BUSINESS: America: #22; 49; 54 and Falling Fast, page 1
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Topic started on 8-3-2005 @ 03:07 PM by soficrow
Many Americans think the USA is still #1 in the world for everything that counts. Other Americans express their deep concerns about the state of the nation - only to be told their views are "anti-American." A recent article originally published in the Austin Chronicle reveals the USA's world ratings in everything from health care to science and business. Many Americans will find the truth, and the numbers, shocking.





www.citypages.com

No concept lies more firmly embedded in our national character than the notion that the USA is "No. 1," "the greatest." Our broadcast media are, in essence, continuous advertisements for the brand name "America Is No. 1." Any office seeker saying otherwise would be committing political suicide. In fact, anyone saying otherwise will be labeled "un-American." ...Well...this is the country you really live in:

* The World Health Organization "ranked the countries of the world in terms of overall health performance, and the U.S. [was]...37th." In the fairness of health care, we're 54th. "The irony is that the United States spends more per capita for health care than any other nation in the world" (The European Dream, pp.79-80). Pay more, get lots, lots less.
* "The U.S. and South Africa are the only two developed countries in the world that do not provide health care for all their citizens" (The European Dream, p.80). Excuse me, but since when is South Africa a "developed" country?
* "U.S. childhood poverty now ranks 22nd, or second to last, among the developed nations. Only Mexico scores lower" (The European Dream, p.81). Been to Mexico lately? Does it look "developed" to you? Yet it's the only "developed" country to score lower in childhood poverty.
* Twelve million American families - more than 10 percent of all U.S. households - "continue to struggle, and not always successfully, to feed themselves." Families that "had members who actually went hungry at some point last year" numbered 3.9 million (NYT, Nov. 22, 2004).
* The United States is 41st in the world in infant mortality. Cuba scores higher (NYT, Jan. 12, 2005).
* Women are 70 percent more likely to die in childbirth in America than in Europe (NYT, Jan. 12, 2005).

............

The Rebuttal:

The "American Empire" isn't going away anytime soon, We are the most powerful nation in the world, No one can even compete on our level.




Please visit the link provided for the complete story.



The facts are astounding. For example, "In a recent survey of the world's 50 best companies, conducted by Global Finance, all but one were European."

More intriguing, "Japan, China, Taiwan, and South Korea hold 40 percent of our government debt." That debt currently stands at $7.7 trillion dollars, and is increasing by $2.2 billion dollars per day.

As the writers point out, it would be suicide for any politician to admit the truth: We're broke, in debt and losing the race for progress and prosperity. Life in America is often uncivilized. In many critical categories, our standard of living is barely on par with South Africa and Mexico.

But the #1 spin keeps us buying, spending and silent.

Ignorance is bliss.




IMPORTANT NOTICE

There seems to be some misunderstanding regarding the source and motives of this post.

To clarify: The article is about US demographics.


Definition: Demographics

1 : the statistical characteristics of human populations (as age or income) used especially to identify markets
2 : the demographic profile of a market (as the viewers of a TV show).




Demographics studies are done by business and governments. They are used to make a variety of decisions. Most of the studies referred to in the article were done for business, by business. These demographics were and are used by international corporations to make decisions about doing business in the USA.

Sometimes these decisions have to do with deciding what to try and sell in a particular location; sometimes they are used to decide what laws to lobby government to pass or change, for the benefit of a particular business or industry.

It does not matter whether or not anyone thinks the studies are accurate. These demographics tell us how business looks at the US market. International and other businesses make their decisions about how and where to do business the US based on these demographic studies.

If we can get past our assumptions and presumptions, this information is potentially useful to us. It can help us to understand how business sees us, and why things happen - like why bankruptcy laws are modified and why anti-class action laws are created, for example.

There is more information about US demographics in this book:
America By The Numbers: A Field Guide To The U.S. Population Social Science Data Network







Credit and Thanks to Kozmo: Is America #1?



