You constantly hear people saying America is heading down the tubes. Fair enough.
Question for the constant whiners, Teapartiers, doomsday Liberal naysayers, and people who generally like to carp.
When exactly was America a better place?
Was it the 1990's?
In 1990's, violent crime was at an all-time high. It has since plummeted. Today, NYC is safer than it was in 1960.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi..._1973-2005.jpg
The mortality rate from cancer was at an all-time high. It has subsequently fallen and continues its decline.
http://singularityhub.com/wp-content...Incidence.jpeg
And AIDS related death also peaked in the 1990’s. In the 1990’s, people were worried about an AID epidemic. Today our epidemic is…*drumroll*…obesity.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi..._1987-1997.gif
This was also before we had the Internet, cellphones, stem-cell research, etc.
So perhaps, it was the 1980’s. If you long for the 1980’s, then first thing you’ll need to do is return half of your income. Living standards in the 1980’s were roughly 50-60% of what they are now.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...per_capita.png
Automobiles—by today’s standards—were death traps. A lower-end car today, like a Kia, is safer and has more accessories than a Mercedes in the 1980’s.
http://geoff82.files.wordpress.com/2...0000-miles.gif
On to the 1970, where we had gas shortages, chronically high umployment.
[urlhttp://static.seekingalpha.com/uploads/2009/12/6/saupload_us_unemployment_rate_nov09.png[/url]
We finally ended the Vietnam War, which killed 60,000 young men.
On to the 1960’s…. Those weren’t exactly the best times. We had kind of spotty treatment minorities and women. Many of you reading this would die prematurely from cardiovascular disease by the age of 60.
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/about/factb...es_CV-Line.gif
In 1950’s, we had the same problems we have today in addition to: polio, fear of thermonuclear war, Korean War (50,000 American soldiers killed) and segregation. Roughly 23% of person’s income went to a basic necessity like food. Today, it’s 6% of income.
http://www.fundmasteryblog.com/wp-co...07/cd-food.jpg
Beyond the 1950’s, life was generally abysmal. For example, in 1900 one in ten children didn’t make it to their fifth birthday. The average life expectancy was 40.
http://www.marchofdimes.com/images/ihs_img017.gif (broken link)
http://daveeriqat.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/us_life_expectancy.png (broken link)
And for those people who say we’re getting dumber as a nation. Not so. See the Flynn Effect. Across the developed world people have gotten progressively smarter. The average person’s IQ in 1950 would be borderline retarded by today's standards.
http://www.highiqpro.com/fluidintell...nn-Effect1.jpg
In the words of Mr. McCartney…
We’ve got to admit things are getting better, a little better all the time.
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