3/3/2015 Another San Francisco Smash and grab

"03-29-15: Schubert
Zd542, You are an uneducated fool."

Schubert, you're not right on this one. I graduated college with honours. I'm an educated fool.

Take a look at income disparities worldwide and you'll see a common thread with every one of them. The countries with the smallest income disparities have the greatest levels of satisfaction, education, health outcomes, the lowest incidences of drug use and teenage pregnancies, lower incarceration rates, and an overall higher standard of living for it's citizens. We are no where near the top and if remember, near the bottom of the middle rankings.

The latest congressional budget proposal eliminates the ACA and takes away health care from tens of millions, increases military spending by putting it on a credit card (again) and eliminates the estate tax which only affects the richest 3,700 families (since only they qualify for the tax) and everyone here wonders why we have problems. Get ready for another veto and more obstruction since the status quo is just fine for those already enriched by this mess.

All the best,
Nonoise

Zd542, Touché' :)

"03-29-15: Nonoise
Take a look at income disparities worldwide and you'll see a common thread with every one of them. The countries with the smallest income disparities have the greatest levels of satisfaction, education, health outcomes, the lowest incidences of drug use and teenage pregnancies, lower incarceration rates, and an overall higher standard of living for it's citizens."

That's a pretty general statement. I don't know what countries you are talking about? Not only that, how do you know that income disparity is the cause of all the problems you list? Things like this are never as simple as some people make them out to be. Also, and this just my personal view, but I really don't trust most studies and statistics. Why should I? There's too much influence in the way most studies are funded. Add to that the current political environment, and I see nothing but the potential for bias.

"We are no where near the top and if remember, near the bottom of the middle rankings."

Someone should tell the millions of people tunnelling their way into our country, or climbing over the walls this. Maybe they'll try to get into one of the "good" countries on your list.

Zd542 is right. A persons income has absolutley no indication of whether they will steal or not. Actually studies have shown that people who are wealthy are more likley to steal, lie and cheat than those with lesser means.

Also you have to look at the various forms of theft and the reasons why people do it. You cannot throw out a blanket assumption that good paying jobs will fix the problem.

Cooperations posting record profits lie, cheat and steal at a rate much higher than those near the bottom rung of the income ladder.