Quality of life in U.S. in freefall, China's rising

[etylo]

It is different. The Chinese have a sheep attitude where they are looking for a shepherd to guide them and keep them safe.

The US says we'd rather learn to take care of ourselves and let the government take care of things we don't have time to do.

Or the unfortunate poor and incapable Americans are left to fend for themselves.

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

Or the unfortunate poor and incapable Americans are left to fend for themselves.

No, if it was we'd have China's problem of extreme poverty.

Since we don't...this shows China has been the country leaving its people to fend for themselves. Only recently has it tackled it.

We've had welfare programs since the 1930's. This eradicated extreme poverty.

China's welfare program until recently has had trouble reaching everybody in the country that needed it.

 

[etylo]

No, if it was we'd have China's problem of extreme poverty.

Then, why are there so many homeless people in US and the gov doesn't want to solve the problem considering that US is a rich country ? There were extreme poverty in China becos China was a poor country until very recently.

 

[Mista]

There are 38 million officially poor Americans, or nearly 12% of the total population. There has never been a richer nation on earth. Its GDP per person is more than $70,000. Something is fundamentally wrong.

It's meaningless to talk about poverty rate without talking about the poverty line.

World Bank Open Data

Free and open access to global development data

data.worldbank.org

Switzerland's poverty rate is >3x of Vietnam's, but that doesn't mean Switzerland is poorer than Vietnam.

Developed countries usually adopt the concept of relative poverty, while developing countries usually adopt the concept of absolute poverty.

In many developed countries, the poverty line is defined as a percentage (eg; 60%) of the median income. Which means, the higher the median income, the higher the poverty line. As such, there will ALWAYS be a percentage of population under the poverty line based on income distribution (unless you are a communist country with everyone making the same level of income). You can never grow out of poverty because the goalpost shifts every year as you grow.

US poverty line:

Meanwhile in many developing countries, the poverty line is usually defined as the minimum resources required to secure basic living necessities. Eg; in China the poverty line is fixed at RMB4000 per year. The line is fixed, and it's possible to grow out of poverty.

As you can see, the poverty line can be very different between countries. A family of four in the US which makes less than USD30K pa is considered under the poverty line. That's USD2.5k or around RMB17.5K per month.

No cities in mainland China have their median household income above USD30K pa, not even the first-tier cities.

We can adjust for price differences with PPP ratio; China's PPP to nominal ratio is around 0.6.
USD30K in the US is worth ~USD18K in China. Then yeah, some cities like Beijing or Shanghai have median household income above the poverty rate in the US. However these cities are more expensive than the national average, so the PPP ratio should be higher and lesser adjustment is needed, but whatever.

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

Then, why are there so many homeless people in US and the gov doesn't want to solve the problem considering that US is a rich country ? There were extreme poverty in China becos China was a poor country until very recently.

Many states offer free or subsidized housing to those that need it but you can't
1) engage in criminal activities
2) be a threat to the others getting this service

If you can't obey the above you end up on the street

It's meaningless to talk about poverty rate without talking about the poverty line.

View attachment 930924

World Bank Open Data

Free and open access to global development data

data.worldbank.org

Switzerland's poverty rate is >3x of Vietnam's, but that doesn't mean Switzerland is poorer than Vietnam.

Developed countries usually adopt the concept of relative poverty, while developing countries usually adopt the concept of absolute poverty.

In many developed countries, the poverty line is defined as a percentage (eg; 60%) of the median income. Which means, the higher the median income, the higher the poverty line. As such, there will ALWAYS be a percentage of population under the poverty line based on income distribution (unless you are a communist country with everyone making the same level of income). You can never grow out of poverty because the goalpost shifts every year.

US poverty line:
View attachment 930922

Meanwhile in many developing countries, the poverty line is usually defined as the minimum resources required to secure basic living necessities. Eg; in China the poverty line is fixed at RMB4000 per year. The line is fixed, and it's possible to grow out of poverty.

View attachment 930921

As you can see, the poverty line can be very different between countries.

That's why I was saying it is extremely unlikely people in the US will be slipping into extreme poverty. Given it is like ~$2 a day you can get a job delivering a single pizza each day and easily cover that $2.

 

[etylo]

Many states offer free or subsidized housing to those that need it but you can't
1) engage in criminal activities
2) be a threat to the others getting this service

If you can't obey the above you end up on the street

Are you saying all those homeless people on the streets are criminals or potential ones ? Wow, I guess I won't be surprised too becos US lock up way more people in jails than other countries. Then again, why don't US govs just build enough housing for those wandering homeless.

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

Are you saying all those homeless people on the streets are criminals or potential ones ? Wow, I guess I won't be surprised too becos US lock up way more people in jails than other countries. Then again, why don't US govs just build enough housing for those wandering homeless.

