Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Exactly. The poor ghettos of Europe are nothing compared to the really high crime and grindingly poor areas of American inner cities.
The poverty in the United States is more akin to Eastern Europe. I've read that some areas in the country are comparable to South Africa. Now SA is not a third world country per se like as a bad sub-Saharan Africa but its still vastly unequal.
How are conservatives OK with this level of inequality in their country? How can they still go around touting the USA as the best in the world when ALL stats point to the opposite? We are actually pretty well behind other advanced nations in equality and social mobility.
Also, how can conservatives be that dense as to actually think the average person in Western Europe is worse off than the US? That make no sense. You could make a case for the countries recently hit by the Great Recession but as far as that, most nations in W. Europe are far better places to live and be a worker.
The US is better for the rich or if you want to be rich and doesn't curb "liberty" for you to be as rich a person as you want to be and THAT is the only liberty or rights that conservatives care about. They believe that you have no rights to anything Europeans take as a given.
So, in essence, do conservatives approve of third world countries? Are they OK with the US becoming one? Or are they under the delusion that third world countries are socialist?
Spain has an unemployment rate of around 25% Italy has an unemployment rate of around 13%.
I would not blame it on conservatives alone, Democrats are no better. The Kennedy's don't really care about poverty, either.
it is simply the American way of thinking that is filled into people's heads as soon as they are born. It is a different mentality and mindset that is not really compatible with the European mentality and mindset. Basically it dates back to the gold rush times
In Europe we are also filled with certain mindsets and ideas from birth on. Most humans never really challenge what they have grown up believing. And that way it is passed down generation after generation, no matter whether the content is good or bad for society.
But both Spain and Italy have social services that allow the unemployed to live quite comfortably....
Germany by the way, has an unemployment rate of just 6.5...
I don't think they can live quite comfortably at all. Why would you say that? Here in Portugal the unemployed get assistance for a limited period of time only, and it is not much. And they have to prove they are looking for work, applying for jobs etc. If they reject a job offered to them, their assistance is reduced.
And I bet it is no different in Spain and Italy. Why do you think hundreds of thousands of Europeans from those countries emigrate each year?
The notion that in Europe the unemployed live comfortable lives is wrong, but unfortunately people like you keep maintaining that wrong image that for instance Americans have of Europe.
But both Spain and Italy have social services that allow the unemployed to live quite comfortably and unemployed family in Italy, Spain or Germany lives on a higher standard that American family of two employed at Walmart or other low paying retailer.
Germany by the way, has an unemployment rate of just 6.5...
I don't think they can live quite comfortably at all. Why would you say that? Here in Portugal the unemployed get assistance for a limited period of time only, and it is not much. And they have to prove they are looking for work, applying for jobs etc. If they reject a job offered to them, their assistance is reduced.
And I bet it is no different in Spain and Italy. Why do you think hundreds of thousands of Europeans from those countries emigrate each year?
The notion that in Europe the unemployed live comfortable lives is wrong, but unfortunately people like you keep maintaining that wrong image that for instance Americans have of Europe.
No, Portugal is one of the worst off EU states.
And of course, Europe is not a fantasy land that lacks suffering. There is poverty in Europe but the main point is that poverty and workers are worse off in the US than in Europe. The emigration of Spaniards and Italians has been a recent trend. Unless you want to count the early twentieth century?
Our poverty in the US is similar to Eastern Europe. Europe has been facing a lot of problems due to liberalization of the economy, the Euro pretty much being in the hands of a German Central bank and the recession which has desolated the PIIG nations (Portugal, Italy, Ireland, Greece and Spain).
Exactly, the stats don't lie, while Europe has its own set of issues, the facts are that their health and living standards are better than in the US. The average person, despite any obstacles they face in w. Europe is still better off. Even in the worst off nations like Portugal.
I just don't get the the near North Korean level of propaganda Americans have about Europe being bad or worse than the US. Is it just that unfathomable that there could be countries better off than us?
Don't even look to Europe look to Canada (which has it's share of problems too) and Australia/New Zealand too. These nations are better off as well.
Same here, the working poor around the world are financing the wealthy people's lives...
It is indeed difficult to keep unemployment benefits coming, which is exactly why people try to emigrate instead. Where to? Anywhere where there is work for them. Many Portuguese go to Britain, France, Luxemburg, Brazil, Angola etc. Last year alone more than 1% of the population emigrated. Doesn't sound like much, but it is when you think about it.
Germany is not nearly as good a place as Americans tend to think. They had their Hartz reforms, which were anything but positive for those needing assistance. There are also working poor in Germany. And the statistical unemployment rate hides many of the problems the country has. Many towns are basically broke, others are dying out, leaving behind lots of poor old people. Only 3 or 4 of the 16 German states are what Americans think Germany as such is like.
Neuling.... Have you ever been to Gary Indiana or Newark New Jersey? Have you ever seen WHITE poverty in Appalachia?
I have been to most of European countries and not just the capitol cities there and can tell you that I have never seen an American style barefoot or ghetto-style poverty there...
Yes, some Spaniard have to look for jobs in other EU countries but isn't it why EU was created for to allow for one big unrestricted job market? And even the poorest Europeans still enjoy perks unknown to most Americans like state-sponsored healthcare or higher education. Most American middle-class women can only dream about paid maternity leaves like they have been available in Europe.
No, Europe is not some la-la land but is is way safer, cleaner and healthier than most of the US.
Gary and Detroit are often mentioned in this context, but they are not really typical of the US, either. We have such former industrial cities in Europe as well, where unemployment is high, the old industries have all but disappeared, leaving people unemployed.
I know there are poor people in the US, but they also exist in Europe, that is all I am saying. Unfortunately it is not the case that governments over here help everyone that needs help. I am not even saying that they don't want to help, but in many countries there simply is not enough money to pay for it. Our PM here has told young people to emigrate, imagine that. He did that because he knows he can't fix things and there is not much of a perspective for young people.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
