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Is America the world's biggest craphole...

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27 Sep 2016, 3:30 pm

the thing is, as long as social well-being is determined by comparison, it is not about well-being at all. on one hand, it says nothing about what is good enough, and on the other hand, lies, damned lies, statistics


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27 Sep 2016, 10:04 pm

kraftiekortie wrote:
We SHOULD be better. There's much room for improvement---especially when it comes to health care, which really IS Crap. But I still wouldn't call the USA "the world's biggest craphole" by a long shot.


but that is merely an impolitic way of expressing the truth that we ARE behind the rest of the west in nearly every important indicator.



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28 Sep 2016, 10:47 pm

Education in a high demand field is a sure way to increase upward mobility. The US is underperforming in that department, most people wanting to advance have the burden of their personal cost of living in addition to tuition fees, the government is tone-deaf to that plight.

Compared to 3rd world countries, we're very fortunate though; we're safe, we have access to food and shelter, and we have a standardized infrastructure designed to prevent catastrophic death.


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28 Sep 2016, 10:51 pm

but relative to other western nations, we aren't taking proper care of our infrastructure and it is crumbling before us.



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29 Sep 2016, 6:22 am

Sweetleaf wrote:
LoveNotHate wrote:
auntblabby wrote:
LoveNotHate wrote:
America is a great place for healthy, successful, wealthy people. Mortgage rates are near 40 year lows. I have two co-workers who recently bought million dollar properties.

and it is at best a mediocre place for everybody else. will you please stop rubbing your success in our faces?

Your perception that most Americans are poor people is wrong. Generally, Americans are the 1% of the world.

The vast majority of Americans are enjoying success.

Just look around:
-new condo / home developments going up
-record new car sales in 2015
-eat-out restaurants packed
-stock markets near record highs
-home prices surging
-mortgage rates near all-time-lows
-median US household income, adjusted for inflation near all-time high (at $56,000)

Image


hmm as far as I can tell mostly everyone in my age group has to live with multiple room-mates to afford rent and either is on EBT or close to making little enough to qualify. That says to me that most people aren't exactly enjoying 'success' and financial wealth in this country. There are some college kids from rich families under the illusion they are also wealthy, but should their parents stop looking out for them financially they'd be in the same boat as the rest of us.


The unemployment rate in CO is only 3.8%.

Colorado "Statewise, the 2015 numbers tell a story of rapid increases in home prices. The statewide median price for a single family home jumped 11.5 percent, to $304,444."
http://www.kunc.org/post/colorado-housi ... y-hot-2016

11.5% just in 1 year

About four years ago, my six-three year old aunt, who works at Walmart, got a FHA mortgage , and has probably made 100k in four years just in home appreciation.

People are getting rich now.



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29 Sep 2016, 7:24 am

even more are getting poorer especially since workers' wages have stagnated since 1979, while CEO wages have soared well in advance of inflation.



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30 Sep 2016, 2:19 am

auntblabby wrote:
the working class has it MUCH better in many northern European or commonwealth nations.


I find class fascinating, and being in the UK it is in my face everyday.

I am very much from a working class background, yet find myself in a position where me and my siblings have all done reasonably well for ourselves and have also happened to live in a town and county that has been completely transformed over our lifetimes from a run down factory town to a really nice thriving desirable place to live meaning job opportunities are abundant and quality of life is high. Quick links to London has seen many large companies setting up their HQ here too.

So I vote for the leafy countryside of UK's Home Counties.



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30 Sep 2016, 2:29 am

Biscuitman wrote:
auntblabby wrote:
the working class has it MUCH better in many northern European or commonwealth nations.


I find class fascinating, and being in the UK it is in my face everyday.

I am very much from a working class background, yet find myself in a position where me and my siblings have all done reasonably well for ourselves and have also happened to live in a town and county that has been completely transformed over our lifetimes from a run down factory town to a really nice thriving desirable place to live meaning job opportunities are abundant and quality of life is high. Quick links to London has seen many large companies setting up their HQ here too.

So I vote for the leafy countryside of UK's Home Counties.

there is way less upwards mobility in this country now compared to yours.



