[Ludlow]

Originally Posted by kjetski

Freidman is right of course. Destitute poverty has been largely erradicated through economic growth and a myriad of good programs.

Being poor in America means not having a 54 inch plasma tv. Being poor in Rawanda means choosing whether to eat worms, twigs, or locust.

Friedman's ideology has led to bank failures with world wide ill-effects, sub-prime mortgage crisis with thousands of home owners losing their homes, stock market instability with massive losses on global stock prices, a weak dollar, ongoing decline in middle-class buying power and widening gap between the very wealthy and everybody else. We still have destitute poverty with people living under bridges eating I don't know what.

You do not live in the same world I do.

[rph3664]

Originally Posted by Ludlow

Friedman's ideology has led to bank failures with world wide ill-effects, sub-prime mortgage crisis with thousands of home owners losing their homes, stock market instability with massive losses on global stock prices, a weak dollar, ongoing decline in middle-class buying power and widening gap between the very wealthy and everybody else. We still have destitute poverty with people living under bridges eating I don't know what.

You do not live in the same world I do.

I'm not going to dig through 41 pages to find the post you quoted, but a lot of "poor" people DO have 54-inch plasma TVs - until they're repossessed.

[HM2Viking]

Originally Posted by kjetski

Freidman is right of course. Destitute poverty has been largely erradicated through economic growth and a myriad of good programs.

Being poor in America means not having a 54 inch plasma tv. Being poor in Rawanda means choosing whether to eat worms, twigs, or locust.

Poverty is a relative measure. Read Mountains beyond Mountains for a description of the adverse effects of poverty on health outcomes among the poor whether in Haiti or NY City. The 54 inch plasma screen comment is a variant on Ronald Reagan's welfare queen comment which was pejorative then and is pejorative now.



The real issue facing America is our declining social mobility under policies inspired by Friedman as well as the failure of American workers to share in economic growth with ever increasing economic disparities. Fully 1/3 of American workers are in jobs that pay less than 200% of the poverty line.

The point remains that you claimed americans have better access to health care than countries with UHC. Data simply does not support your assertions about Friedman and his prescriptions for either poverty or health care.

[CO2emission]

Originally Posted by Ludlow

Friedman's ideology has led to bank failures with world wide ill-effects, sub-prime mortgage crisis with thousands of home owners losing their homes, stock market instability with massive losses on global stock prices, a weak dollar, ongoing decline in middle-class buying power and widening gap between the very wealthy and everybody else. We still have destitute poverty with people living under bridges eating I don't know what.

You do not live in the same world I do.

I'm with you...I think this says it all
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mRJOXAZApo

[HM2Viking]