I believe one of the main issues (not the sole one) with certain cities is they asked for Federal funds (under the "Housing First" program) to build new housing for their homeless and the Federal Government balked because they had also previously announced they were defying Federal immigration laws and declaring themselves "sanctuary cities" for illegal immigrants and would supply housing to them.

So these cities are asking the Federal Government for money for MORE housing because they can't afford to build them on their own...which the government says is due to their own bad choices with their sanctuary city policies.

..and seeing this obvious conundrum and using the typical Liberal way of solving problems (meaning never admit to causing a problem and never finding money to pay for it) the tents started going up..and places like San Francisco started changing their laws to accommodate the tents. Problem solved!! Boy are they smart!!

Hey why actually pay for a solution when you can just "happily" live with a problem and just quickly re-categorize it as "not a problem"!!

I think you will find that most (if not all) of the cities that have tents in them are also "Sanctuary cities". So they basically don't want to "put their money where their mouth is" and pay for new housing...they'd rather the Federal Government put its money where their mouth is instead.

So the extreme Liberal cities like San Francisco will happily see their city get destroyed instead of admitting to their bad choices..and of course blame everybody but themselves.

We Are a Sanctuary City | Office of the Mayor

We Are a Sanctuary City Since 1989, San Francisco has proudly been a Sanctuary City. We will stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our immigrant communities and fight for the progress we’ve achieved in this City. We are a sanctuary city, now, tomorrow and forever. San Francisco's Sanctuary City...

sfmayor.org

Los Angeles City Council Declares LA a Sanctuary City

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www.courthousenews.com

Romney: Giuliani's NYC 'Sanctuary' for Illegal Immigrants

Republican contender blasts Giuliani on his immigration stance.

abcnews.go.com

Welcome to Chicago: Exploring What It Means to Be a Sanctuary City

Chicago's history as a self-proclaimed sanctuary city dates back to 1985, when then Mayor Harold Washington issued an executive order prohibiting city employees from enforcing federal immigration laws.

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Boston City Council expands sanctuary city policy

City councilors have moved to expand a sanctuary city policy by imposing new limits in how Boston Police can handle immigration matters, limiting their ability to share information in civil deporta…

www.bostonherald.com

 

[beijingwalker]

USD30K in the US is worth ~USD18K in China. Then yeah, some cities like Beijing or Shanghai have median household income above the poverty rate in the US. However these cities are more expensive than the national average, so the PPP ratio should be higher and lesser adjustment is needed, but whatever.

You can go live in China for a while or just check numerous foreign expats videos on youtube to see how big the cost of living is between China and the west, numbers on paper by no means reflect the real life on the ground, go and ask those who already live in China for a down to earth better picture.

Two dollar haircut in China (Cost of living in China)​

The cost of living in a large Chinese city. medium and small cities can be much cheaper, rural regions can blow your mind. No tips, China doesn't have a tip culture.

 

[beijingwalker]

Transportation in China is super cheap, buses, subways , even high speed railways. some cities like Urumqi offer free subway rides for winter months, For short trips, shared bikes are everywhere and they are basically free.

 

[beijingwalker]

Unbelievable Business class train ride in China for $14 | China railway system experience​

Actually he doesn't have to be that impressed by this price , Beijing-Tianjin high speed railway train only costs $6

 

[Iñigo]

Neither light nor truth is tolerated, thank you for the empirical confirmation of your weakness, West Empire, the latest version of the Roman Empire and the empire of Thutmose III, Pharaoh of Egypt.

Viva China

 

[Zsari]

Meanwhile in many developing countries, the poverty line is usually defined as the minimum resources required to secure basic living necessities. Eg; in China the poverty line is fixed at RMB4000 per year. The line is fixed, and it's possible to grow out of poverty.

False as China adjust its poverty line routinely. The current figure is $2.30 per day.

 

[MeFishToo]

False as China adjust its poverty line routinely. The current figure is $2.30 per day.

$2.3 per day.. It is $50 per day in my country. No wonder people can order $5 goods and get it shipped 10.000 km for $1.

 

[beijingwalker]

Colleges offer free food for the students, but Why China's free school meal policy also benefits foreign students? they really should pay , they just eat too much.

My free school meals in China​

​

 

[Zsari]

$2.3 per day.. It is $50 per day in my country. No wonder people can order $5 goods and get it shipped 10.000 km for $1.

Yes. Cost of living is very different in different countries. But I'm not sure how you got your figure.

As of 2018, Denmark had a poverty rate of around 0.30%, which was a 0.1% increase from the previous year. Those living with fewer than $5.50 U.S. dollars per day are counted within the poverty figures. This is one of the lowest poverty rates in the world, around 10% less than the United State's poverty rate in 2020.