Make America (Measurably) Great Again

Is there a way to measure a country’s overall success? Gross domestic product indicates how well the economy is working. Labor-force participation rates and median wages say something about how workers are faring. Newer measures of happiness, pride and other intangibles may fill in some soft details.

There is one metric, however, that speaks volumes about how well any country or society operates: life expectancy. Last year, average life expectancy in the U.S. fell for the first time since 1993, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That should come as a wake-up call.