Why is Broadband more expensive? Why do we pay more for healthcare? Why is our productivity so high compared to real wages? Why does our government spy on us and disregard our civil liberties? Why are we below the average in ability according to OECD? Why is the gap between the richest and the poorest on par with that of African countries?
And finally, why the fuck do people keep telling me this is the greatest country on Earth?
I want to be proud for my country and what it stood for, but it's hard to see nowadays
Will McAvoy:[Looks at Jenny] And, yeah, you... sorority girl. Just in case you accidentally wander into a voting booth one day, there are some things you should know. One of them is: There is absolutely no evidence to support the statement that we're the greatest country in the world. We're 7th in literacy, 27th in math, 22nd in science, 49th in life expectancy, 178th in infant mortality, 3rd in median household income, number 4 in labor force and number 4 in exports. We lead the world in only three catego
We're 7th in literacy, 27th in math, 22nd in science, 49th in life expectancy, 178th in infant mortality, 3rd in median household income, number 4 in labor force and number 4 in exports. We lead the world in only three categories: number of incarcerated citizens per capita, number of adults who believe angels are real and defense spending - where we spend more than the next 26 countries combined, 25 of whom are allies.
I'm sorry, in that case... AMERICA! FUCK YEAH! We ARE the greatest country!
No country's national anthem is "We're Number Two". I am not sure how you could take such esoteric concept as "greatest" when referring to something as large as a country. We would need to establish a set of criterion for objectively measuring greatness.
There are a number of things that are unique to America which are positive. Somewhere over half of our Fortune 500 companies were created by immigrants, despite being only about 1/8th of the population. That certainly speaks to economic opportunity. And we h
If America stopped exporting food, so many countries could finally get domestic food supply on financially viable track and get self-reliant and people in those countries would get up economically out of poverty and hunger. Agriculture is the first industry of any country and we are denying them to opportunity to build it, basically keeping them in the stone age.
On top of that people in US starve, while US exports food. How can you put that together other than the US Food Aid being basically a money giveaway to the local agriculture industry. You need to read some more on this "achievement" you mention. It is the one policy that basically decimates central america and africa and keeps them from developing. It is almost as bad as the fact that since they are now fully reliant on the food aid, we dictate policiies like no condoms in a continent fighting the worst AIDS epidemic.
You know, this baffles me. No offense to people who are hungry, but I don't get it. It is not all that difficult to get on Food Stamps (if you make, say, less than $1200 a month). WIC is available for many families. But let's say you don't qualify for food stamps....
There are churches in practically every city in the US - many have food pantries. Many counties and communities across the US have food banks. About the only way I could see there being an issue is if you lived out in the sticks with no transpor
Because you think of it wrong. You think about how you would handle the situation if you were in it. The people that starve do not have your skills and/or intelligence. They don't have access to information, transportation and education. They might not be aware of programs that help, but even if they did, food is something you need every single day. It wears on you to beg all the time. They might be also too busy working often 2-3 part time jobs and getting from one to the other.
I'm sorry, I thought you've got problems with basic economics, but clearly it is also reading comprehension and spelling. Please read again my last comment.
...with the exception of literacy and infant mortality (which I assumed was listed backwards -- I mean, is "#1 in infant mortality!" good or bad?), the top of the list is all pretty close, and you can likely find some list that matches those numbers.
There's 242 countries if you count dependent territories and if you go as far down as the Pitcairn Islands, Coco Islands, and the Vatican City and only 188 on the infant mortality list. It's not just missing dependent nations on the 188 list - since other non-d
You should probably know that GP's quote comes from a TV show set in an imaginary version of the country and you know it is absolutely imaginary because it's about journalists who have both a sense of ethics and balls to act on it.
Literacy is a statistic manipulated to justify more money to the teachers unions. Math? Ditto Science? Ditto Life expetancy? If you don't count immigrants, we win. Infant mortality? Are you counting countries that require a baby to live past 2 weeks and weigh more than 7 lbs to count as a "person"? Median household income? So second next to norway is you ignore the statistically irrelevant tax haven. Ooops Labor force, no, we don't have forced labor. Exports per capita? See above. Gross exports? Fair Incarceration?
Look on the bright side, if you carve off select states, namely anything south of the mason-dixon line and east of new mexico, we do rocket up the list in education.
I like the 'only nine'. Currently the US Navy could take on all the countries on the planet and destroy the entire non USA flagged merchant vessels and then sink, take, burn or destroy all their warships. I hope USians feel really safe queuing up in their local soup kitchens.
Time is nature's way of making sure that everything doesn't happen at once.
Space is nature's way of making sure that everything doesn't happen to you.
Telco oligopoly (Score:5, Insightful)
The telco lobby writes the legislation.
Why? (Score:5, Insightful)
Why is Broadband more expensive?
Why do we pay more for healthcare?
Why is our productivity so high compared to real wages?
Why does our government spy on us and disregard our civil liberties?
Why are we below the average in ability according to OECD?
Why is the gap between the richest and the poorest on par with that of African countries?
And finally, why the fuck do people keep telling me this is the greatest country on Earth?
I want to be proud for my country and what it stood for, but it's hard to see nowadays
Re: (Score:5, Insightful)
Will McAvoy: [Looks at Jenny] And, yeah, you... sorority girl. Just in case you accidentally wander into a voting booth one day, there are some things you should know. One of them is: There is absolutely no evidence to support the statement that we're the greatest country in the world. We're 7th in literacy, 27th in math, 22nd in science, 49th in life expectancy, 178th in infant mortality, 3rd in median household income, number 4 in labor force and number 4 in exports. We lead the world in only three catego
Re:Why? (Score:5, Informative)
We're 7th in literacy, 27th in math, 22nd in science, 49th in life expectancy, 178th in infant mortality, 3rd in median household income, number 4 in labor force and number 4 in exports. We lead the world in only three categories: number of incarcerated citizens per capita, number of adults who believe angels are real and defense spending - where we spend more than the next 26 countries combined, 25 of whom are allies.
