And if you noticed the same thing I did, it's missing the United States.
So I did two things;
1. I pulled the RGDP growth figures for the US from the OECD to get a comparison.
2. I went back 3 years for the above chart only does the annualized growth from the 2nd quarter of 2005 to the 2nd quarter of 2006 and therefore really isn't a fair comparison of these countries' abilities to produce wealth over the long run.
Heh heh.
So I ask the question, why is it the left wishes to emulate Europe so badly? I mean, sure, they have free health care (technically so do we) and free education, but fast forward 40 years into the future applying the same 3 year average growth rates to current GDPs/capita and this is the standards of living we'll have (I am aware of some of the mathemtical short-comings of this calcualtion, but it's just a ball park figure. Please don't be anal retentive and point them out as to some vast, gapping oversight on my part. Additionally, upon further thought, I will do a more comprehensive calculation and put up a super spiffy chart addressing this).
Don't you think by this time we'd be able to afford decent health care coverage for all people and it would take a mere fraction of our GDP unlike the current 15% it does now? I mean, you think about it, if you allow an economy to grow, that growth will wipe out more poverty, provide for more schools, health care, etc. etc., that it will effectively dwarf those social ailments. Allowing the economy to grow does more to wipe out poverty than any government social program ever could.
Meanwhile all the left can do is froth at the mouth about redistributing wealth NOW with little regard as to the consequences it will have on the country's ability to produce wealth in the future.
If only the left actually gave a damn about the poor enough to the point they'd take an economics class.
5 comments:
Yes. It's a case of short-term nearsightedness. The long-run used to be the Cinderella of economics, but not anymore, hopefully.
a few small personal examples for you to digest:
my monthly insulin bill is about 300 (averaging out the deductibles thru' the year)... my lab work is another 2k/yr.
in france, paying IN CASH (w/o the government healthcare), my monthly insulin will run me about 30 beans. lab work is around 500/yr (going to a premium hospital in paris, mind you)
in japan, my lab work is about 100/yr...
imagine if you are dirt poor and got yourself a type 1 diabetes at no fault of your own???
my wife's pregnancy was monitored in paris at a greater rate than otherwise here in the US. we know of two friends who had carried an empty sack for weeks because they were not detected due to lack of certain early procedures. on top, there were standard genetic tests that were not even optional being performed on the cheap...
imagine if you are poor and have to have a baby in this country??? oh, wait, we have the one of the highest infant death rate... and as i remember, don't blame the "mexicans" for this either because the last study i saw said something to the extent that even when the "poor hard working" immigrants were taken into an account, the rate was still high...
sigh...
Anon, this will hurt. Please sit down;
LIFE
AIN'T
FAIR!
It's all "ME ME ME" "My personal experience." "My myself and I"
Get off the me kick. So you got dealt a bad hand. And all you can do is demand the remaining 300 million Americans suffer along with you and foot your bill?
300x's 12 = $3,600
+$2000 for lab work
= $5,600 to stay alive????
You can't afford this???
Cripes. Boo freaking hoo!
I can only imagine what a crap hole America would be if everybody had your attitude.
Additionally, look up the infant mortality rate. You are misinformed...which is not surprising.
no no, you've got me wrong. we can afford this no problem. hey, we've experienced all those price differences in france, england and japan in one year... life is not fair you say... sure, but you see, in other places, life is fairer...
you have to come to grip that not everyone can achieve the "american dreams"... and it's amazing how much of that has been wrongfully propagated by the government who endorses the ownership society...
life is not fair? tell that to those who can't afford a medicine to save them and be "productive" (isn't that what you want??) in the society...
funny you didn't respond to the infant mortality rates...
I disagree.
People have to come to grips with the reality that "the American Dream" isn't an option.
It's manditory.
People can pursue a "fairer" system as they do in Europe and elsewhere. And they may attain it FOR A LIMITED TIME, but it will inevitably collapse because it fundamentally undermines what drives the production of wealth;
Staving off death and enhancing life.
In an ironic twist of fate, inevitably these socialist countries will achieve TRUE equality in that they'll all be equally poor and miserable as their economies will collapse under the weight they've promised themselves (Italy I think will be the first to go).
That being said, yes I did respond. I said you weren't informed of them. Here are the infant mortality rates;
http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/hea_inf_mor_rat-health-infant-mortality-rate&int=-1
For some reason the US is not there. Looked up the infant mortality rate at the world factbook and it's 6.43 / 1000. Compared to the worst which have 192/1000 dying. Even beats out that country that has the best doctors in the world; Cuba.
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