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Thank you. Very interesting video.
But, you see, the American poor people
have been brainwashed to believe
that they can survive precisely because
the rich get richer. This is the greatest
achievement ever of the oligarchy
in any country in the world: the transformation
of the poor into stupid non-entitites
Exactly, and the most successful propaganda is the 'American Dream',
the idea that you can pull yourself up from from rags to riches.
That fantasy is sold to Americans by the big corporations, who also tell them they are the job providers and should pay as little taxes as possible.
Then why is the US doing so poorly in social mobility and why are all the
strong social democracies kicking the US's ass:
Rank, Country, Social Mobility Index Score
1 Denmark 85.2
2 Norway 83.6
3 Finland 83.6
4 Sweden 83.5
5 Iceland 82.7
6 Netherlands 82.4
7 Switzerland 82.1
8 Belgium 80.1
9 Austria 80.1
10 Luxembourg 79.8
11 Germany 78.8
12 France 76.7
13 Slovenia 76.4
14 Canada 76.1
15 Japan 76.1
16 Australia 75.1
17 Malta 75.0
18 Ireland 75.0
19 Czech Republic 74.7
20 Singapore 74.6
21 United Kingdom 74.4
22 New Zealand 74.3
23 Estonia 73.5
24 Portugal 72.0
25 South Korea 71.4
26 Lithuania 70.5
27 United States 70.4
Of all those 27 countries, in the US people are the most likely to die poor,
if they are born poor and the least likely to pull themselves out of poverty.
The success of the system is exactly this. Those poor fuckers are constantly being fucked by their government (Republican or Democrat, same difference, more or less) and are so used to it that they can't tell what the world could be like without it.
Some of them prefer no government at all, above what they have.
So they know it's wrong, but they have no idea how they got there.
Or they bought into the propaganda for more of the same, as a solution.
Historically, every civilisation, every empire, every organised system is doomed to fail. Some of the most successful wmpires were the Egyptians (thousands of years), the Roman empire, the Easter Roman empire (1000 years), the British empire, and others. The US has been an
empire for 200 years only - maximum. How long will it last? If it's already in decline, then even if it survives another 100 years, it'll still be considered unsuccessful compared, say, to Byzantium or Egypt.
Leopoldij, Ananas2xLekker, measuring social mobility of two or more countries is not only difficult but useless. The USA has, by its own admission between 13% and 17% of its population living below the poverty level…….What’s not taken into account is that those numbers are only for strict American totals. For many years the poor of this country is equivalent to middle class positions of other countries. Upward mobility is good but the population already has certain advantages that other nations, especially in Europe, don’t have. Our gasoline is selling for $4.50 US per gallon. Your countries are selling the quart for $4.50 EU. One statistic that is irrefutable is that immigrants, legal or illegal, develop private businesses at a greater number than natural citizens. The American dream is alive and well.
The reason that gasoline is cheaper is because the US prints money ex nihilo whenever it likes. Hence the national debt, which is hundreds of trillions of dollars, keeps increasing and will certainly never be paid off.
Wrong. Printed money is just a piece of paper. For that to start working it has to be in the hand of the consumer. Please remember, the cost of crude oil and the price of gasoline is strictly set by the big oil companies. Some are not even American. There’s been several years when the national debt has been 0 or very low, but we make a budget and try to stay in budget
Poverty standards are set internationally. It's the income a person needs to provide the basic needs. It's only logical that amount is higher in the USA than in some other countries, because the basic needs are more expensive in the USA.
There is no difference in the luxury standards between the poverty line of the USA and the poverty line of Europe, even if the amount of money might be different.
The poverty line of the USA: 1p: $12,880/year 2p: $17,420
= $1,073/month single person and $1,462 for a couple
The poverty line of The Netherlands: €1,090/month single person and €2,080 for a couple = $1,202/month single person and $2,292 for a couple
So our poverty line is higher in the amount, probably because housing is on average more expensive in The Netherlands. Maybe they also include gasoline, which is about twice the price here.
However our percentage is 6,8% people below the poverty line. Half of yours.
Immigrants having businesses is nothing special about the US, that's everywhere.
It's the best way for them to provide in their income without being burdened by a language and/or education barrier.
In my country of 17.6 million people, we have around 2 million registered companies. 66.3% are self employed people, 33.6% are companies with a maximum of 250 employees and only 0.1% are companies with more than 250 employees.
We can better call it the Dutch Dream, I think.
