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Again, going back to money. UK has lots of advantages over the US. Like health care so you don't need all that money just to see a doctor or go bankrupt over a surgical procedure. Beautiful countryside, usually close by. Nice beaches, often close by. A lot more vacation time than we have. History and goes back while the US just...stops. Package holidays that are affordable (at least I hope they still are.) Public transportation.
A lot more too--and life is not all about money.
Well, no. My aunt and cousin died of colon cancer there. I remember them mentioning long wait times to see a specialist. It may be different now, but they're dead.
Any way you define wealth (GDP, income per capita,..etc) the USA will always show more wealth than the UK. The US is the world's largest economy and the world's reserve currency is the dollar because of that. Its clear as black and white with no equivocation what so ever!
What does that have to do with 'quality of life'? The British work less hours, have universal health care, live longer - does that not have anything to do with 'quality of life'? There are MANY arguments either way. I don't think you even understand what 'quality of life' means!?
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Originally Posted by Gerania
Well, no. My aunt and cousin died of colon cancer there. I remember them mentioning long wait times to see a specialist. It may be different now, but they're dead.
All NHS cancer patients should see a specialist within 2 weeks on being suspected of having cancer and should wait no more than 31 days from diagnosis to first treatment.
The NHS has superb regional cancer centres, as well as local support teams, whilst the UK is also a leading country in terms of cancer research.
Cancer Research UK and research hubs such as the Institute of Cancer Research have made significant discoveries and developed numerous drugs over the years.
What does that have to do with 'quality of life'? The British work less hours, have universal health care, live longer - does that not have anything to do with 'quality of life'? There are MANY arguments either way. I don't think you even understand what 'quality of life' means!?
Yeah, I know what it means but the topic was about which country was wealthier in terms of money (UK or US) not the subjective area of quality of life. Stick to the topic!
England is nice in that regards and so are the Scandinavian countries with their socialist governments also have a great quality of life.
You are not 55% wealthier, as I explained GDP is subject to all kinds of influences when compared on an international basis, for instance the value of sterling against the dollar at the time. The pound was relatively stable against the dollar at $1.50, before Brexit meaning our net wealth was around $15 Trillion, and yes you did have 25% more GDP but a lot of this is reflected in areas such as the vast US Military Budget, the vast US Prison Industrial Complex and the most expensive heakthcare system in the world. Whilst welfare and social security are not counted in terms of GDP. The fact that the US is paying for such extravagent budgets through a vast budget deficit which is approaching $1 Trillion a year seems to have escapred you, as does the fact that the UK has been cutting back on it's expenditure to trey and reduce it's budget deficit, something I pointed out in previous posts.
The UK has a very advanced economy, and a good level of GDP.
I have also pinted out that having low taxes and accomdiating tax avoidance often increases GDP. The fact that the US has lower taxes for the wealthy does not mean such GDP benefits most of society. Indeed tax havens now account for an increasing level of global GDP.
It's also worth looking at what exactly constitutes GDP.
Quote:
Economists use GDP to measure the relative wealth and prosperity of different nations, as well as to measure the overall growth or decline of a nation's economy.
The most common way to measure GDP is the expenditure approach. With the expenditure approach, GDP is the sum of the following elements:
Total domestic consumption: This is the total amount spent on domestically produced final goods and services. Final goods are items that will not be resold or used in production within the next year — milk, cars, bow ties, and so on.
Total domestic investment expenditures: This measurement includes not only investments in stocks and bonds, but also investments in equipment — such as bulldozers, computer servers, and commercial buildings — that will be useful over a long period of time. It also includes inventory goods — final goods waiting to be sold that a company still has on hand.
Government expenditures: This includes everything from paying military salaries to building roads and maintaining monuments, but does not include welfare and social security payments.
Net exports: Net exports is the total of goods and services produced domestically and sold to foreigners minus goods and services produced by foreigners but sold domestically (imports).
But there are a number of shortcomings to using GDP. Here are just a few:
GDP doesn't count unpaid volunteer work: GDP doesn't take into account work that people do for free, from an afternoon spent picking up litter on the roadside to the millions of man-hours spent on free and open source software (such as Linux). In fact, volunteer work can actually lower GDP when volunteers do work that might otherwise have gone to a paid employee or contractor.
Disasters can raise GDP: Wars require soldiers, oil spills require cleanup, and natural disasters require health workers, builders, and all manner of helping hands. Rebuilding after a disaster or war can greatly increase economic activity and boost GDP.
GDP doesn't account for quality of goods: Consumers may buy cheap, low-quality, short-lived products repeatedly instead of buying more expensive, longer-lasting goods. Over time, consumers could spend more replacing cheap goods than they would have if they had bought higher-quality goods in the first place, and GDP would grow as a result of waste and inefficiency.
I think the US and the UK are both great countries in their own ways. I am glad I live in the US, but if I had to live in any other country, I'd choose the UK.
I personally think we have more in common than we have differences.
All NHS cancer patients should see a specialist within 2 weeks on being suspected of having cancer and should wait no more than 31 days from diagnosis to first treatment.
The NHS has superb regional cancer centres, as well as local support teams, whilst the UK is also a leading country in terms of cancer research.
Cancer Research UK and research hubs such as the Institute of Cancer Research have made significant discoveries and developed numerous drugs over the years.
Everything you have stated here is true, and indeed the UK in general has excellent medical research and many pioneers. However, it remains the case that in the 5 leading cancers (including colon and breast and lung cancers) the UK has a higher death rate and lower 5 year survival than the US (and not insignificant, around 10% higher). A number of theories have been proposed why - but no-one really knows.
On the other hand, if you live in the UK there is a lower chance (not much, but still lower) of developing cancer in the first place.
Of course looking at your posts insisting on always having the last word, and remembering your confusion digging yourself into a hole about the coffee lawsuit in California, I'm sure you'll come back with some link to some cancer that shows a better rate. The UK can do no wrong.
Eye-roll emoji.
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Originally Posted by Chint
Everything you have stated here is true, and indeed the UK in general has excellent medical research and many pioneers. However, it remains the case that in the 5 leading cancers (including colon and breast and lung cancers) the UK has a higher death rate and lower 5 year survival than the US (and not insignificant, around 10% higher). A number of theories have been proposed why - but no-one really knows.
On the other hand, if you live in the UK there is a lower chance (not much, but still lower) of developing cancer in the first place.
Of course looking at your posts insisting on always having the last word, and remembering your confusion digging yourself into a hole about the coffee lawsuit in California, I'm sure you'll come back with some link to some cancer that shows a better rate. The UK can do no wrong.
Eye-roll emoji.
I am not sure what you are going on about in relation to coffee.
The UK does have a lower rate in relation to developing cancer in the first place, however a factor that must be taken in to consideration is the overdiagnosis of certain cancers in the US and unnessary procedures and treatments, this in turn effects survival rates.
It's not that the UK can do no wrong, it is simply a fact.
I don't condider the UK the greatest country ever or exceptional like many Americans but I will resort to facts rather than the misconceptions some Americans have whether this be about dentistry, cancer or unviversal heathcare in general in the UK.
Last edited by Brave New World; 08-29-2018 at 07:56 AM..
Multiple sources back up what I said. Now, I'm not saying this makes California better than the UK. What I'm saying is, if CA's economy is bigger, most certainly the US economy is bigger so I see no debate here.
Of course, you'll probably come back with something to dispute this because as mentioned, the UK can do no wrong and you gotta have the last word and I'll let you do that. I've made my point.
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