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You seem to consider quality of life as something you can measure by material gain. Nobody cares about televisions and cars when they come down with cancer and

You seem to consider quality of life as something you can measure by material gain. Nobody cares about televisions and cars when they come down with cancer and can't afford treatment. Being rich in America is certainly great. Being poor in America is not that much different than being poor in the developing world, aside from the better hand-me-downs.

pchristensen 19y ago
I'm speechless. Now I finally understand why all of those poor Americans in makeshift boats are sailing to Cuba or south across the Rio Grande.
- rms 19y ago
  I think you guys missed the point of this downmodded guy's argument because he focused on the wrong thing. In the world economy today, if you're born poor, whether in America or the third world, you're not going to end up like Warren Buffett. It's impossible to go from the lower class to being an uber-capitalist.
  - Xichekolas 19y ago
    You are probably right... I think all the opportunities to pull a Andrew Carnegie or Bill Gates or Sergey Brin/Larry Page in our current economy require education, (some) resources, and free time to tinker, which is really hard when you are living hand to mouth. The ability to social climb probably requires several generations at this point. First getting into the middle class, then the upper middle class, then finally into the owner class. I still say it's possible, but yeah, it'd require a brilliant mind and a lot of luck to do it all in one leap.
  - bayareaguy 19y ago
    Larry Ellison wasn't completely destitute but he started out less than well off. He's done pretty well.
comatose_kid 19y ago
I'd suggest traveling to a country in the developing world before making a statement like that. Clean water (ie, no Malaria), soup kitchens, human rights, no shanty towns, opportunity to improve your life, and the availability of public education provide a safety net that developing countries often lack. Being poor in America is surely difficult, but I'd much rather be poor here (or in the developed world in general) than be poor in a 3rd world country.
Xichekolas 19y ago
From this page (http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs310/en/index2.html http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs310/en/index2.ht...) at the World Health Organization: "In high-income countries more than two-thirds of all people live beyond the age of 70 and die of chronic diseases: cardiovascular disease, chronic obstructive lung disease, cancers, diabetes or dementia. Lung infection remains the only leading infectious cause of death. ... In low-income countries less than a quarter of all people reach the age of 70, and nearly a third of all deaths are among children under 14. Although cardiovascular diseases together represent the leading cause of death in these countries, infectious diseases (above all HIV/AIDS, lung infections, tuberculosis, diarrheal diseases and malaria) together claim more lives. Complications of pregnancy and childbirth together continue to be a leading cause of death, claiming the lives of both infants and mothers." Still think that being poor in America is as terrible as being poor in the developing world? How many kids do you know of that die of diarrhea in America? I'm not saying either situation is a panacea, but seriously, everyone in this country won the 'ovarian lottery' just by being here. Anyway, this is getting way off topic...

pchristensen 19y ago

I'm speechless. Now I finally understand why all of those poor Americans in makeshift boats are sailing to Cuba or south across the Rio Grande.

rms 19y ago
I think you guys missed the point of this downmodded guy's argument because he focused on the wrong thing. In the world economy today, if you're born poor, whether in America or the third world, you're not going to end up like Warren Buffett. It's impossible to go from the lower class to being an uber-capitalist.
- Xichekolas 19y ago
  You are probably right... I think all the opportunities to pull a Andrew Carnegie or Bill Gates or Sergey Brin/Larry Page in our current economy require education, (some) resources, and free time to tinker, which is really hard when you are living hand to mouth. The ability to social climb probably requires several generations at this point. First getting into the middle class, then the upper middle class, then finally into the owner class. I still say it's possible, but yeah, it'd require a brilliant mind and a lot of luck to do it all in one leap.
- bayareaguy 19y ago
  Larry Ellison wasn't completely destitute but he started out less than well off. He's done pretty well.

comatose_kid 19y ago

I'd suggest traveling to a country in the developing world before making a statement like that. Clean water (ie, no Malaria), soup kitchens, human rights, no shanty towns, opportunity to improve your life, and the availability of public education provide a safety net that developing countries often lack. Being poor in America is surely difficult, but I'd much rather be poor here (or in the developed world in general) than be poor in a 3rd world country.

Xichekolas 19y ago

From this page (http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs310/en/index2.html http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs310/en/index2.ht...) at the World Health Organization: "In high-income countries more than two-thirds of all people live beyond the age of 70 and die of chronic diseases: cardiovascular disease, chronic obstructive lung disease, cancers, diabetes or dementia. Lung infection remains the only leading infectious cause of death. ... In low-income countries less than a quarter of all people reach the age of 70, and nearly a third of all deaths are among children under 14. Although cardiovascular diseases together represent the leading cause of death in these countries, infectious diseases (above all HIV/AIDS, lung infections, tuberculosis, diarrheal diseases and malaria) together claim more lives. Complications of pregnancy and childbirth together continue to be a leading cause of death, claiming the lives of both infants and mothers." Still think that being poor in America is as terrible as being poor in the developing world? How many kids do you know of that die of diarrhea in America? I'm not saying either situation is a panacea, but seriously, everyone in this country won the 'ovarian lottery' just by being here. Anyway, this is getting way off topic...