It's Optimism Day at Rubin Reports!

By Barry Rubin

Some readers think I'm pessimistic. Not at all. The good guys will win; truth will out; democracy will triumph. It just takes a while, and a lot of struggle.

Meanwhile, ponder this:

Israelis are among the happiest people in the world, according to a new Gallup Poll.  The four Scandanavian countries are first. But, hey, they're happy if they get to see any sun at all so there's low expectations. High suicide rate weeds out the unhappy; high alcohol consumption rate makes survivors happier. Only kidding, Scandanavian readers.

They are followed by seven countries that are almost all the same level of happiness of about 62 percent happy people: Holland, Costa Rica and New Zealand, Israel, Canada, Switzerland and Australia. The United States, where only 57 percent of the population are happy, was in 14th place, tied with Australia. The United Kingdom was in 17th pace, with a score of only 54 percent.

Also Israel has a higher birth rate. When people decide to have children that's a real sign of faith in the future.  

And none of these countries have wars or are wrongly hated. That means Israelis are even happier and just get pulled down because people think they shouldn't express too much happiness.

True story: Me walking down street in Tel Aviv.

Run into friend who asks, "How are you?"

"Great!" I say.

"What?" says he. "Don't you read the newspapers?"

Other polls show year after year that Israelis are extremely optimistic. So don't worry. Read Rubin Reports, then be happy. Which reminds me that I'm happy and optimistic that I have you as readers.

We now return to our regularly scheduled programming.