Development: US Fails To Measure Up On 'Human Index'

[Psychoblues]

Why am I not surprised?

Source: The Guardian UK

Despite spending $230m (£115m) an hour on healthcare, Americans live shorter lives than citizens of almost every other developed country. And while it has the second-highest income per head in the world, the United States ranks 42nd in terms of life expectancy.

These are some of the startling conclusions from a major new report which attempts to explain why the world's number-one economy has slipped to 12th place - from 2nd in 1990- in terms of human development.

The American Human Development Report, which applies rankings of health, education and income to the US, paints a surprising picture of a country that spends well over $5bn each day on healthcare - more per person than any other country.

"Human development is concerned with what I take to be the basic development idea: namely, advancing the richness of human life, rather than the richness of the economy in which human beings live, which is only a part of it," said the Nobel laureate economist Amartya Sen, who developed the HDI in 1990..........

More: http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/20...evelopment.usa

Human/civil development has never been or will ever be a true consideration of the power and financial elites. Or did you ever doubt it? How could you ever vote to increase it?

[Joe Steel]

Our failure to rank well proabably is attributable more to our laissez-faire economic policies than anything else. Capitalism is destroying America.

[5stringJeff]

Our failure to rank well proabably is attributable more to our laissez-faire economic policies than anything else. Capitalism is destroying America.

Capitalism built America.

[theHawk]

Nice hit job piece. It fails to mention that we have more immigrants flooding to this country than any other in the world, which accounts for alot of the poor people. Americans also work harder and longer than Europeans. Probably the biggest reason Americans don't live as long is because of the bad diet most live on. Comparing the US to a place like Greece is comparing apples to oranges.

[Dilloduck]

Nice hit job piece. It fails to mention that we have more immigrants flooding to this country than any other in the world, which accounts for alot of the poor people. Americans also work harder and longer than Europeans. Probably the biggest reason Americans don't live as long is because of the bad diet most live on. Comparing the US to a place like Greece is comparing apples to oranges.

Maybe if we ceased all foreign aid we could use that money to shoot right up that index. I'm sure all former recipients would understand.

[diuretic]

Nice hit job piece. It fails to mention that we have more immigrants flooding to this country than any other in the world, which accounts for alot of the poor people. Americans also work harder and longer than Europeans. Probably the biggest reason Americans don't live as long is because of the bad diet most live on. Comparing the US to a place like Greece is comparing apples to oranges.

Immigrants flooding - let me see. Biggest economy in the world. Would that be a reason? You think immigrants grab all the statistics and carefully peruse them to see where they should live based on non-economic factors? Probably not I think.

And immigrants account for all the poor people? Does that mean an immigrant is condemned to live in poverty in the US for the term of his or her existence?

Diet. Well could be. Quite a lot of diseases are linked to bad diets. And bad diets are usually as a result of poverty and lack of education. Hey that's the good news! It's the poor that are dying early! Look at that - what a solution. The poor die early and the numbers improve! Pure genius!

[Joe Steel]

Capitalism built America.

Cheap resources built America.

Up to and through the Industrial Revolution, the world was almost exclusively capitalist. Yet, no country grew like the US did.

What was the difference?

Cheap resources.

The US had access to a whole continent full of raw materials and all we had to do to get them was kill the Indians. The easy money attracted those who were willing to kill Indians and steal their land.

Cheap materials.

Cheap labor.

The rest is history.

[Trigg]

Immigrants flooding - let me see. Biggest economy in the world. Would that be a reason? You think immigrants grab all the statistics and carefully peruse them to see where they should live based on non-economic factors? Probably not I think.

And immigrants account for all the poor people? Does that mean an immigrant is condemned to live in poverty in the US for the term of his or her existence?

Diet. Well could be. Quite a lot of diseases are linked to bad diets. And bad diets are usually as a result of poverty and lack of education. Hey that's the good news! It's the poor that are dying early! Look at that - what a solution. The poor die early and the numbers improve! Pure genius!

The US removed almost 300,000 illegal immigrants last year alone. They tend to live in three states California, Texas and Arizona. They tend to be poor and undereducated and living in hiding.

One of the main problems faced by the US, says the report, is that one in six Americans, or about 47 million people, are not covered by health insurance and so have limited access to healthcare.

This is listed as one of the reasons the US rates so low. They however arn't taking into account that MOST of those 47 million are here illegally and therefore aren't eligable for medicade, medicare or any of the other state run programs for the poor LEGAL population.

What other large country has as big a problem with illegal immigration????? Not Australia, people don't tend to swim there in the hundreds of thousands, do they?

