http://lonelyconservative.com/2013/09/united-states-drops-to-17th-in-economic-freedom/ United States Drops To 17th In Economic Freedom
by Lonely Conservative • September 27, 2013
In the year 2000 the United States ranked second in the world for economic freedom. Today, the US has dropped to a dismal seventeenth, thanks to overspending, disregard for the rule of law by elected leaders, and increasing regulations. Economic freedom is what has brought about the standard of living we all enjoy today. I shudder to even think what we’ll rank after Obamacare has been fully implemented.
Global economic freedom increased modestly in this year’s report, though it remains below its peak level of 6.92 in 2007. After a global average drop between 2007 and 2009, the average score rose to 6.87 in 2011, the most recent year for which data is available. In this year’s index, Hong Kong retains the highest rating for economic freedom, 8.97 out of 10. The rest of this year’s top scores are Singapore, 8.73; New Zealand, 8.49; Switzerland, 8.30; United Arab Emirates, 8.07; Mauritius, 8.01; Finland, 7.98; Bahrain, 7.93; Canada, 7.93; and Australia, 7.88.
The United States, long considered the standard bearer for economic freedom among large industrial nations, has experienced a substantial decline in economic freedom during the past decade. From 1980 to 2000, the United States was generally rated the third freest economy in the world, ranking behind only Hong Kong and Singapore. After increasing steadily during the period from 1980 to 2000, the chain linked EFW rating of the United States fell from 8.65 in 2000 to 8.21 in 2005 and 7.74 in 2011. The chain-linked ranking of the United States has fallen precipitously from second in 2000 to eighth in 2005 to 19th in 2011 (unadjusted rating of 17th).
The rankings (and scores) of other large economies in this year’s index are the United Kingdom, 12th (7.85); Germany, 19th (7.68); Japan, 33rd (7.50); France, 40th (7.38); Italy, 83rd (6.85); Mexico, 94th (6.64); Russia, 101st (6.55); Brazil, 102nd (6.51); India, 111th (6.34); and China, 123rd (6.22).
Be sure to read the whole thing. The more economic freedom people have the more prosperous they become. The inverse is also true, which is what we’re seeing today in the United States.