What should be the priorities of a country?

Well, I actually thought about this when I wrote my initial message! The poll question is so simple, it makes it hard to answer. First of all, I think the question can have different answers depending on the current state of the country we're talking about. Is it a poor or rich country? Is it at war or at peace? Is it isolated from the rest of the world, on an island, or is it on a large continent? I could go on and on.

Since I didn't know, I thought about my own country ( Canada ).

My answers might have been different if I lived in North Korea!

To me, a priority is what you need now and will need later in order to live, survive and compete.

So, do I need to, ex: "help the poor" in order to live, survive and compete? The answer is, sadly, no. Therefore, it isn't a priority to me. I know this makes me sound really bad, but, oh well...

And do I need my freedom in order to live, survive and compete?... Short answer; no.

Does it mean we should not be free? Not at all. But I don't consider it as a priority - at least not in the purest definition of the word. I'm thinking like an ant, I guess. One would say it explains why I made the choices I've made. :P

I think personal liberty and autonomy, on a certain level at least, depends on the level of education of the people. People need to learn history, sociology, law, in order to fight for their rights with the right tools. So, education certainly holds a higher rank. I already said healthcare was a necessity, and without a stable economy, everything collapses, so it's way too important to downgrade it.

But if we talk about a few others I didn't choose...

In today's world, with recent examples in the Middle East or Ukraine, we know there are still chances that a sovereign country can be attacked or invaded. So I'd definitely choose National defense as 4th choice - but I thought 3 was enough... It was more fun to vote since I had to make harder choices.

In the same brand, we all need some order at some point. It's most likely that there will always be criminals out there no matter what we do and we can't just do justice by ourselves. We need laws and police officers. Otherwise, the resulting chaos would destroy everything we built, including the previous choices I've just talked about. If crime is all over the country, how could it find prosperity? Plus, it would augment the cost of healthcare - all those unpunished crimes would bring more people to the hospital! Combatting crime would be my #5.

Combatting crime is related to personal liberties. There's some sort of balance the government has to find between giving freedom and protecting its people and a lot of the weight depends on the police forces and how they are used. So, I guess personal liberties would find its spot near #5.

And now, well, it's hard to say. There are many choices left. Availability and affordability of energy seems pretty crucial. If I chose one, would it mean I'd neglect another? Urgh... Being in charge of a country is one of the toughest jobs on Earth. That's why I am extremely rarely cynical when it comes down to politics and why I respect the vast majority of politicians, even though they might not be popular with people.