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Comment by ilkhd2 | Hacker News Reader

Sounds like somebody have never been outside downtown San Francisco/Seattle/or whatever and saw real life in USA. I lived in Florida for couple of years, and I never saw (anywhere I had a chance to live) such grotesque contrast between poverty in the inside cities and absurd richness on the oceanfront.

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If you think that is in any way comparable to a country like North Korea (essentially one huge prison camp) or countries in Africa such as Guinee or Congo where maybe a hundred or so people are fabulously wealthy and the rest of the population doesn't have nearly enough to eat, your sense of perspective is, I would say, seriously out of whack.

Not to mention that little thing called "war".

... with Middle East, that already cost 3*10^12 $??

And the US is still doing fine. They can waste a lot more resources before it's going to be as bad as in some other places.

I'd say that that war is a lot worse in Middle East than it is in the US. Not speaking from personal experience, but having a $5000 dollar bomb dropped on you and/or your relatives seems like it'd be worse than paying for it.

You know what, as I mentioned in other posts - inequality in USA is already as bad as in Africa and is rapidly approaching South American's numbers. Of course bottom line is not as bad as in Africa, but quality of life for poors is already totaly incomparable with Europe. So from the point of view of Africans or Brazilians - yes USA is not that bad. From Canadian/European point view - USA is rather troubled place.

Thanks for giving a bit more background and some nuances. If you were fleshing this out a some more (and give more sources), this could get interesting.

By the way, how do you account for the number of people willing to emigrate to the US, if it's such a bad place?

What kind of numbers you want? GINI (inequality index)?: ok http://mapscroll.blogspot.com/2009/04/is-us-becoming-third-w... That the poors are doing here worse than anywhere else in developed world: obvious from the GINI.

How do I account number of people willing to immigrate: 1. It is way,way easier to move to USA, than anywhere else in developed world. 2. Proximity of Latin American/Carribean countries, which are verrry bad. And you do not need an expensive ticket from Haiti for example. Just find whatever floating and have a free ride.

Now how you account for that: http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/03/02/the-real-high-tech-... ?

Florida? Are you serious?

yes, why? Have ever been to west palm beach, and then palm beach itself? Difference is obvious. I am not even talking about Miami beach and Miami.

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