Well, strange,how the nether regions are so good in type,but I don't read much about a immigration problem there from the US.
We have issues with democrats holding our oil and coal hostage so they can make money on stocks in lithium and solar panels and etc but that can change in a year or so.
How are democrats holding your oil and coal hostage?
Actually your country doesn't have oil, because they have given it away to your oil companies. Only a small fraction of the profits go to the people and the rest goes to the owners and share holders of the companies. Other countries are smarter than you, they decided their oil is the oil of the people and the benefits must go to the people. Norway has a nice loaded pension fund because of it.
The downside of your crony capitalist system is that 35% of 'your' oil gets sold overseas and 'your' government has no power to decide that 'your' oil should stay in your country. Because that would be socialism, which you think is horrible.
So don't complain when the capitalist system you prefer does what capitalist systems do.
Americans do not flee to Europe much, that's true. We only have about 50,000 Americans in The Netherlands. Your country does a very good job convincing it's citizens that it's nowhere better than in the US. Keep telling them that, because we're out of space to house all the people who want to come over here.
In early December 2018, it was reported that the US had turned into a net exporter of oil "last week", thus breaking nearly 75 continuous years of dependence on foreign oil. Reportedly, the US sold overseas a net of 211,000 barrels a day of crude and refined products such as gasoline and diesel.
Why do you insist that our government has a working plan to control our population? The refining industry of my country is next to none. Should we be upset over that? We didn’t give our oil to the oil companies, not in the traditional sense, anyway. In the 1870’s we had huge , nation size government tracks of land sitting unused in the Midwest and the other western areas of the country. The government wanted to lower the burden of overpopulation of the Eastern cities. They started to give away parcels of these lands to any citizen who wanted the land. These turned out to have oil under the surface. These were now private lands. Speculators started to buy these land parcels and start to drill for oil.
So, yes, I guess the government did give it away.
Our system of government is not capitalism. It is a democracy. That means that the most lowly of our people has more power than the federal government. The government can’t, willy-nilly take control of that oil. Remember, we have an institution that says what is fair and what is not. It’s called The Supreme Court of the United States. However, we have an economic system called Capitalism. It works most of the time. The rest of the world criticizes it as corrupt, non-serving, selfish, and anti-friendly to our citizens. --------------------------------------- added after 21 minutes
The funny part of their actions is that every time these world class companies want to screw the world, they do it through one of their subsidiaries in one of your “we are better than the US, we are smarter than any gringo.” Countries. Well, in the scheme of things, your country is second rate even if it has beautiful people and beautiful sights. The rest of the world is third rate at best. And us, with all the disadvantages we have, like the government working to emulate the book “1984” and all the killings by police and the fact we export some of our oil? Well, we are the standard other countries want to be. I think I don’t mind being part of the oppressed of this unsuccessful and corrupt country. Someone has to maintain the #1 country in the world.
Not because of that. Bread is a universal staple found everywhere. It can be used as a measuring tool. Poverty standards are set internationally and that’s why we, the US, score low in their polls --------------------------------------- added after 86 minutes
Okay, Ananas. The following is entirely from articles on the net. You will see that they support your arguments and some of mine. --------------------------------------- added after 91 minutes
POVERTY MEASURE
Official Poverty Measure. The Census Bureau determines poverty status by using an official poverty measure (OPM) that compares pre-tax cash income against a threshold that is set at three times the cost of a minimum food diet in 1963 and adjusted for family size.
Poverty Measure Component: Official Poverty Measure
Poverty Threshold: Three times the cost of a minimum food diet in 1963
Threshold Adjustments: Vary by family size, composition, and age of householder
Resource Measure: Gross before-tax cash income
WHY IS THE USA SO LOW COMPARED TO OTHER COUNTRIES
The majority of countries in the world, as well as organizations such as World Bank, [the OECD](Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)), and the European Union, set the national poverty line at 50% of a given year's median income. For instance, the median income in the United States was $67,521 in 2020 so the national poverty line according to the United Nations would be $33,761.
However, some countries use different calculations. The U.S. itself, for example, employs a formula first devised in the 1960s, which calculated the estimated cost of adequate food for a year and multiplies by three to account for additional costs (housing, utilities, medical expenses, etc). For 2020, this formula set the poverty threshold at $26,246(US) for a family of four—significantly lower than the more widely used World Bank method.
