1. First off we have 300 million people. Those countries combined dont have a fraction of that. Many of our citizens are on welfare of one form or another, whether it be medicaire, medicaid, social security, section 8, wic, food stamps, etc.
...Europe (the European Union of EU) has 500 million people. Population does NOT explain America's wealth disparity. A lack of social spending does.
Europe's 500 million people have rebuilt a bombed and blitzed continent from rubble, with loans from the USA, which have been paid back in full. Meanwhile America, having never been invaded; bombed or bankrupted has squandered every opportunity. America is vehemently capitalist... the success in Europe is centred around countries so socialist Americans would (erroneously) deem them communist.
Some think Food Stamps are a symptom of a chronically lazy; entitled and coddled underclass (translation: urban black people). This is far from the truth. The way I see it, the need for a Food stamp Program is the proof positive that America's benefit system is inadequate.
You see endemic laziness... I see a population reduced to penury which is now on the brink of starvation.
Who is seeing the big picture and who is indulging his lazy prejudices?
2. Those countries have a homogenious population and dont have a perpetual underclass like we do. The sad truth is that we have a segment of the population that will never elevate itself.
...the EU has 23 different official languages. How homogeneous is that? 15% of Sweden's population (for example) are non-nationals (not born in Sweden).
Here in Ireland we opened our borders to migrant workers during the housing boom, within a year 500,000 immigrants had moved to Ireland increasing our population from 4m to 4.5m... could America tolerate an influx of Polish equal to 10% of the population?
Again, lack of proper socialist policies has created the "underclass" you refer to. To eliminate such a disparity you need MORE social spending (better schools; better unions; better benefits), not less.
3. Since the 1960's our country has made terrible financial choices in coming up with medicaid, medicare, and other entitlement programs that foster laziness and fraud.
...that's a strange way of looking at it.
The way I see it an entrenched cleptocratic corpocracy has worked very hard to slowly siphon off America's wealth and prevent any proper wealth redistribution: essentially instituting a quasi-neo-feudalism... reducing a society of equals to two distinct classes: serfs and aristocrats.
America now has an appalling wealth disparity; chronic lack of opportunity (poor education and restricted social mobility) and an institutional underclass.
Blaming the victims is exactly what those who benefit from this two-tier status quo want.
Again, this situation can only be fixed by significantly higher taxes and more social spending.
4. Our education establishment is the heigh of mediocrity due to teachers unions, cultural influences, and other issues. Thus, we have millions and millions of uneducated people dropping out of HS or are otherwise illiterate.
...and who benefits from this?
Blaming the unions doesn't explain why most other westernized countries spent far more on education per capita than America does? The "Greedy Teachers" argument rings hollow.
5. We waste money like there is no tommorow.
...Agreed. But the bulk of the waste is in the form of tax cuts for corporations and the super rich and military spending. Social spending is not necessarily waste.
6. Social Security is a ponzi scheme like that of Madoff. It was created when life expectancy was much less and there were far more workers than retirees. With the Baby Boom generation, we have a financial nuclear bomb about to be exploded on the USA.
...if the money was ring-fenced (like Germany does) this wouldn't be an issue. But it wasn't.
If you think this money was squandered on the poor and your education system you are misguided... Vietnam; Korea; the Cold War; Iraq; Afghanistan; the so-called Wars on Drugs and Terrorism, these are your culprits.
Why are Americans so frightened of the system that has allowed so many backwater countries to overtake them in the last 50 years?
Is it the word "socialism" itself? Could we rename it "Obamism"? ..."Jebusism"?
..."Patriotism"?
The Luke