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30 Sep 2016, 2:41 am

auntblabby wrote:
there is way less upwards mobility in this country now compared to yours.

or mine, ironically. despite all the huge corruption scandals and whatnot (and despite the deplorable state of the education system. and despite the current economic crisis, which is a puzzling one, because supposedly the numbers are the worst since 1930, but really everything still looks completely normal to me. i only know that there's a crisis because the tv says so), apparently a huge chunk of the population of the country has actually ceased to be poor in the last decade or so


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30 Sep 2016, 2:44 am

anagram wrote:
auntblabby wrote:
there is way less upwards mobility in this country now compared to yours.

or mine, ironically. despite all the huge corruption scandals and whatnot (and despite the deplorable state of the education system. and despite the current economic crisis, which is a puzzling one, because supposedly the numbers are the worst since 1930, but really everything still looks completely normal to me. i only know that there's a crisis because the tv says so), apparently a huge chunk of the population of the country has actually ceased to be poor in the last decade or so

there is "churning" going on where the middle class sinks down to the lower class, with a much smaller number of gifted poor rising. a lot of downward mobility is happening because the good entry level middle-class jobs are being systematically shipped overseas or computerized/robotized.



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30 Sep 2016, 3:13 am

i guess that's one of the weaknesses of the u.s. (which was probably an advantage for a long time, but no longer). for several decades, the "mexicans" of my part of the country have just been people from another part of the country (which is probably part of how that huge chunk of the former-poor are no longer poor. many are going back home)

unless you work some kind of fancy job, you typically don't have any interaction with foreigners here whatsoever (be it in person or on the phone or over the internet). not even from other south american countries. and imported electronics cost a fortune (more than double the regular price). because... taxes. and it's been like this forever. at the same time there's a tax-free zone in the middle of the jungle where they actually used to make tv's and watches (i'm not sure if they do anymore). economic policies here tend to be fairly isolationist, and the country produces all sorts of stuff, from beef to shoes to airplanes (and apparently ipads too, though i'm not sure about that. there was a lot of talk about foxconn opening a branch here but i don't know if they ever did)


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30 Sep 2016, 3:23 am

anagram wrote:
i guess that's one of the weaknesses of the u.s. (which was probably an advantage for a long time, but no longer). for several decades, the "mexicans" of my part of the country have just been people from another part of the country (which is probably part of how that huge chunk of the former-poor are no longer poor. many are going back home)

unless you work some kind of fancy job, you typically don't have any interaction with foreigners here whatsoever (be it in person or on the phone or over the internet). not even from other south american countries. and imported electronics cost a fortune (more than double the regular price). because... taxes. and it's been like this forever. at the same time there's a tax-free zone in the middle of the jungle where they actually used to make tv's and watches (i'm not sure if they do anymore). economic policies here tend to be fairly isolationist, and the country produces all sorts of stuff, from beef to shoes to airplanes (and apparently ipads too, though i'm not sure about that. there was a lot of talk about foxconn opening a branch here but i don't know if they ever did)

which latin american country, por favor? :flower:



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30 Sep 2016, 3:25 am

haha okay, no more mystery (though anyone who has been paying attention probably knows by now what country i'm talking about. i remember i mentioned once that my native language is portuguese. or at least i think i did...). i'm from brazil


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30 Sep 2016, 3:28 am

anagram wrote:
haha okay, no more mystery (though anyone who has been paying attention probably knows by now what country i'm talking about. i remember i mentioned once that my native language is portuguese. or at least i think i did...). i'm from brazil

your English skills conceal the fact that you are ESL. :wtg: am still trying to learn how to sing "manha de carnaval." :dj:



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30 Sep 2016, 3:32 am

well you're forgiven if you never manage to :lol:. portuguese pronunciation is very hard for any non-natives. it's the one thing that really makes the language different from spanish

easy tip though: não = /numb/


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30 Sep 2016, 3:35 am

anagram wrote:
well you're forgiven if you never manage to :lol:. portuguese pronunciation is very hard for any non-natives. it's the one thing that really makes the language different from spanish

easy tip though: não = /numb/

thanx for the tip :) i'm trying to emulate agostinho dos santos [late great singer who was the voice behind breno mello in that movie]. you may laugh :oops: