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I would have voted for US but too much of America's productivity is diverted to the military. Imagine if that $130m drone that just got shot down near Iran was instead a school, or light rail line or still in the pockets of taxpayers. Imagine how much infrastructure could be built if America simply reduced its military budget to only double what China, Russia and Iran spend combined.
It is emphatically not the case, that any one country’s methods and culture could be emulated in entirety, by taking its ideas, magnifying and transplanting them. Neither is it the case, that any particular country is eminently superior, wiser or more honorable, in how it treats its populace or engages with the world.
Rather, there are admirable or regrettable aspects of every country. American travelers might find in European hotels a tidy and appealing décor, but why are the elevators so cramped, and why have European plumbers not yet discovered the hot/cold water mixing valve?
As for America itself, I would like to see neither an attenuation of capitalism, nor an augmentation, but a better public-private partnership. One example would be more public help with job-placement. Another would be building public infrastructure, which we seem to have forgotten how to do efficiently. Yet another is in that great calamity of modern times, health insurance.
Inequality in itself isn’t the great and abominable disaster. The disaster is when the people at the bottom fundamentally have their humanity stymied and denied, while those at the top fancy themselves a race of supermen disconnected from the woes and worries of mere mortal Man.
Sweden DOES have very high income taxes, but in exchange for that they receive a LOTof benefits. College is free,students are paid while they attend, have access to very good healthcare. And everyone is guaranteed a comfortable retirement, though it may not be lavish unless they save additionally.
Swedish students carry a lot of student debt. Tuition may be free. but living expenses are very high there.
Also, college students are not paid to go to college. There is a monthly stipend for HIGH SCHOOL students between the ages of 16 and 20, but that money gets paid to the parents.
Brunei. They don't let the stupid squabbling majority make their economic (or any other) policy. They invest their huge petro income overseas, and live off the interest we pay.
Still the best man we have on either side of the Atlantic ... by far.
Yeah I don’t give two craps about any “gap” between rich and poor. That entire argument is shut down and nullified completely by an entire laundry list proving what nonsense it is - that the alleged “poor” in this country live better than the middle class throughout Europe. They have more cars, more TVs, more living space, and more opportunities. Who cares if the richest 100 people are worth $30 billion on average instead of $15 billion so the “gap” just doubled?! Totally irrelevant as it means nothing whatsoever. The vast majority, say 95%, of that wealth is tied up in stock and investments, capital that is working for the entire economy. Jeff Bezos only even had a successful company for at best 20 years. He isn’t the heir to some 200 year old fortune. He’s proof that this system works perfectly, so perfect it’s beautiful really, that mere ideas and genius and hard work can DESTROY entire industries and bring major companies to their knees! That’s the type of beauty I like to see in a system where all of the money in the world isn’t enough to stop a great idea. Where Netflix can be founded by a couple dudes who get laughed out of the office of the powerbroker in that industry, Blockbuster, with all of this money behind them and a mere two decades later go take a dump on the site where one of the last Blockbusters died at their hands lol.
No, the system works great, thanks very much. Almost all of the money and power is concentrated in people who built these companies in the last 30 years and changed the world around us. I don’t see that coming from any other country. There will be new revolutions in industry and new companies and these powerhouses now know that staying on top is a whole different ballgame and if they don’t keep up, they’ll be the next MySpace or Blockbuster or Toys R Us. That’s how it should be. Companies are no more immune to financial ruin than individuals. Ultimate competition leads to a better world in general.
I freely and proudly admit I don’t care about the bottom 10% even 1/100 as much as I care about the top 10%. If we did nothing but worry about the laziest, dumbest elements of society we’d never take a step forward as a species. Progress has always been the domain of the top of the human race and the rest of the people are dragged kicking and screaming into the future let’s just be honest about that. There have always been poor people, stupid people, lazy people and there always will be. I’m not wasting 5 seconds thinking about their plight when I can focus on science and technology and how to make sure we’re creating a society that gives motivation and tools for the next Bill Gates and the next Elon Musk to arise. For whatever reasons, despite our supposedly mediocre education system, it’s still always America that completely and utterly dominates the technological innovation and entrepreneurship of the world. What is all this great European education accomplishing? What is the end goal? Is it to create good little socialist sheep who serve the system? The American economy and system creates winners, it creates monumental men and women who drive humanity forward. I’m not seeing the result of the “great” European education and economies. It’s just mediocrity and entitlements. If you want mediocrity, great, I don’t. I’d rather a society where the best of the best have maximum opportunity to succeed and the losers are left behind than a society where everyone is satisfied enough and nobody is that great, just a big oatmeal bowl of mediocrity. Hard pass from me.
- that the alleged “poor” in this country live better than the middle class throughout Europe. They have more cars, more TVs, more living space, and more opportunities.
... people who built these companies in the last 30 years and changed the world around us. I don’t see that coming from any other country.
No, the system works great, thanks very much.
That is exactly what Lady Thatcher was saying ... some 30 years ago.
I also agree that no other country, including UK, would or can produce men like Steven Jobs (I cried my eyes out when he died) and Bill Gates, especially without the influence of the US economy.
Take care.
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