This discrepancy—coupled with the fact that those above the poverty threshold are often ineligible for aid programs—is the main reason that many anti-poverty advocates and policy experts including the Washington Post argue that the U.S. formula is badly outdated and has failed to keep up with the rising cost of housing and other expenses.
freestar
The poverty rate in the United States varies depending upon the method of measurement. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the official 2017 poverty rate in the U.S. was 12.3%. However, other sources placed it as high as 17.8%. Despite being the largest economy in the world, the U.S. also has a significant wealth inequality gap. The 2021 poverty threshold in the United States is $26,246 for a family of four. This means that households with two adults, two children, and a pre-tax income of less than $26,246 are considered to be living in poverty. Some states are more impoverished than others, and their poverty is exacerbated by high unemployment rates and a lack of high-paying jobs.
It’s a fundamental paradox: in America, the wealthiest country on earth, one also finds the highest rates of poverty in the developed world.
The traditional manner of thinking about poverty in the U.S. has viewed impoverishment as largely the result of individual inadequacies and failings. These shortcomings include not working hard enough, failure to acquire sufficient skills, or just making bad decisions. Consequently, the problem of poverty is often seen through a lens of individual pathology. Since individuals are perceived as having brought poverty onto themselves, our collective and societal obligations are seen as limited. The age-old distinction between the deserving versus the undeserving poor reflects this perspective—unless the working-age poor have very good grounds for their poverty, they’re deemed largely undeserving of help. Poverty is therefore understood as primarily affecting those who choose not to play by the rules of the game.
The United States has the highest standards of living at the middle and upper ends of the income distribution scale,
They are not 'polls'. They are standards about income vs expenses needed for the basic necessities of survival. It's just the average cost for minimal standards of food, living, water, electricity, etc, that results in an amount for the income necessary to obtain that minimal living standard.
Than you just get the income distribution of the country and see who falls below the income for that minimal living standard. It's not more difficult than that.
The US has really that many people fall below the specific poverty standard for the US, because there is a lot of poverty in the US. Don't you know that?
If people have an hourly income at minimum wage, they are very close to the poverty line. And there are lots of people who make less than the minimum wage, because they don't get payed by the hour, but in other ways, that are not adding up to minimum wage.
Bread is not a universal staple, because poverty is not just food insecurity.
But if you used that standard, there are also a lot of food insecure people
in the US, so the results of that measurement wouldn't be much better.
There are very poor people in my country too. In my opinion humanity is only as good as how we treat the least fortunate, which is pretty appalling.
Humanity has been improving itself, up to a few decades back. Lately, humanity has been declining to it's stupid selfish nature, which hides beneath our surface.
I'm not a believer as you know, but we are living in the 'end times'. There is no god judging us, but we will be responsible ourselves for either our own salvation or our own demise. We are however heading to 'the rapture' of our own making, but there will be no 'second coming' for anyone.
Maybe humanity deserves it's end.
Perhaps we are not arguing the same points. I think, and tell me if I’m wrong, you are concerned with the help or lack of given up those below the poverty line.
If that’s what you are trying to say, I agree with you. My country, because of our national mores, are against helping this group. We believe they are there because they lack the ambition to improve their situation. Traditionally, we provide very little in the way of help. Your country along with the other Nordic countries, give high amounts of help. This results in higher taxes.
There are people that need 'help', like the disabled (mentally or physically) and the unemployed. Not because we feel sorry for them, but because it creates the most pleasant world to live in.
But those who work shouldn't need help. If their work is required by an employer, that employer should pay enough for that employee to be above the poverty line; a 'living wage'. That means jobs that are not worth that money cannot exist, that's true. So, wouldn't there be no McDonald's, Walmart, Disney World, etc. anymore? It's true that the prices would be higher, but not to the amount that cancels the 'living wage'. We know that, because other countries do it. They/we have lower unemployment numbers than the US, lower poverty and less people funded to work for employers that don't pay enough.
Social security is not 'helping poor people', it's helping yourself, for having a healthy retirement, unemployment benefits (in the less likely chance you need it) and maternity leave. Their unemployment levels are lower than yours. They pay those taxes to have great infrastructure, great free or cheap healthcare, cheap education and a lot of other things you pay for yourself. And those higher taxes are an average. If you don't make a lot of money, you pay less,
but still get the same great healthcare, education and all those other things,
which a big part of the population isn't able to afford in the US.
Maybe you personally can/could afford all those things, but what you pay
for them adds up to much more than you would have ever payed in taxes,
in those high taxes countries.
