US Citizens No Longer Tallest In The World

Since the days of the founding of our Republic, Americans have always enjoyed being the tallest people in the world. Until now. Over the last 50 years, other countries have been catching up with us. Today, Americans are only the 4th tallest in the world at an average male height on 5'10". We have been passed by the Germans, the Norwegians, and the Dutch. In the Netherlands, the average male stands at a whopping 6'2". They have become so tall that the Dutch government is instituting new construction rules for heights of doorways, etc.

So why should I give a rat's ass about how tall Americans are compared to the rest of the world? Height is controlled by genetics. But economists believe that height is also a general indicator of the health of a nation's citizens. Good nutrition, good pre-natal care, and a good health system all combine to increase a population's average height over time. In fact, scientists say the Dutch could grow another 3 inches in the next 50 years.

We are so quick to scorn the liberal democracies of the world, mainly in Europe and Canada, with their "socialized medicine," their better education systems, their lower crime rate, etc. etc.

The truth is these countries are leaving us in the dust on so many levels, from health care, to industry, to crime, to general qualities of life. These are not nations to be scorned. They should be emulated.

A couple of years ago Honda was looking for a location for a new North American factory. The finalists were places like Alabama, which threw tax incentives and "low cost of business" into the pot. But guess who won the new Honda factory. Ontario. Liberal, socialist Ontario. The reasons given for the choice were (1) universal health care (worker health care is one of the biggest expenses for American auto makers) and (2) a well educated workforce.

Now before one gets on one's high horse and accuses me of being a communist or a socialist, consider this. I am a big believer in capitalism. But not unfettered capitalism. There has to be checks and balances. The runaway capitalism that we have in the States will do nothing but bring down our middle class, make the lower classes even worse off, and make the wealthy even more wealthy. All one has to do is look at the statistics that show a widening income gap between the top 5% and the rest of us since Ronald Reagan took office.

Capitalism is a double edged sword. Used properly, it will bring prosperity to a nation's people. Used improperly, it will bring greed and the hoarding of a nation's wealth among a few people.

As Saint Paul said, "For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows." That one simple verse, in a nutshell, describes the American condition today.