Pick a country

Wish I'd said that!

[Reprinted from Issues & Views October 15, 2001]

Respect for human rights is something that should be cherished, and nowhere on earth are they fully respected--but some countries and cultures have a far better record than others. The Western world and its culture have a far superior record of human rights protections than anywhere else.

Think about it. If you are a feminist, where would you prefer to live: Iran, Saudi Arabia, China or a country in Africa? If you are a criminal, where would you prefer to be tried and imprisoned: Turkey, Mexico, China or Russia? If you are a minority, where would you prefer to live: Burundi, Albania, Malaysia or Liberia? If you were an unborn spirit condemned to live a life of poverty, but permitted to choose a country for that life, what country would you choose: Chad, Romania, North Korea or Kenya?

A moment's reflection to any of these questions would yield an answer: You would prefer the United States or a European country. That's not to say that the United States and European countries are utopias, but by observing who's trying to flee to where suggests they are superior alternatives to other places.

-- Walter Williams, syndicated columnist and Professor of Economics at George Mason University, Fairfax, VA (Creators Syndicate).

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