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The U.S. is Fifth — and Not in a Good Way
But lawmakers, including a Republican from Oklahoma, are seeing this, too.
When I grew up in the Texas public school system we learned that America is the best at everything internationally and the civil rights movement fixed everything that needed fixing domestically. Suffice to say, I’ve since learned both history and the present are more complicated. So my head popped up from the stovetop to the television not too long ago when I heard U.S. Representative Tom Cole, a Republican from Oklahoma, say, “I do think we ought to look seriously at what countries like Norway do.”
Over years of working in and visiting countries far beyond the borders of my home state, I’ve been awed by the number of ways there are to live on this amazing planet of ours. From the siestas and late dinners of Spain and the Pura Vida vibes of Costa Rica to the bicycle culture and health system of Denmark and the nod of namaste in Nepal, our food, schedules, habits, rituals, and policies all impact how people live, both as individuals and in community.
This year as I realize that, no matter where or how I live, my future self needs my current self to better understand finances, I started listening to Money With Katie, a fabulously informative show hosted by a fellow Texan who sprinkles enough humor and…
