Land of opportunity...
Jul 19th 2008, 5:25 pm
#136
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Jan 2006
Location: San Francisco
Posts: 12,865
Re: Land of opportunity...
And how did we get out of the past 10 recessions? Every one is different. The point is that they all end. Household debt in the UK is alot worse than the US. This time, exports are booming, and this is specifically why we are not in a recession, statistically.
"Families in the UK now owe a record 173pc of their incomes in debts, official figures have shown. The ratio of debt to income is higher than any other country in the Group of Seven leading industrialised economies, and is sharply higher than the 129pc of incomes it was five years ago."
http://forum.prisonplanet.com/index.php?topic=46902.0
"Families in the UK now owe a record 173pc of their incomes in debts, official figures have shown. The ratio of debt to income is higher than any other country in the Group of Seven leading industrialised economies, and is sharply higher than the 129pc of incomes it was five years ago."
http://forum.prisonplanet.com/index.php?topic=46902.0
Jul 19th 2008, 7:17 pm
#137
Professional Drama Queen
Joined: Dec 2007
Location: West Virginia
Posts: 1,061
Jul 19th 2008, 9:05 pm
#139
BE Site Lead
Joined: Aug 2004
Location: MA, USA
Posts: 92,170
Re: Land of opportunity...
More than just lol now...honestly...
No, the same cannot be said about any other economy. In W. Europe, the avg. person has to wait wait 4 months between being layed off and findig work. In the US it's only a few weeks. Immigrants do much better here economically than they do in any other part of the world, and this is due to our dynamic system that prmotes hard work. The US is the land of opportunity, and this is proven by the huge amounts of people from all over the world that come to study and live. According to the OECD, the US has more skilled immigrants than the rest of the world combined. That should tell you something.
According to the National Venture Capital Association, immigrants make up only 11.7% of the U.S. population, but have started one in four of all U.S. public companies that have been venture-backed over the past 15 years, including Intel, Google, Yahoo!, Sun and eBay. This doesn't happen in other parts of the world.
According to the National Venture Capital Association, immigrants make up only 11.7% of the U.S. population, but have started one in four of all U.S. public companies that have been venture-backed over the past 15 years, including Intel, Google, Yahoo!, Sun and eBay. This doesn't happen in other parts of the world.
Jul 19th 2008, 9:10 pm
#141
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Nov 2007
Location: Bay Area, CA
Posts: 13,115
Re: Land of opportunity...
I stated something similar in a response to another thread, but I think it's applicable here too. It's almost unfair to compare, say, UK, to the USA. If not unfair, then at least, not very meaningful. The USA should be compared to something more along the lines of Europe. In Europe, you have poor countries (eg, Portugal) and rich countries (eg, Germany), and the range is wide. Similarly, in the US, you have poor areas (eg, the Appalachians of West Virginia and Tennessee) and rich areas such as the Northeast and the cities of the West Coast.
The chronic state of healthcare in this country is a nationwide embarrassment, however, for those without insurance.
The chronic state of healthcare in this country is a nationwide embarrassment, however, for those without insurance.
Jul 19th 2008, 10:45 pm
#144
Forum Regular
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 53
Re: Land of opportunity...
My numbers were off, but the point remains
Avg duration of unemployment in:
US: 3.8 months
France: 12.8 months
Spain: 19 months
Finland: 10.5 months
http://www.ncpa.org/pub/ba/ba475/images/ba475fig2.gif
Avg duration of unemployment in:
US: 3.8 months
France: 12.8 months
Spain: 19 months
Finland: 10.5 months
http://www.ncpa.org/pub/ba/ba475/images/ba475fig2.gif
Jul 19th 2008, 10:46 pm
#145
@matthewb76
Joined: Jul 2003
Location: Missouri
Posts: 21,886
Re: Land of opportunity...
in the USA you're given 6 months unemployment and that's it.
either find a job or starve to death.
in Europe you have time to be picky.
Jul 19th 2008, 10:50 pm
#146
Riding on silver wings
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 10,543
Re: Land of opportunity...
Nah. It's all about having health care. It's non-existent when you are unemployed and COBRA is the greatest rip off. When I'm unemployed it's not about mounting expenses. It's about making sure I don't pay $100 for one of the various lifetime med's I'm on. Or facing the fact of how much it would cost if I ever got in a car accident. That's this Yank's greatest motivating factor. Otherwise I've got family to help me out with other issues.
Jul 19th 2008, 10:55 pm
#147
Forum Regular
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 53
Re: Land of opportunity...
It tells us that historically the US has been the land of opportunity. It tells us very little about whether the decline in social mobility in the US will make it less so down the road. I doubt the situation moving forward is as clear cut in favour of the US as you are trying to make out.
http://www.cis.org/articles/2004/back123.gif
The US has very strict standards, and hopefully our next president will make it easier to come in, since so many want to.
Jul 19th 2008, 11:00 pm
#148
Forum Regular
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 53
Re: Land of opportunity...
That is a factor, but there are others. Another factor is that there are simply not as many jobs available. My cousin in Spain is thinking of coming here because in Spain there are few engineering jobs in her field, and in the US there is great demand and much higher pay. Another factor hurting European workers is wage inflexibility. In the United States, wage growth is depressed in recessions. When wage growth slows, the number of workers hired increases. Wages tend to be more rigid in Europe, where they are often set by union bargaining with an entire industry. As a result, wage growth does not slow when labor is in surplus, thus limiting the demand for additional workers. Finally, no discussion of European unemployment is complete without mentioning employment protection. Europeans dislike layoffs, and they make it very costly for companies to dismiss workers. The result is actually harmful to the unemployed. Because it is so expensive for a company to terminate an employee, firms are very hesitant to hire workers in the first place.
Jul 19th 2008, 11:01 pm
#149
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Nov 2007
Location: Bay Area, CA
Posts: 13,115
Re: Land of opportunity...
Nah. It's all about having health care. It's non-existent when you are unemployed and COBRA is the greatest rip off. When I'm unemployed it's not about mounting expenses. It's about making sure I don't pay $100 for one of the various lifetime med's I'm on. Or facing the fact of how much it would cost if I ever got in a car accident. That's this Yank's greatest motivating factor. Otherwise I've got family to help me out with other issues.
Jul 19th 2008, 11:05 pm
#150
Riding on silver wings
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 10,543
Re: Land of opportunity...
Good points, but for me I don't have family to help me (as an ex-pat) so my biggest motivations are insurance (as you state) and - preservation of savings. For the first time ever in my 25 years here, in 2006 I quit my job without having another job to go to. Even though I have enough non-retirement savings for about 4 years of living expenses, I was not comfortable using them now because I worry about the longer-term employment picture (being in IT!). I found myself another job after 6 weeks. Turns out it's the best job I've ever had!