Those that work should get paid a rate to keep them above the poverty line. Who would be responsible? Every time the Congress tries to raise the minimum wage there’s a fight between the Democrats and the Republicans.
There are millions of Americans who depend on higher wages, but either vote for the Republicans or don't vote at all. Not voting is understandable, because the Democrats don't really fight for those higher wages. There will always be enough token 'moderate Democrats' who oppose it, because the Democrats take money from big companies who don't want higher wages too.
So I understand if people say "Fuck politics".
Poor people voting for Republicans, that is just stupid. In The Netherlands, there are enough poor people voting for our right wing parties as well, so it is not special to the US, but still it baffles the mind. They are voting for the party that is aggressively fighting against the improvement of their lives.
That takes some strong propaganda.
Low wage work (fast food restaurants, cleaners, etc) is low wage because employers realized those workers have little or no skills to trade for a better job.
The business owner does not want to leave any money on the table unless forced to. Loosing all workers to a competitor that pays more is one reason.
Social Security is just a name. Public Retirement Fund would be the real description. The majority of their mission is to provide funds for retirees. They also provide some funds to people with disabilities. This includes people with birth defects.
They have nothing to do with people under the poverty line. The individual states provide food, medical support, and, in some cases, monetary help. This help is mostly funded by the Federal government. The remainder comes from the states themselves. That’s why there’s inequalities from state to state.
All hospitals have to provide free emergency services until the patient is stabilized. There are many public hospitals that not only treat emergencies but also have clinics at no cost to treat regular medical problems.
"For 2020, this formula set the poverty threshold at $26,246(US) for a family of four—significantly lower than the more widely used World Bank method."
So with a lower poverty line than the widely used World Bank method (on which our poverty line is based), you still had between 12.3 an 17.8%.
Which are the parts you think support your idea that the poverty in the US is not as bad as reported? The part that there are also many very rich people? Because I think that makes it only worse for having that many poor people.
Perhaps because we have an abundance of rich people. These people want and expect that public institutions, transportation, infrastructure, and services be of a higher quality. The poor have no choice but to use these public offerings too. The clothes are available in a better quality at a very reasonable price. The food, in normal times is abundant and, generally, inexpensive. Generally, the poor have modern conveniences in their home. Most poor people have a fridge, a stove, and hot water. Many, if not most, have at least one car. Most have a TV.
So, what are they missing? They can’t frequent restaurants. They don’t go to the movies. They are not able to take vacations in special attractions. The poor usually have to buy less expensive foods.
I don't think you understand poverty that well.
This was in 2020, it's worse now:
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Those rich people overwhelmingly vote Republican, a party that wants taxes to be lower and public institutions, transportation, infrastructure, and services be funded less.
I’m not disputing that and if you follow my posts on politics you would know that I am strongly opposed to Republicans and their conservative philosophy. However, if you consider a major city like New York, most forms of transportation is public transportation and used by poor and rich people. The fact that young people are living longer with their parents shouldn’t surprise you. When the Great Depression of 2008 decimated the economies of the world’s countries, many populations had to tighten their belts and ambitions. Most economies have not recovered. What’s more, many economies have a habit of offsprings living at home until marriage and for the oldest child to live with their in-laws for the rest of their lives. Rent has gone through the ceiling and it’s prohibitive monetarily to rent even if you have a good income.
I’m pretty sure I understand well enough what poverty is. You don’t need a college education to see and understand how it manifest itself.
I think we should approve of the Polish plan to give Ukraine their Russian made war jets in exchange for American made. Poland is part of NATO and modernizing their war fleet would be a good thing. It would also help Ukraine.
Women "cheat" as much as men?
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But why call it cheating?
People, men and women, need to fuck,
and they can't be fucking the same person all the time.
Humans aren't monogamous.
“In case if it's discovered that a verified member is actually a fake, all members who verified this member get their verified status revoked, their ability to verify permanently blocked and all verifications given by them in past to other members are also revoked which may cause further "chain reaction".
Notice the last part of that statement:
“all verifications given by them in past to other members are also revoked which may cause further "chain reaction".”
Admin, I ask you, “ What has verification of a member, in the past, and made in good faith, have to do with a present member being found to be fake?
I just lost my verification because one of my sponsors lost his ability to verify due to this “chain reaction”. I did everything right I posted a pic of my driver’s license. You can’t get better proof. It’s not fair that because some jerk is not playing right I have to suffer too. I ask you, “Is this good for the site? When I lose my verification, a whole lot of things become off-limits to me. This takes away from the site.
