Just another problem with 'Murica

[CapnAwesome]

I've been to Poland, my step dad was from there. I know what it's like. I also have lived in Mexico, Chile and Argentina. Spent significant time in Peru and Columbia as well, I've seen real poverty and the real standard of living in the second world and there is an enormous gulf. You apparently don't even know that eastern europe has a lower standard of living then the US.

You don't know how to put things into perspective, do you? The whole of Poland has a lower living standard than Western Europe. The poor aren't that much worse off than the poor in America, compared to the overall living standard.

Social security and general healthcare anyone? Do the poor in America have access to that? In general?

Wait wait, are you revising your statement before about Europe to just mean western Europe? The poor in Poland (and eastern europe) struggle in ways the poor in the US just don't. They are one step from freezing to death in a polish winter. They have to emigrate to find jobs. How many American's do that? They have a much worse social security system, that actually decreasing their savings through corruption. It's just as good to have your money in your mattress as put it in the polish social security system.  Do you really think poor people in America don't get to use the social security system? If they pay social security taxes, they do.

I am poor in America and very happy to not be poor in any eastern European country, that's for sure. At the same time, those are not third world countries. The difference between them and say, some of the poorer countries in Africa, is larger then the difference between the US and Poland. It's a specturm that people don't seem to grasp very well. I've also moved on from the idea that a little more money is going to be the key to happiness.