Literacy [wikipedia.org]: 48th.
Math [slj.com]: 32nd.
Science [nationmaster.com]: 14th
Life expectancy [wikipedia.org]: 33rd
Infant mortality ('05-10) [wikipedia.org]: 40th.
Median household income [wikipedia.org]: 4th.
Labor force [wikipedia.org]: 3rd
Exports (per capita) [wikipedia.org]: 43rd
Exports (gross) [wikipedia.org]: 2nd
Incarceration (per capita) [wikipedia.org]: 1st
Adults (belief in angels) [about]: No reliable statistics available. 41-80%
Defense spending (gross) [wikipedia.org]: 1st
Defense spending (% GDP) [wikipedia.org]: 2nd (tied with Russia)
"where we spend more than the next 26 countries combined, 25 of whom are allies."
False. Only the next 14. Of those, only 9 are allies.
Re: (Score:2)
I'm sorry, in that case... AMERICA! FUCK YEAH! We ARE the greatest country!
Re: (Score:2)
I'm sorry, in that case... AMERICA! FUCK YEAH! We ARE the greatest country!
No country's national anthem is "We're Number Two". I am not sure how you could take such esoteric concept as "greatest" when referring to something as large as a country. We would need to establish a set of criterion for objectively measuring greatness.
There are a number of things that are unique to America which are positive. Somewhere over half of our Fortune 500 companies were created by immigrants, despite being only about 1/8th of the population. That certainly speaks to economic opportunity. And we h
Re:Why? (Score:5, Insightful)
If America stopped exporting food, so many countries could finally get domestic food supply on financially viable track and get self-reliant and people in those countries would get up economically out of poverty and hunger. Agriculture is the first industry of any country and we are denying them to opportunity to build it, basically keeping them in the stone age.
On top of that people in US starve, while US exports food. How can you put that together other than the US Food Aid being basically a money giveaway to the local agriculture industry. You need to read some more on this "achievement" you mention. It is the one policy that basically decimates central america and africa and keeps them from developing. It is almost as bad as the fact that since they are now fully reliant on the food aid, we dictate policiies like no condoms in a continent fighting the worst AIDS epidemic.
http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2012/jul/18/us-multinationals-control-food-aid [theguardian.com]
Make sure to get your flag ready.
Re: (Score:2)
On top of that people in US starve
You know, this baffles me. No offense to people who are hungry, but I don't get it. It is not all that difficult to get on Food Stamps (if you make, say, less than $1200 a month). WIC is available for many families. But let's say you don't qualify for food stamps....
There are churches in practically every city in the US - many have food pantries. Many counties and communities across the US have food banks. About the only way I could see there being an issue is if you lived out in the sticks with no transpor
Re: (Score:2)
Because you think of it wrong. You think about how you would handle the situation if you were in it. The people that starve do not have your skills and/or intelligence. They don't have access to information, transportation and education. They might not be aware of programs that help, but even if they did, food is something you need every single day. It wears on you to beg all the time. They might be also too busy working often 2-3 part time jobs and getting from one to the other.
Most people also starve beca
Re: (Score:2)
Yes, but your argument is that these people starve because the US exports food, which is just plane stupid. The issue is NOT a lack of food in the US.
Re: (Score:2)
I'm sorry, I thought you've got problems with basic economics, but clearly it is also reading comprehension and spelling. Please read again my last comment.
Re: (Score:2)
food banks
food stamps
soup kitchens
there are literally dozens of food programs in every city. if people are starving, its not through lack of food.
Re: (Score:2)
False. Only the next 14. Of those, only 9 are allies.
Next thing you're going to do is tell me is that Will McAvoy isn't a real person...
Re: (Score:2)
...with the exception of literacy and infant mortality (which I assumed was listed backwards -- I mean, is "#1 in infant mortality!" good or bad?), the top of the list is all pretty close, and you can likely find some list that matches those numbers.
There's 242 countries if you count dependent territories and if you go as far down as the Pitcairn Islands, Coco Islands, and the Vatican City and only 188 on the infant mortality list. It's not just missing dependent nations on the 188 list - since other non-d
Re: (Score:1)
You should probably know that GP's quote comes from a TV show set in an imaginary version of the country and you know it is absolutely imaginary because it's about journalists who have both a sense of ethics and balls to act on it.
Re: (Score:2, Funny)
Literacy is a statistic manipulated to justify more money to the teachers unions.
Math? Ditto
Science? Ditto
Life expetancy? If you don't count immigrants, we win.
Infant mortality? Are you counting countries that require a baby to live past 2 weeks and weigh more than 7 lbs to count as a "person"?
Median household income? So second next to norway is you ignore the statistically irrelevant tax haven. Ooops
Labor force, no, we don't have forced labor.
Exports per capita? See above.
Gross exports? Fair
Incarceration?
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:1)
Apparently we are number one in people who take dramatic fiction as literal fact
Re: (Score:1)
Well, things changed in the hour between the GP's post and yours.
Re: (Score:1)
False. Only the next 14. Of those, only 9 are allies.
The US doesn't have 9 allies, only nations that they are currently not at war with.
Re: (Score:1)