The jerk that's not playing right is leopoldij. You don't think leo had any responsibility to reach out to the member, TallMommy, and request that she, a verified member, explain the internet pictures? If TallMommy does not respond or if leo's worried about losing his chance at 50 points, you don't think leo has some responsibility to reach out to Lustteufel, a 10 year plus member, frenchguy, a member of almost 10 years, Robben, a popular and well liked member of 4 years and Komp122, a member of almost 4 years and discuss the ramifications? I can only imagine the number of members they verified that were impacted by the "chain reaction". leopoldij, in my opinion, is THE JERK.
Okay, I understand, but, I’m not sure I agree. Are you asking Leo to, how did you put it?
so because you are a past member and a premium paid member, you should be exempt from the established guidelines?
I’m not okay with witch hunts and I don’t like Leo’s ways, but, for whatever reason, he seems to be doing a service to the site
Are you serious, you think leo is providing a "service to the site"? That makes me smile. The only service he has provided is the 50 points added to his previous point balance, his personal stash. Since I have blacklisted him and he, me, tell me, how many points is he sitting on?
And if leo has over 2800 points it's not because he spent money to buy them. Do the math and realize how many profiles he had to report for deletion 5o amass that many.
This profile, your profile, has been in existence for slightly more than 2 years. In those 2 years, how many "gifts" has he sent you? I counted only 1, a foiled egg sent 2 years ago for Easter, 2020. Has YOUR FRIEND, leo, wished you a happy Anniversary or a happy birthday in the last 2 years? He doesn't use the points on you, he sits on them because it makes him feel superior.
Bella, first of all, I don’t measure friendship by any value other than good intentions. That was not a put down on your comments. I know what you mean. Second, I don’t exchange gifts with Leo for the heck of it. To be honest, we are not mutual friends. I do try to send members that I have frequent contact a special date gift like St Valentine’s or St Patrick’s. However, this doesn’t change my opinion stated before. Wether Leo is reporting members for deletion for personal gain or other reasons, that’s his business.
Leo sent me a PM today asking me to verify you with no reason given. I don’t doubt for a second that you are who you purport to be but why would I do it just because he asked me to? I would never verify someone at the behest of another member. I would certainly never verify a newer female member because once Leo gets his hands on them they will be deleted! 🤣
I would never show anyone personal ID to be verified here.
Kebmo, I’ve been here for over six yrs give or take through different accounts. I’m not new and have been verified before. I did not ask Leo to pimp for me and I certainly don’t need you to verify me. Showing my REDACTED personal ID is a very effective and fast way to prove who I am. BTW, redacted means pertinent information has been blacked out. What your doubts are or are not are your business and I don’t need to know. Just by not verifying me would have been sufficient, but, I guess I should thank you for the explanation why you did not verify me.
If you didn't ask leo to pimp for you, why allow *kmadeau* and Kwann to verify you? Apparently it was important to you and you wanted the green tick and didn't care how you got it.
Why not? It’s not as if you get a system msg telling you so and so verified you. Am I supposed to msg * Kmadeau* and Kwan to take it back? Not even you with your “Higher-than-thow” righteous attitude would do that. I do want that “green tick”. I want to see what goes on in the deletions panel. I also like to enter the POTM occasionally.
You didn't do anything to get their verification because you never sought their help. Based on what I've read and seen with my own eyes, leo went to the list of members that are able to verify, twirled his finger around a couple of times and when he dropped it, his finger landed on the letter "k" and he started spamming those members....*kmadeau*, kebmo, Kwann! OR is it possible that he thought Candy was speed, Kandy?
So that's what leo did to compensate for him being instrumental with his friend and supporter losing her verification!? Well, I'll be, spamming other members groveling for their help to make things right on something he could have done differently.
By not being a snitch I hate narcs and tattle tails there is no place in my heart for them if he lived in Pennsylvania some one would surly cut him from ear to ear and drop him down a coal shaft not saying I would but there are hundreds maybe thousands that think just like me
You don't know what extort means. You fucking imbecile you are extorting yourself on putting your DL online. So far 1,568 have saved your DL pic. And more eventually will get your pic. You fucking ungrateful rat.
only registered users can see external links
But, you see, the American poor people
have been brainwashed to believe
that they can survive precisely because
the rich get richer. This is the greatest
achievement ever of the oligarchy
in any country in the world: the transformation
of the poor into stupid non-entitites
the idea that you can pull yourself up from from rags to riches.
