Re: Insane Bush and insane John Bolton

Interesting, isn't it, how the European Social Democracies consistently
outrank the US in Quality-of-Life evaluations? Must be some Marxist
conspiracy, ya think?

The latest assessment, by that defender of Socialism, The Economist
magazine, lists the US as 13th, with 9 European countries ahead of it.
Most interesting, however, is that the US has the largest negative
correlation between quality-of-life ranking and GDP per person ranking
among the top 28 countries and is surpassed only by the negative
correlation of their ally, Britain, among the top 40. In other words,
money ain't everything when it comes to good living. And wouldn't you
know that among the top 40 countries, poor little Costa Rica, with a
population of only 4 million, ranks second best when you compare
quality-of-life ranking with GDP per person. Once again, money isn't
everything. For reference, The Economist uses 9 factors in their
assessment: material well-being, health, political stability and
security, family life, community life, climate and geography, job
security, political freedom, and gender equality.

When it comes to material well-being you've got us beaten by a mile;
2nd in per capita GDP vs 56th. But after that, you can keep your
American "values" and shove them up your ass. We've got a healthier
population, with an equal life expectancy, much less obesity, and a
superior fitness level thanks to virtually universal participation in
some form of physical activity - and health care is free. We have a
practicing democracy in place for almost 200 years, and one in which
the people actually play a major role in public policy. In this
country, high ranking elected public officials, even ex-Presidents, go
to jail for corruption. Family life has the highest value in Costa
Rican society, unlike the dysfunctional family situation in the US.
Costa Ricans are close to each other and there is always large-scale
participation in neighborhood and community activities. During the
many festivals within the culture, the streets are teeming with people
enjoying each other's company. It is quite different from the
self-imposed isolation I have seen in the US where next-door-neighbors
hardly know each other. Climate and geography is a no-brainer. We
have, arguably, the best climate in the world and an environment that
embraces virtually every imaginable geographical zone, from tropical
beaches on two oceans to 10,000-foot volcanoes. This accounts for
Costa Rica being the most biodiverse country in the world, housing 5%
of all species on earth. Our job security situation is another no
brainer, with a functioning social safety net in place and with no one
living in fear of being toseed out of a job like a piece of trash. You
idiots call it down-sizing, right? We have as many or more civil
liberties as you do and are well-known as one of the world's most
proactive defenders of human rights. We don't judge other peoples by
their political preferences, but by their humanity. Finally, we are
way ahead of you in gender equality. In 2002, the percentage of women
municipal legislators in Costa Rica was unmatched by any other
democratically elected national legislature in the world - an amazing
47%. This doesn't even take into account a succession of women Vice
Presidents in the modern era. Today, the most popular political figure
in Costa Rica by far, and a good bet to be President in the not too
distant future, is a dark-skinned women. When is that going to happen
in the US?

So take your American values, your greed, your violence, your distorted
world view and your isolationist ignorance and shove them. You keep
your money safe from the Capitalist predators while I reap the benefits
of living in a real democracy where people are more important than
things. Your American Capitalism rant is merely another example of
preaching to a choir that thinks money is the be all and end all of
existence.

BTW, my parents are buried in New Jersey. E-mail me for directions.

Steven L. wrote:
> saroman@xxxxxxxxxxx wrote:
>
> > Steven L. wrote:
> >
> >>We Americans don't do that sort of thing.
> >
> >
> > No. Instead, over the years you have murdered hundreds of thousands of
> > innocent people around the world through unwarranted military
> > incursions or by economic exploitation that drives people into poverty
> > and disease, all in the name of American business interests.
>
> FYI, the poverty and disease were there long before America existed.
> America's development of the polio vaccines, mass-production of
> antibiotics, and massive food exports have saved millions of
> people--which is why population is increasing sharply in the Third
> World. They're living longer, healthier lives.
>
> So you are full of ***.
>
> On the other hand, impoverished nations of the Pacific Rim, like
> Singapore and South Korea, experienced dramatic economic gains after
> World War II due to capitalism. China is now experiencing those same
> dramatic economic gains, now that it is replacing its brain-dead
> communist system with a capitalist one. Under Mao Zedong's Cultural
> Revolution, millions of Chinese were oppressed, and the entire country
> stagnated. But the newly capitalist China is now extremely prosperous
> as it becomes a supplier to Wal-Mart.
>
> North Korea and South Korea are a controlled experiment in how to run a
> country. One's Communist, the other is capitalist. The Communist one
> is starving. The capitalist one is prosperous.
>
> Private business is how you become prosperous. Socialism is how you end
> up starving like North Korea or without even daily electricity like Cuba.
>
> So once again, you are full of ***.
>
> As soon as Fidel Castro and his disgusting brother Raoul pass from this
> earth and go to hell, the newly capitalist Republic of Cuba is going to
> become just like Singapore and South Korea--prosperous, with growing
> economies, maybe even a major exporter to the U.S.
>
> And I am looking forward to going down to Cuba and pissing on Castro's
> grave.
> Who knows. I may even stop by the cemetery where your family is buried
> and piss on their graves too.
>
> Buenas noches!
>
>
> --
> Steven D. Litvintchouk
> Email: sdlitvin@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>
> Remove the NOSPAM before replying to me.

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