Posted on 11/02/2005 6:46:31 AM PST by milwguy
Much like my grandpa sent money back to his mother? Much like Greeks have been doing for generations?
Those Secular Beurettes are quite attractive too.
Well you call them suburbs, I prefer to call them what they are, slums. I have seen the highrises that surround Paris and they are more akin to cabrini green in chicago, than they are to barrington, which is a suburb in the american sense. Read CNN today, they refer to suburbs, youths, and violence, when without the politically correct terms they would be refering to muslim immigrants from the slums surrounding paris are laying waste to their neigborhoods.
Rememeber that Cicero, Harvey, and Bellwood are "slums" even though they are also suburbs.
"Those Secular Beurettes are quite attractive too."
Oh yes they most certainly are!
And friendly.
Statistics are all very interesting, but they do not often reflect the truth.
For example: GDP per capita. Divide the GDP by the population and you will find this number. What does it tell you about wealth distribution?
Nothing.
Perhaps of more significance, however, in telling about the quality of life are certain social indicators at the bottom of the scale. Well-to-do persons live well everywhere. But what about people at the bottom?
Material wealth is one measure. And the study seems to demonstrate that, when looking at the legal economy and citizens (I presume that American statistics do not include the 20 million illegal aliens residing in America, as their illegal status does not lend itself to data collection), that American poor have more "stuff".
But quality of life also includes things like health and longevity, and infant mortality, especially at the bottom.
Also, economic and physical security.
When one looks at the percentages of GDP accounted for by government, the US is, of course, much lower than France. But what percentage of the American economy, now, is the exploding cost of the health care industry? In the US, this is not all in the government cost bar, while in France it all is. Americans nevertheless have to spend that money to get the care, so that it is private or public expenditure does not change the basic nature of it.
Likewise pension funds. In France, this is the government. In the US, it is partially the government but also business, and businesses are buckling under the cost.
When I look at the two places, I see that Americans have more physical goods in general, indeed a surfeit of them, as demonstrated by almost universal obesity in the United States. I do not see that they generally live better lives. I see that things are comparable. The trade offs of living either place are obvious once one does it.
I do not see that they (Americans)generally live better lives.
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And by what criteria do you determine what a "better life" is?
Yours is a very subjective opinion to say the least. Wrong too.
Most Euros I know would be thrilled to have the opportunities we take for granted in the US.
"Its called a free market. If a private business wants to advertise in Spanish, Chinese, or Farsi, it is their right."
It sure is and I can return that same comment when I tell you that I refuse to shop and spend any dollars at these places. They want to market to Illegals, so be it, but they will lose my dollars.
Home Improvement center...marketing to such a large clientel that doesn't speak English? Seems the problem there is self evident eh?
"Europeans acknowledged a potential threat from Russia,"
And hid behind America's skirts.
You are obviously out in left field and quite detached from reality. You must be an intellectual. Are you at Yale?
Well Chirac, that's what you get for helping the evil GWB in his war on terror and the invasion of Iraq...
Oh wait. You didn't do those things but bent over backwards to help Saddam by building his nuclear reactor the Israeli's destroyed and selling him all those weapons and programs to create WMD along with Russia.
No wonder they love you so much. NOT!
Idiot.
That's standard operating procedure for the French.
"America in this respect properly resembles South Africa, by European estimations, with identical motives in the national character."
Right and the French did such a good job in Haiti and Ivory Coast.
“Material wealth is one measure.”
By almost every measure the US is economically superior. Why do you think it is the destination of choice for immigrants including Europeans? Where does the ability to obtain meaningful work in your field fit in as a quality of life factor? I rate it high.
"But what percentage of the American economy, now, is the exploding cost of the health care industry?"
What price do you put on being alive? healthy? Quality costs. In the same post you laud health and berate spending on it.
The US is the destination of choice the world over for healthcare. US drug companies develop the drugs used the world over basically subsidizing the Europeans and Canada whose socialized systems pay less for US drugs than we do here. We develop most of them at our expense and then Europe buys them at bargain basement prices.
For that matter we subsidize Europe (and the world's) defense too.
“But quality of life also includes things like health and longevity, and infant mortality, especially at the bottom.
Also, economic and physical security.”
The best socialized medicine has to offer in Europe we consider below second rate.
http://www.opinionjournal.com/extra/?id=110006785
Well dying in a nursing home of heat does not suggest great respect for longevity. Go back to my West Nile example. Economic security? With US unemployment at slightly over 5%, and French unemployment at over 10%, Germany even higher, who has greater economic security? Physical security is not too great in France with rioting now. Nor was it too good before in the Muslim ‘no go’ zones. Jews did not find their physical security too great as anti-Semitic crimes increased to historic post WWll levels in many countries in Europe including France, UK, Belgium, Holland, Germany. In the US the right to bear arms provides physical security Europeans are deprived of.
“almost universal obesity in the United States”
Come now, are you deliberately trying to tick off Americans? In NYC women’s size 4 is hard to come by. It gets sold out first. I just got back from the gym. It was packed with a lot of muscular and fit looking people. In France I understand they may diet, but they don’t exercise.
The usual rationalization about the so called quality of life due to the shorter work hours and increased vacation in Europe fall flat when you are poor and can’t get work. It is a poor man’s consolation. More vacation? Many are on permanent vacation.
In the end the outstanding question is can Europe even maintain their current standard of living? I doubt it.
I recommend this book, Cowboy Capitalism: European Myths, American Reality
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1930865627/qid=1123159427/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bbs_sbs_1/102-9072403-2533700?v=glance&s=books&n=507846
"America would have suffered a Civil War"
What nonsense. Did they teach you this crap in Black Studies?
"America had to bargain with the blacks from a position of weakness"
What are you smoking? What was given to the blacks was given to them because the people who were in power thought it was the right and moral thing to do. Blacks did not have the rest of American by the balls and they were not in a position of power to demand or negotiate for anything.
"This paralleled South Africa rather well, where Dutch South Africans were determined to maintain the blacks in subjugation, while English South Africans desired to see black equal rights."
And time will show who was right. How are things working out in Rhodesia?
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