That fantasy is sold to Americans by the big corporations, who also tell them they are the job providers and should pay as little taxes as possible.
Then why is the US doing so poorly in social mobility and why are all the
strong social democracies kicking the US's ass:
Rank, Country, Social Mobility Index Score
1 Denmark 85.2
2 Norway 83.6
3 Finland 83.6
4 Sweden 83.5
5 Iceland 82.7
6 Netherlands 82.4
7 Switzerland 82.1
8 Belgium 80.1
9 Austria 80.1
10 Luxembourg 79.8
11 Germany 78.8
12 France 76.7
13 Slovenia 76.4
14 Canada 76.1
15 Japan 76.1
16 Australia 75.1
17 Malta 75.0
18 Ireland 75.0
19 Czech Republic 74.7
20 Singapore 74.6
21 United Kingdom 74.4
22 New Zealand 74.3
23 Estonia 73.5
24 Portugal 72.0
25 South Korea 71.4
26 Lithuania 70.5
27 United States 70.4
Of all those 27 countries, in the US people are the most likely to die poor,
if they are born poor and the least likely to pull themselves out of poverty.
So they know it's wrong, but they have no idea how they got there.
Or they bought into the propaganda for more of the same, as a solution.
empire for 200 years only - maximum. How long will it last? If it's already in decline, then even if it survives another 100 years, it'll still be considered unsuccessful compared, say, to Byzantium or Egypt.
Every country in the world has debt.
There is no difference in the luxury standards between the poverty line of the USA and the poverty line of Europe, even if the amount of money might be different.
The poverty line of the USA: 1p: $12,880/year 2p: $17,420
= $1,073/month single person and $1,462 for a couple
The poverty line of The Netherlands: €1,090/month single person and €2,080 for a couple = $1,202/month single person and $2,292 for a couple
So our poverty line is higher in the amount, probably because housing is on average more expensive in The Netherlands. Maybe they also include gasoline, which is about twice the price here.
However our percentage is 6,8% people below the poverty line. Half of yours.
Immigrants having businesses is nothing special about the US, that's everywhere.
It's the best way for them to provide in their income without being burdened by a language and/or education barrier.
In my country of 17.6 million people, we have around 2 million registered companies. 66.3% are self employed people, 33.6% are companies with a maximum of 250 employees and only 0.1% are companies with more than 250 employees.
We can better call it the Dutch Dream, I think.
We have issues with democrats holding our oil and coal hostage so they can make money on stocks in lithium and solar panels and etc but that can change in a year or so.
Actually your country doesn't have oil, because they have given it away to your oil companies. Only a small fraction of the profits go to the people and the rest goes to the owners and share holders of the companies. Other countries are smarter than you, they decided their oil is the oil of the people and the benefits must go to the people. Norway has a nice loaded pension fund because of it.
The downside of your crony capitalist system is that 35% of 'your' oil gets sold overseas and 'your' government has no power to decide that 'your' oil should stay in your country. Because that would be socialism, which you think is horrible.
So don't complain when the capitalist system you prefer does what capitalist systems do.
Americans do not flee to Europe much, that's true. We only have about 50,000 Americans in The Netherlands. Your country does a very good job convincing it's citizens that it's nowhere better than in the US. Keep telling them that, because we're out of space to house all the people who want to come over here.
Why do you insist that our government has a working plan to control our population? The refining industry of my country is next to none. Should we be upset over that? We didn’t give our oil to the oil companies, not in the traditional sense, anyway. In the 1870’s we had huge , nation size government tracks of land sitting unused in the Midwest and the other western areas of the country. The government wanted to lower the burden of overpopulation of the Eastern cities. They started to give away parcels of these lands to any citizen who wanted the land. These turned out to have oil under the surface. These were now private lands. Speculators started to buy these land parcels and start to drill for oil.
So, yes, I guess the government did give it away.
Our system of government is not capitalism. It is a democracy. That means that the most lowly of our people has more power than the federal government. The government can’t, willy-nilly take control of that oil. Remember, we have an institution that says what is fair and what is not. It’s called The Supreme Court of the United States. However, we have an economic system called Capitalism. It works most of the time. The rest of the world criticizes it as corrupt, non-serving, selfish, and anti-friendly to our citizens.
