Bob S. wrote:
> Ken,
> I appreciate your comments...Mafud, yours as well! Pal, your incredibly
> flawed, in both your facts
Well he wasn't flawed in the simple fact that the U.S. has got higher percentage of
poor than in any other comparable western country.
>and your ability to listen. It all got me
> thinking.
>
> Here is the deal. I can believe that the EU has a smaller gap from rich to
> poor incomes, part of your socialist heritage.
There is something else to this, but I'm afraid you wouldn't really (want to)
understand.
> I see the contrast with the USA in what Mafud talked about. We may have a bigger
>gap from rich to poor
> income deciles, but the 'sweetness' in the USA is in the mobility.
You've got nearly 20% of your children living in poverty, 8% of children in extreme
poverty. More than 10% of your households do not have enough food to meet their basic
needs - why don't you try to explain about this "sweetness" to them instead? I think
this would serve you much greater purpose than trying to convince Pål about it.
> We like to think it is a lot easier to move from poor to rich in a lifetime than it
> is in the EU.
Yes, most of us Europeans know that you like to think so. However this thought seems
to have gotten so big in your heads that not much else seems to find any place there.
> We like to think of it as a meritocracy based on a willingness to work hard
> and get ahead.
Yes, we are also aware of this widespread American attitude towards poor people. In
Europe this simplistic view on these issues is not as common as in the U.S.
>We contrast this with an image of nobility, titles, and privileged social positions
>in Europe. Perhaps this is because many of our ancestors left Europe to escape this
>system.
Most people who migrated to what was to become, or was, the U.S. left because living
conditions were hard and there was widespread poverty. Not because of any government
system as such.
Once, as the saying goes "you killed the indians and the buffalos too" you had all the
great natural resources served on plate. That's were American wealth originally stems
from.
> So when you bash us ugly, ill-mannered, trailer trash Americans, you should
> know that we can and do know how to act better.
Pål was not bashing you Americans, and I sincerely doubt that you know how to act
better.
>We just like to rub your noses in our uncouth behavior and the material wealth that
>our ancestors
> could not achieve under your system.
You are the one who is bashing European countries, your rudeness is only equalled by
your blindness and ignorance.
> Long live capitalism!
You are also way out of line for what's appropriate on this list.
Lasse
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