Replies

16 - "Clue to you -- Cost of Living and Purchasing Power Parity are two different things."

Ah, so you admit that the numbers you are spouting are bogus, and that your numbers are meaningless when trying to determine how long an individual in various countries has to work to live at the same standard.

No, GDP, PPP adjusted is right on target. Your example of the $10 apartment is bogus. All relative to determining economic strength of a country.

Wow - you keep trotting off on a different direction, arguing with the wrong figures.

read my post:

"Ah, so you admit that the numbers you are spouting are bogus, and that your numbers are meaningless when trying to determine how long an individual in various countries has to work to live at the same standard."

And I suppose that exporting our education and high tech, high paying jobs and going to repair jobs and giving each other massages is the way to go to give us economic power?

This purchasing power parity is screwed up, and doesn't reflect the true costs for a similar standard of living.

For example, here in the US, you can't have a decent standard of living in Houston and most of the US without the expense of a car. Mass transit is mostly abominable or non-existant. However, in NYC, living without a car is quite feasible, and is in general, an unnecessary expense and burden.

As another example, I spent some lovely time living in a small tropical paradise of a village in a small fishing village in (CENSORED - i don't want to spoil it). Everyone was generally very happy and had a fine life, with an average annual income of about $100-$200. No cars, no necessity for cars, in fact, there were not even any roads. To get in and out you either had to take a small boat or climb on a single file path over a small mountain. No air conditioning either, but it was not needed, nor was heat. Food was at the home, the fish trap on the beach, the rice paddy, the chickens and pigs running around, and on the coconut trees. Lobsters were readily available, if you would dive for them, or could be bought for 25 cents where the fishing boats tied up to bring in their catch.

When I sadly had to leave, I thought to myself, Who's rich? Me, the 'rich American' or these 'poverty stricken' people.

Go personally to some of these 3rd world countries, learn the language, and live with the people and see just how accurate this PPP is.