A recent Rant (PDN, May 31) asked whether diversity is, in fact, a good thing for America.
The writer suggested that the happiest countries are the most culturally and demographically homogeneous.
I looked at several lists of the happiest countries and searched for characteristics they shared with each other.
My findings included the following:
Income taxes on the five happiest countries are progressive, with higher earners paying a higher percentage of their income. The highest tax rates are generally around 50 percent.
Gun laws in those countries tend to be much more strict than those in the U.S., with some including strict gun storage regulations or requiring lengthy training programs before permits are available for hunting weapons.
Are the happiest countries in fact culturally and demographically homogeneous?
Well, yes and no.
They are all geographically much smaller than the U.S.
Many are in the far north with climates and topographies that encouraged isolated and interdependent communities.
Even with those challenging conditions, those areas became home to specific indigenous communities which experienced historical injustices when other European peoples moved into the area.
Today, efforts are being made to address those social wrongs.
Norway, Sweden, Finland and Canada, for example, have all sponsored “Truth and Reconciliation” processes to move toward justice and perhaps share happiness a little more widely.
So what is it that makes some countries consistently happier, especially while the United States has sunk in the rankings?
There’s much to consider.
David Christian
Port Angeles