Are Americans working for happiness?  Is our society prioritizing the things that lead to true happiness and comfort?  Is our CULTURE what we need to be happy people?

"Americans Are Unhappier Than Europeans And Living Here Costs More. Why Stay?"
Anne Mackin                             June 01, 2018

http://www.wbur.org/cognoscenti/2018/06/01/americans-unhappy-europe-anne-mackin

 ".  .  . happiness thrives in Nordic countries and some Western European countries, and in Canada, New Zealand and Australia. The U.S. ranks 18th in these global quality-of-life ratings, having slipped a few places lately — apparently because we've pared down the socio-economic supports that helped other nations win the happiness jackpot. Also, inequality in the U.S., already high, has continued to rise."

Education is something I think is smart if a country wants a strong future.  The USA does a BAD job of making education a priority.

".    .  my son would like to apply eventually to an American grad school, like the one where his father and I met 34 years ago. Three years of tuition for a master’s degree would total nearly $150,000 — roughly the down payment on a home. If he attends a similar program in the U.K., as the spouse of a European resident, his degree might cost as little as $15,000, allowing him and his wife to have both an education and a home. In the last decade, nine of his neighbors or friends have chosen Canadian or European colleges or graduate schools mainly for this reason."

Jobs training is limited (apprenticeships) and establishing careers in America is to difficult.

"Some wages are higher in the U.S., but so is the cost of living. We have more expensive health care and education, and less public transit. Our jobs pay more in stress, too. Nordic and European nations give workers comparatively luxurious amounts of vacation that contribute to their populations’ enviable happiness- — around four weeks annual leave plus holidays. That becomes even more important if a couple has children.

And what about parental leave? Compared to the 12 weeks offered new mothers in the U.S. — requiring them afterward to leave either their helpless infants or their jobs — most European countries offer leave to both parents with varying degrees of generosity. Germany offers 14 months of leave at 65 percent of previously earned wages.

.  .  . 

Finally, but critically, my son and his future wife, like all of us, want to live long, happy lives. Let’s look at lifespans, which reflect both the quality of a nation’s health care and the happiness of a population — or, conversely, the level of stress gnawing at that population. For all our wealth, the U.S. longevity ranks an appalling number 50 in the world, according to the World Health Organization. Not only that, but our lifespan, after climbing for decades, is now shrinking, gradually but ominously."