--------------------------------------- added after 21 minutes
The funny part of their actions is that every time these world class companies want to screw the world, they do it through one of their subsidiaries in one of your “we are better than the US, we are smarter than any gringo.” Countries. Well, in the scheme of things, your country is second rate even if it has beautiful people and beautiful sights. The rest of the world is third rate at best. And us, with all the disadvantages we have, like the government working to emulate the book “1984” and all the killings by police and the fact we export some of our oil? Well, we are the standard other countries want to be. I think I don’t mind being part of the oppressed of this unsuccessful and corrupt country. Someone has to maintain the #1 country in the world.
At least include the cost of a cardboard box, to live in.
Luckily the poverty standards are decided internationally instead of by Americans.
--------------------------------------- added after 86 minutes
Okay, Ananas. The following is entirely from articles on the net. You will see that they support your arguments and some of mine.
--------------------------------------- added after 91 minutes
POVERTY MEASURE
Official Poverty Measure. The Census Bureau determines poverty status by using an official poverty measure (OPM) that compares pre-tax cash income against a threshold that is set at three times the cost of a minimum food diet in 1963 and adjusted for family size.
Poverty Measure Component: Official Poverty Measure
Poverty Threshold: Three times the cost of a minimum food diet in 1963
Threshold Adjustments: Vary by family size, composition, and age of householder
Resource Measure: Gross before-tax cash income
WHY IS THE USA SO LOW COMPARED TO OTHER COUNTRIES
The majority of countries in the world, as well as organizations such as World Bank, [the OECD](Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)), and the European Union, set the national poverty line at 50% of a given year's median income. For instance, the median income in the United States was $67,521 in 2020 so the national poverty line according to the United Nations would be $33,761.
However, some countries use different calculations. The U.S. itself, for example, employs a formula first devised in the 1960s, which calculated the estimated cost of adequate food for a year and multiplies by three to account for additional costs (housing, utilities, medical expenses, etc). For 2020, this formula set the poverty threshold at $26,246(US) for a family of four—significantly lower than the more widely used World Bank method.
This discrepancy—coupled with the fact that those above the poverty threshold are often ineligible for aid programs—is the main reason that many anti-poverty advocates and policy experts including the Washington Post argue that the U.S. formula is badly outdated and has failed to keep up with the rising cost of housing and other expenses.
freestar
The poverty rate in the United States varies depending upon the method of measurement. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the official 2017 poverty rate in the U.S. was 12.3%. However, other sources placed it as high as 17.8%. Despite being the largest economy in the world, the U.S. also has a significant wealth inequality gap. The 2021 poverty threshold in the United States is $26,246 for a family of four. This means that households with two adults, two children, and a pre-tax income of less than $26,246 are considered to be living in poverty. Some states are more impoverished than others, and their poverty is exacerbated by high unemployment rates and a lack of high-paying jobs.
It’s a fundamental paradox: in America, the wealthiest country on earth, one also finds the highest rates of poverty in the developed world.
The traditional manner of thinking about poverty in the U.S. has viewed impoverishment as largely the result of individual inadequacies and failings. These shortcomings include not working hard enough, failure to acquire sufficient skills, or just making bad decisions. Consequently, the problem of poverty is often seen through a lens of individual pathology. Since individuals are perceived as having brought poverty onto themselves, our collective and societal obligations are seen as limited. The age-old distinction between the deserving versus the undeserving poor reflects this perspective—unless the working-age poor have very good grounds for their poverty, they’re deemed largely undeserving of help. Poverty is therefore understood as primarily affecting those who choose not to play by the rules of the game.
The United States has the highest standards of living at the middle and upper ends of the income distribution scale,
Than you just get the income distribution of the country and see who falls below the income for that minimal living standard. It's not more difficult than that.
The US has really that many people fall below the specific poverty standard for the US, because there is a lot of poverty in the US. Don't you know that?
If people have an hourly income at minimum wage, they are very close to the poverty line. And there are lots of people who make less than the minimum wage, because they don't get payed by the hour, but in other ways, that are not adding up to minimum wage.
Bread is not a universal staple, because poverty is not just food insecurity.
But if you used that standard, there are also a lot of food insecure people
in the US, so the results of that measurement wouldn't be much better.
There are very poor people in my country too. In my opinion humanity is only as good as how we treat the least fortunate, which is pretty appalling.
Humanity has been improving itself, up to a few decades back. Lately, humanity has been declining to it's stupid selfish nature, which hides beneath our surface.
