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Do you see a strong economy as a goal in itself? I see it as a proxy measure for the things that truly matter. Happiness, good health, good education, the freed

Do you see a strong economy as a goal in itself? I see it as a proxy measure for the things that truly matter. Happiness, good health, good education, the freedom to lead your life the way you want. America fails miserably on all of those.

kccqzy 2y ago
A strong economy makes the rich richer. (Trickle down didn't work.) That means for the rich who are beneficiaries of a strong economy, they are indeed enjoying happiness, good health, good education, and the freedom to lead a good life.
adamc 2y ago
I don't think America fails on all of those. Our universities are probably the best in the world. There is a lot of freedom. And having a strong economy is generally a good thing -- there are jobs, which matters.
- wesselbindt 2y ago
  > There is a lot of freedom The US is fifth in the world in terms of incarceration rate (i.e., there are only 4 countries which imprison a larger portion of their population). The thirteenth amendment allows the US to enslave its imprisoned population (which they do, and it's a very lucrative business). The US also has a thing called the death penalty where they literally _kill_ the person convicted of a crime. According to the world press freedom index, the US ranks 55th when it comes to freedom of the press. I don't know if you know this, but the US has been holding immigrant kids in cages at the border. Started with Obama, increased under Trump, and then increased some more under Biden. Guantanamo also still exists, but I suppose torturing civilians without formally charging them for a crime doesn't count against the freedom of US citizens. By what metric does the US have a lot of freedom? > Our universities are probably the best in the world Good colleges aren't worth anything if only the owning class can afford to send their kids there. Going to college puts people into lifelong debt (in America, that is). Out of the top 10 universities in the world according to the QS world ranking, 4 are from the UK, 4 from the US, despite the UK having about a fifth of the population of the US. > And having a strong economy is generally a good thing -- there are jobs, which matters. There were jobs during slavery too (I mean the slavery from before 1865, not the 13th amendment slavery from today). Jobs are not an inherent good. About 40% of the homeless (in the US) have a job, but cannot afford housing.

kccqzy 2y ago

A strong economy makes the rich richer. (Trickle down didn't work.) That means for the rich who are beneficiaries of a strong economy, they are indeed enjoying happiness, good health, good education, and the freedom to lead a good life.

adamc 2y ago

I don't think America fails on all of those. Our universities are probably the best in the world. There is a lot of freedom. And having a strong economy is generally a good thing -- there are jobs, which matters.

wesselbindt 2y ago
> There is a lot of freedom The US is fifth in the world in terms of incarceration rate (i.e., there are only 4 countries which imprison a larger portion of their population). The thirteenth amendment allows the US to enslave its imprisoned population (which they do, and it's a very lucrative business). The US also has a thing called the death penalty where they literally _kill_ the person convicted of a crime. According to the world press freedom index, the US ranks 55th when it comes to freedom of the press. I don't know if you know this, but the US has been holding immigrant kids in cages at the border. Started with Obama, increased under Trump, and then increased some more under Biden. Guantanamo also still exists, but I suppose torturing civilians without formally charging them for a crime doesn't count against the freedom of US citizens. By what metric does the US have a lot of freedom? > Our universities are probably the best in the world Good colleges aren't worth anything if only the owning class can afford to send their kids there. Going to college puts people into lifelong debt (in America, that is). Out of the top 10 universities in the world according to the QS world ranking, 4 are from the UK, 4 from the US, despite the UK having about a fifth of the population of the US. > And having a strong economy is generally a good thing -- there are jobs, which matters. There were jobs during slavery too (I mean the slavery from before 1865, not the 13th amendment slavery from today). Jobs are not an inherent good. About 40% of the homeless (in the US) have a job, but cannot afford housing.