I will not dispute these numbers, nor will I dispute the CIA's status. However, being an official government agency does not equate being correct all the time. If they want to lump all of the EU together for their statistics, that's a perfectly acceptable decision. It will, however, affect the quality of said statistics.
Thanks for the link. I already did, by the way.
Rob
There's two issues here. First, the definition of 'poor'. I think we can all agree that the Census Bureau has a very generous definition of this. Second, the standard of living, relative to Europeans. I think that, on average (dangerous phrase, I know) living standards in the North-Western part of Europe are on par with US standards, given comparable income. However, the EU has recently absorbed a large number of (relatively) very poor countries (mainly Eastern European and Mediterranean), and already had quite a number beggars already (Spain, Portugal, Ireland, former East Germany come to mind). Comparing the living standards of the US 'poor' to those in the poorer (especially rural) areas of the EU would probably put the US poor at the advantage.
Back to the Heritage Foundation. Their report is based upon official census data, which I will not dispute. However, input from the census bureau isn't their only source, and interpretation of the input is of course entirely theirs. I've already agreed that poverty in the US is probably overstated, and covered the comparison to European conditions. The rest of their report (although I must admit not having read every letter of it) certainly qualifies as extreme right wing to me, but then again, from a Dutch perspective, US politics are best divided into far right and even further right.
Granted that 75% of the official poor, aren't, that leaves 25% to really worry about (if I remember the numbers correctly, that would be 4% of total population included in the numbers). Lets call that 5%, to account for those excluded from the numbers. That would still leave 1 in 20 in trouble, in the richest country in the world...
Rob
You really are being disenginious here.
The above you wrote reffers to the International Crimminal Court which the USA will never be a part of due to it's bias, and lack of accountabilty to anyone. The ICC already made it's bias clear when one of it's first orders of business was to want to go after American troops in the Balkans. Considering all the serious war crimes violations going in the world. (un child sex rings in Africa for one) They totally ignored all others to go after *possible* violations by USA personell.
Funny, they have yet to even consider the above mentioned child sex rings the un soldiers were running........................... Or... several other serious *legal* problems that un peacekeepers have been involved in.....................
And lets not forget the EXEMPTIONS that several euro countries already have with the ICC. (which they refuse to give the USA) Biased would be an understatement about the ICC !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Warning to you and all others here.
Come to the USA, get a felony conviction and you will find that a federal prison makes Gitmo look like playtime !!!!! Do the crime and you WILL do the time.......................... (and it will be extremely unpleasent !!)
Allan
Translation: Ouch! that hurt!
And th US is not biased against those at Gitmo? And just how is the US accountable to whom? Its not like the current administration gives a damn about anyone else's views.
Precisely. Anyone who thinks the sacred US might have crossed the line is obviously biased.
OK. Someone else might be guilty of something as well, so if the US is investigated first, it must be unfair, biased prosecution.
Please elaborate.
Oh dear, here come the threats..
Why should I?
Again, why should I?
Well, what do you expect? Not only is it run by Americans, its crowded with 'em, and the nastiest they could spare too..
Not likely.
Rob
Just come to Washington DC then and visit the SE section....of course you may also see things like a 15 year old walking down the streeet with an AK-47 or an escaped camel wandering along....both of those things happened yesterday.
I don't have one...yet.
In my area crappy townhouses are now selling for $272,000 and if you want to rent one it'll cost you $1500/month. Is that enough of a clue?
Jeez. I thought New York was supposed to be, how shall I put this, eccentric at times..
Rob
Let me guess: you live in one of the larger cities? I hear similar insanity from Amsterdam/Rotterdam/Utrecht/The Hague. Fortunately, I don't live there.
Rob
Are any of you familiar with the "Yorkshireman" sketch from Monty Python?
G
Wouldn't that be obvious? According to Fox News we are murdering our babies and seniors, ho ho ho! How old are you b.t.w?
And if we go by popular image, in the US they're just murdering everyone. More guns that people, and eager to use them and all that :-)
Rob
Sorry, nope. Is a really condensed version feasible?
Rob
Well you just made it OBIVIOUS that a rational discussion with you is pointless, so be it. Sorry if you are a poor without a clue eurotrashian.......
Uh... those at Gitmo are not covered by the geneva conventions at all, and as such are lucky to be alive right now... BTW those people incarcerated at Gitmo, would take your head off at the very first oppertunity, you should never forget that. You europeans ran the western world for the last 1,000 years or so. Sorry that you dont run it anymore. Tough for you............... Get used to it, the USA is the worlds only superpower right now. And in the future, the next superpower aint gonna be a european country either..... You people are just going to have to get used to the fact that you have no real strength to throw around anymore. Good thing for the rest of the world.
Lets see here shall we ? The ICC was founded by europeans, yet the very first order of business is to go after someone else. Real fair. If they wanted ANY credibility, they should have cleand house there first, just to show the world that they were a truely fair and un biased entity. But that is NOT their aggenda. It is rather go prosecute Americans first, and than anyone else they feel like later. But to you, naturally this is totally fair and balanced........
Again, a european court, that wont even investigate european war crimes ? You think that is fair ?????????????? You arrogance is a classic example of a weak society trying to impose it's will on others. Problem is that your weakness is glaring for all to see.
England, France, and others have in some cases multi year exemptions to prosecution by the ICC It's on the net, look it up yourself. Again, I bet you think this is fair.............
Sorry the little craphole you live in isnt a superpower. If it was you might actually have a say in the world at large...............
Because the USA offers more oppertunity for individual advancement than any other country on earth ?? But that would mean that you would have to work hard, an anathma to you and your ilk............
Because you are obiviously immoral, See below.
Well at least here,. we incarcerate them, murder actually gets you a real prison sentance here, not a max of 16 years like a certain nothern european country.
So you think you are a smart crimminal ? So be it then. Stay away, you will get caught.....................
Tho you not a skilled player, please keep up, you are fun to play with.
Allan
And with your attitude, you would have no problem in finding one that would like to use them on you..............................
Allan
..lots of stuff that makes it very clear his motto is 'might makes right'. I was under the impression that, at least in the West, this had been replaced by some degree of civilisation, but I guess there are always exceptions. Still, from an environmentalist point of view, its good to see that some neanderthals survived. Can somebody please call the local zoo and get him a nice cozy cage.
Rob
Am I to understand you would be such a volunteer?
Rob
Five Yorkshiremen try to odo each other as to who was poorest as a child...e.g. "...when ah were a lad, we were so poor we 'ad to lick the moisture off t'tarmac for nourishment."
"That's nowt" says Yorkshireman No 2, "We were so poor we lived in a cardboard box in t'middle of a lake "... etc. Take a look at
(If you need a translation, let me know)
I don't think that was really the point, but I must admit there were some similarities..
Rob
But the people detained at Guantanamo have not even been charged with any crimes, let alone tried or convicted, have they?
So why compare them to criminals who *have* received the benefit of the legal system, who *did* have defense counsel, whose families *are* allowed to visit them, and who (in most cases) *can estimate* when they will be freed?
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