Again, not trying to start a big argument here. But if the system in a country like Belgium produces a healthier population with longer life expectancies, a population more literate and better educated than ours, and a quality of life that produces a high level of satisfaction and high expectations for the future among its residents....it seems to me that considering a much higher level of taxation might be worth it.

Whether becoming a socialized economy and culture is the answer, I don't know. What I do know is that the U.S. doesn't compare very well with Belgium on the measures you posed.