So do any Americans actually think they live in the greatest country in the world?

[Publius]

And the US is far bigger than those countries with the biggest gap in wealth. So the numbers are very skewed because the rich make people's average income go up substantially while keeping their high standards and high prices.

Actually this is also false. If you look at median (as opposed to mean) income you see the same results. Here's a way to look at it: economists sometimes divide income levels into "quintiles". That is, they look at incomes for the bottom 20% (lower class), then 20-40% (lower middle class), then the middle 40-60% (middle class), then 60-80% (upper middle class), and finally the top 80-100% (upper class). When you compare the income quintiles of the US to any other major first world nation you will see that the US has higher levels of income at every quintile aside from the bottom 20%.

So what does this mean? Well, it is true that if you are in the bottom 20% of incomes in the US then you are worse off than in the rest of the world. However, if you are anywhere above that then you tend to be better off than in other first world nations (for a variety of reasons).

http://www.oecdbetterlifeindex.org/topics/income/

Refer to the above website for some statistics in easily digestible formats.

[squealpiggy]

And Japan and Australia, entire countries haven't had major mass shootings in years, decades. We've had what 5 and what 50-100 injured or killed and it's just halfway done. More guns = less violence is about the dumbest **** I ever heard.

One can also say in Detroit, much less influence on family and god. I don't believe in that **** but religious people, unless islamic, don't tend to go on mass shootings, rob stores, assault people etc... There are MUCH more factors than just guns as to there being less violence.

Religiosity in populations correlates to more violence.

There is a positive correlation between religiosity and criminality.

[jreckoning]

Well I do love my country and wouldn't change it, but Denmark does have its flaws such as taxation and not so great weather etc.

Over here we are fond of the US but have a hard time understanding their gun laws, fundamentalist Christians, anti abortion, anti gays and so on. That being said the USA is great to have as an ally and Denmark has supported every war the US has led in the past 20+ years.

When you have 300 plus million people you are bound to have some weirdos, and some very influential weirdos at that. LOL.


I enjoyed Denmark. It's a very nice country. Christnhavn was nice too, LOL. Pretty cool that the whole country was basically supporting Kessler. That would never ever happen here.

[El Malo.]

In fact those perpetrating most of the violence - drug cartels - justify their actions on religious grounds.

No they don't you bum

[jreckoning]

And the US is far bigger than those countries with the biggest gap in wealth. So the numbers are very skewed because the rich make people's average income go up substantially while keeping their high standards and high prices.

I've been in countries where the road ends and thus all electricity and running water ends. The gap in wealth was crazy because you'd see mansions then go a few km's out and it would be dirt roads and dirty streams and no health care, tvs. basic survival stuff barely existed. Places I went had 40% of the population suffering from AIDS. Go a few km and they are drinking tea on the veranda with access to the finest malls, medical centers, and entertainment venues in the world.

Yes, U.S.A has a gap in wealth and it's pronounced but at least almost everyone has access to basic things to be able to survive.

[Underboss]

Well I do love my country and wouldn't change it, but Denmark does have its flaws such as taxation and not so great weather etc.

The weather is not a problem. There is this co-worker that used to live in Spain for 15 years, he told me he traveled ALL of Europe, and of all the EU countries he visited he told me Denmark was the ideal place for him.

The quality of life is superb as compared to other countries. I would love to visit the Nordic countries, I'm a huge fan of Vikings history and the cold weather.

[MrTambourineMan]

Any of the Nordic Countries KO1 Fat Yank Land.

[-MAKAVELLI-]

[Publius]

Yes, and why is that? I think if you were honest in considering that question, and in determining why that discrepency exists, you find out some very uncomfortable things.

If the cops pulled out of large sections of the country they'd turn into warzones, akin to what happened in Baltimore. The same is not true in the UK (with a few notable exceptions, for instance parts of Northern Ireland).

[bigjavi973]

And Japan and Australia, entire countries haven't had major mass shootings in years, decades. We've had what 5 and what 50-100 injured or killed and it's just halfway done. More guns = less violence is about the dumbest **** I ever heard.

One can also say in Detroit, much less influence on family and god. I don't believe in that **** but religious people, unless islamic, don't tend to go on mass shootings, rob stores, assault people etc... There are MUCH more factors than just guns as to there being less violence.

Those shootings happened where? Areas where they have gun laws & where guns where banned from movie theaters. Had guhs been legal, like its supposed to be as written in the constitution, someone woulda blasted them BEFORE he got a chance to kill that many people.