I'm not a believer as you know, but we are living in the 'end times'. There is no god judging us, but we will be responsible ourselves for either our own salvation or our own demise. We are however heading to 'the rapture' of our own making, but there will be no 'second coming' for anyone.
Maybe humanity deserves it's end.
If that’s what you are trying to say, I agree with you. My country, because of our national mores, are against helping this group. We believe they are there because they lack the ambition to improve their situation. Traditionally, we provide very little in the way of help. Your country along with the other Nordic countries, give high amounts of help. This results in higher taxes.
But those who work shouldn't need help. If their work is required by an employer, that employer should pay enough for that employee to be above the poverty line; a 'living wage'. That means jobs that are not worth that money cannot exist, that's true. So, wouldn't there be no McDonald's, Walmart, Disney World, etc. anymore? It's true that the prices would be higher, but not to the amount that cancels the 'living wage'. We know that, because other countries do it. They/we have lower unemployment numbers than the US, lower poverty and less people funded to work for employers that don't pay enough.
Social security is not 'helping poor people', it's helping yourself, for having a healthy retirement, unemployment benefits (in the less likely chance you need it) and maternity leave. Their unemployment levels are lower than yours. They pay those taxes to have great infrastructure, great free or cheap healthcare, cheap education and a lot of other things you pay for yourself. And those higher taxes are an average. If you don't make a lot of money, you pay less,
but still get the same great healthcare, education and all those other things,
which a big part of the population isn't able to afford in the US.
Maybe you personally can/could afford all those things, but what you pay
for them adds up to much more than you would have ever payed in taxes,
in those high taxes countries.
So I understand if people say "Fuck politics".
Poor people voting for Republicans, that is just stupid. In The Netherlands, there are enough poor people voting for our right wing parties as well, so it is not special to the US, but still it baffles the mind. They are voting for the party that is aggressively fighting against the improvement of their lives.
That takes some strong propaganda.
The business owner does not want to leave any money on the table unless forced to. Loosing all workers to a competitor that pays more is one reason.
They have nothing to do with people under the poverty line. The individual states provide food, medical support, and, in some cases, monetary help. This help is mostly funded by the Federal government. The remainder comes from the states themselves. That’s why there’s inequalities from state to state.
All hospitals have to provide free emergency services until the patient is stabilized. There are many public hospitals that not only treat emergencies but also have clinics at no cost to treat regular medical problems.
So with a lower poverty line than the widely used World Bank method (on which our poverty line is based), you still had between 12.3 an 17.8%.
Which are the parts you think support your idea that the poverty in the US is not as bad as reported? The part that there are also many very rich people? Because I think that makes it only worse for having that many poor people.
So, what are they missing? They can’t frequent restaurants. They don’t go to the movies. They are not able to take vacations in special attractions. The poor usually have to buy less expensive foods.
This was in 2020, it's worse now:
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Those rich people overwhelmingly vote Republican, a party that wants taxes to be lower and public institutions, transportation, infrastructure, and services be funded less.
I’m pretty sure I understand well enough what poverty is. You don’t need a college education to see and understand how it manifest itself.
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But why call it cheating?
People, men and women, need to fuck,
and they can't be fucking the same person all the time.
Humans aren't monogamous.
Here they are, starting from the most enjoyable:
1. Sex
2. Sex
3. Sex
Notice the last part of that statement:
“all verifications given by them in past to other members are also revoked which may cause further "chain reaction".”
Admin, I ask you, “ What has verification of a member, in the past, and made in good faith, have to do with a present member being found to be fake?
I just lost my verification because one of my sponsors lost his ability to verify due to this “chain reaction”. I did everything right I posted a pic of my driver’s license. You can’t get better proof. It’s not fair that because some jerk is not playing right I have to suffer too. I ask you, “Is this good for the site? When I lose my verification, a whole lot of things become off-limits to me. This takes away from the site.
so because you are a past member and a premium paid member, you should be exempt from the established guidelines?
I’m not okay with witch hunts and I don’t like Leo’s ways, but, for whatever reason, he seems to be doing a service to the site
This profile, your profile, has been in existence for slightly more than 2 years. In those 2 years, how many "gifts" has he sent you? I counted only 1, a foiled egg sent 2 years ago for Easter, 2020. Has YOUR FRIEND, leo, wished you a happy Anniversary or a happy birthday in the last 2 years? He doesn't use the points on you, he sits on them because it makes him feel superior.
Should I repost his picture he sends around to members??
I would never show anyone personal ID to be verified here.
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… and the gift.
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