Related News Links:
www.ssdan.net
www.brillig.com

Related AboveTopSecret.com Discussion Threads:
Is America in decline??
USA vs. the World
POLITICS: The Shrinking US Dollar
OP/ED: Bushkrieg: Shock and Awe in America

[edit on 8-3-2005 by soficrow]

[edit on 9-3-2005 by soficrow]


reply posted on 8-3-2005 @ 04:05 PM by soficrow
Originally posted by Zach

but u must keep in mind even the peoplke in the ghetto account for the fact that americas population is in the top 10% richest people in the world...that is even if u live in the worst ghetto/trailer in americ, when broken down you are still one of the richest 10% people in the world





Thanks for the compliment Zach - but no - what the article says is that poor Americans have trouble keeping up with South Africa and Mexico. ...The idea that our poor is rich compared to their poor is not really true.



Countermeasures

Should average white americans take notice and miss even one night sleep about it?





Absolutely. The chain is only as strong as the weakest link. ...And our little chain is rotting everywhere.

...You really should read the article - I could not cover even a tenth of it. But here's a bit more:

* "Sixty-one of the 140 biggest companies on the Global Fortune 500 rankings are European, while only 50 are U.S. companies" (The European Dream, p.66). "In a recent survey of the world's 50 best companies, conducted by Global Finance, all but one were European" (The European Dream, p.69).

* "Fourteen of the 20 largest commercial banks in the world today are European.... In the chemical industry, the European company BASF is the world's leader, and three of the top six players are European. In engineering and construction, three of the top five companies are European.... The two others are Japanese. Not a single American engineering and construction company is included among the world's top nine competitors. In food and consumer products, Nestlé and Unilever, two European giants, rank first and second, respectively, in the world. In the food and drugstore retail trade, two European companies...are first and second, and European companies make up five of the top ten. Only four U.S. companies are on the list" (The European Dream, p.68).

* The United States has lost 1.3 million jobs to China in the last decade (CNN, Jan. 12, 2005).

* U.S. employers eliminated 1 million jobs in 2004 (The Week, Jan. 14, 2005).

* Three million six hundred thousand Americans ran out of unemployment insurance last year; 1.8 million--one in five--unemployed workers are jobless for more than six months (NYT, Jan. 9, 2005).


America by the Numbers



....It's almost pointless to talk about American business - there isn't any to speak of.

.


reply posted on 8-3-2005 @ 04:08 PM by WyrdeOne
Originally posted by Zach
but u must keep in mind even the peoplke in the ghetto account for the fact that americas population is in the top 10% richest people in the world...that is even if u live in the worst ghetto/trailer in americ, when broken down you are still one of the richest 10% people in the world


You're both right and wrong. Yes, trailer dwellers have more american dollars than most people in Africa. But, does that translate into a better standard of living? No. You NEED a great deal of money to survive in America. In many other 'uncivilized' nations you don't need money at all. You can still procure bush meat in many places, farm without paying taxes, live off the land. America is a trap.

Americans are resorting to criminal behavior more and more because it's one of the only viable alternatives to starvation. Housing assistance opened in my town for the first time in three years last month. They closed in less than a week, having filled all their slots. There were people lined up around the block hoping to get section 8 vouchers, but all were turned away because there simply was no more state money left. Section 8 won't open up again for another couple of years, and in the meantime..there are people without housing who have no recourse.

Food stamps pays about 100 bucks a month, and that's if you're employed. If you don't have a job you can't get benefits. I'm not a fan of welfare. I think the country can be fixed so that oppurtunity abounds. I think we can have a country where people can get work, where people can afford medicine. The gap between rich and poor is worse here than anywhere else in the world with a few possible exceptions. It used to be you could survive on a factory job, now those jobs don't even exist. All the mills in my town closed, now you work at McDonalds (or Burger King, or Walmart) or you don't work.

We've got a problem right now. Pretending it doesn't exist won't make it go away.
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