The release explained the data was collected in 2013 and “shows that the overall quality of life for Marylanders increased in 2013, despite a relatively flat economy.”
Unmentioned was a Gallup poll in April 2014 that found that 47 percent of Maryland’s residents would choose to move if they could, representing the third highest dissatisfaction rate nationwide.
So how did O’Malley conclude his state’s “well-being” was escalating? Instead of measuring hard numbers, as the GDP does, O’Malley’s GPI factors in 26 “indicators” to calculate Maryland’s economic and “well-being” status.
Many of the indicators seem subjective and difficult to measure, including the “value of housework,” “cost of family changes,” “cost of crime,” “cost of personal pollution abatement,” “value of volunteer work,” “cost of lost leisure time,” “cost of ozone depletion,” and “cost of noise pollution.” Another major indicator is “income inequality.”
Maryland’s GPI state website does not reveal how it obtains its numbers, nor how it collects data and analyzes such factors as “value of housework.”
Sunni Arab States Prepare For U.S. Deal With Iran
In an extraordinary move that could mean billions lost to the American economy, Gulf monarchs meeting last week in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, took a closed-door decision to potentially withhold investments from U.S. military firms if the terms of any final agreement with Iran causes significant harm to the Sunni Arab states.
The meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council brought together leaders from Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
According to a source who took part in the discussions, the Gulf countries talked about the possibility of providing a future advantage in weapons deals to European firms, particularly those based in France, Germany, and Britain, along with companies in China. The move would take place pending the outcome of any final deal between Iran, the Obama administration, and Western powers.
There was no mention of an economic boycott, said the source, who maintained the discussions were limited to military sales from the U.S. government and private American firms.
“This is kind of the start of financial sanctions on the USA in case a bad agreement is signed,” the source said. “It could develop beyond military spending.”
