Six ways the US can be considered a third world country; Criminal Justice – the US imprisons more people than any nation on earth, and poverty and race are significant factors in a person’s likelihood of arrest, charge, conviction and severity of punishment. Gun Violence – The U.S. leads the developed world in firearm-related murders, and the difference isn’t a slight gap – more like a chasm. Healthcare – A study last year found that in many American counties, especially in the deep South, life expectancy is lower than in Algeria, Nicaragua or Bangladesh. The U.S. is the only developed country that does not guarantee health care to its citizens. Education – The U.S. is among only three nations in the world that does not guarantee paid maternal leave (the other two are Papua New Guinea and Swaziland). This means many poor American mothers must choose between raising their children and keeping their jobs.The Department of Education has confirmed that schools with high concentrations of poor students have lower levels of funding. Inequality –our middle class is being gutted out thanks to three decades of stagnant wages, while the top 1 percent enjoys 95 percent of all economic gains. US income inequality is at its greatest for nearly a century and is rising, as the income gap between the bottom 90% and top 1% of Americans reaches its largest since 1928. US income inequality is at its greatest for nearly a century and is rising, as the income gap between the bottom 90% and top 1% of Americans reaches its largest since 1928. Infrastructure – The United States infrastructure is slowly crumbling apart and is in desperate need for repair. One study estimates that the nation’s infrastructure system needs a $3.6 trillion investment over the next six years. There is no sign of where this money is going to come from as the state prioritizes business-friendly policies of tax cuts and corporate subsidies, while the private sector refuses to invest outside of narrow and short term profit interests. Rather than Capitalism being the bringer of progress, it is the harbinger of our own demise. A rigged game that gets less fair with every generation and takes the economy down with it.
Posted on: Sat, 10 May 2014 02:10:25 +0000
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