When you have that many people coming to this country from 3rd world countries, it's not surprising that our life expectancy is lower than in countries that have little to NO immigration. Japan and other Asian countries come to mind.

[Hobbit]

The life span thing is also a low blow, as average life expectancy counts infant mortality (which is higher in the U.S. because many babies other countries consider still-born are considered born alive in the U.S., even though there is little chance of them being saved) and violent death, which is higher in the U.S. due to things like racial tensions, class envy, gangs, and drug smuggling, and very few people die from those every year who aren't directly involved (if you stay away from race wars, gangs, and drugs, your chances of dieing in the related shootouts is quite low). These things are both unique to the U.S. and have nothing to do with either the health care system or the government (aside from local police and courts). However, there's an index that more accurately reflects health care, and that's life expectancy after 60. By age 60, you've pretty much survived everything that can kill you other than your own body, and nearly all deaths after 60 are the result of cancer, disease, old age, or age-related illnesses and disorders. In the U.S., the life expectancy after 60 is the highest in the world. Last I checked, it was about 87.

[Little-Acorn]

Rampant drug use, rampant obesity, bad diets including too much high-cholesterol fast food, rampant gang activity and murder rates in most inner cities. These are just some of the things that cause our average lifespans to be shorter. Why is our health care system being blamed for any of them?

In the U.S., the life expectancy after 60 is the highest in the world. Last I checked, it was about 87.

Where did you check? I've been looking for information like this for years. As you pointed out, it eliminates death from infant birth problems, gangbangers killing each other, teens killing themselves with drugs, fast cars, alcohol, and various combinations of those.

What's the average life expectancy of a white male who has reached, say, age 50, and does not drink, smoke, or do dangerous things like skydiving, auto racing, or being an acquaintance of Bill Clinton? Where can I go to find out?

[theHawk]

Immigrants flooding - let me see. Biggest economy in the world. Would that be a reason? You think immigrants grab all the statistics and carefully peruse them to see where they should live based on non-economic factors? Probably not I think.

And immigrants account for all the poor people? Does that mean an immigrant is condemned to live in poverty in the US for the term of his or her existence?

Diet. Well could be. Quite a lot of diseases are linked to bad diets. And bad diets are usually as a result of poverty and lack of education. Hey that's the good news! It's the poor that are dying early! Look at that - what a solution. The poor die early and the numbers improve! Pure genius!

Don't put words in my mouth, sir. I said they account for alot of the poor. Fact of the matter is it usually takes a generation or two for a poor immigrant family to make it out of poverty. Most of the poor are Mexicans and blacks, Mexicans being recent immigrants that came here poor and the blacks....well we all know that urban liberal policies have kept them poor for decades.

As for the diet thing, its not just the poor and uneducated that are eating bad, most of America does. The 'educated people' with nice jobs are usually on the run alot and settle for lots of fast food, so it has nothing to do with being poor. There is so much artifical crap put into almost all of our foods these days, its no wonder more and more people are becoming obese, and that causes alot of health problems.

[Kathianne]

Rampant drug use, rampant obesity, bad diets including too much high-cholesterol fast food, rampant gang activity and murder rates in most inner cities. These are just some of the things that cause our average lifespans to be shorter. Why is our health care system being blamed for any of them?



Where did you check? I've been looking for information like this for years. As you pointed out, it eliminates death from infant birth problems, gangbangers killing each other, teens killing themselves with drugs, fast cars, alcohol, and various combinations of those.

What's the average life expectancy of a white male who has reached, say, age 50, and does not drink, smoke, or do dangerous things like skydiving, auto racing, or being an acquaintance of Bill Clinton? Where can I go to find out?

To start:

http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hus/hus07.pdf#027

[diuretic]

Don't put words in my mouth, sir. I said they account for alot of the poor. Fact of the matter is it usually takes a generation or two for a poor immigrant family to make it out of poverty. Most of the poor are Mexicans and blacks, Mexicans being recent immigrants that came here poor and the blacks....well we all know that urban liberal policies have kept them poor for decades.

As for the diet thing, its not just the poor and uneducated that are eating bad, most of America does. The 'educated people' with nice jobs are usually on the run alot and settle for lots of fast food, so it has nothing to do with being poor. There is so much artifical crap put into almost all of our foods these days, its no wonder more and more people are becoming obese, and that causes alot of health problems.

I didn't put words in your mouth. I was mocking you. There's a difference.

[Psychoblues]

You need a star by your name for that one, doc!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! How about me breakin' you above 1,000 in rep?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!??!?

[diuretic]

Aw shucks PB - I feel a bit embarrassed about being rewarded for being an arsehole - but what the hell....