, right?