The issue of the declining standard of living for Americans contrasted with the relatively high standard of living among Europeans is something that I have spoken about at length here on this blog.
Truth be told, it still astonishes me, the degree to which Americans absolutely want to vote against their own interest, as well as what they are apparently willing to put up with from obviously exclusively self-serving bosses and corporations that, these days, systematically aim to try and gain every penny of profit from those who cannot afford it.
Frankly, this is a system here in America, a way of life that just seems unsustainable, on so many levels. Compared with pretty much every other industrialized nation (not just western Europe), the United States simply seems to be going in the wrong direction. The only thing that really seems to make Americans stand out in terms of the way that they feel about things these days is their tendency to believe in that illusion (or delusion) of "American exceptionalism". Yes, most Americans truly seem to think that the rest of the world should stop what they are doing, and copy our way of life.
Thankfully, that has not happened. Europeans are the ones that are most often compared with Americans for living standards, and that is quite understandable. After all, if we talk about the European Community, we are talking about an economic and political (and even military) superpower. Add to that the fact that the standard of living is relatively comparable to that of Americans and, in certain countries (particularly the Scandinavian countries), the standard of living probably far exceeds that of ordinary Americans.
When we hear about this economic recovery, we always hear about how Wall Street is doing. But in my life, with average Americans all around me, I hardly see any real signs of some economic boom. In fact, the price of things generally tends to keep going up, and even when there is an exception, like with the price of oil right now, the price of everything else just stays level, at best. More often, prices go up. When was the last time that rent locally in New Jersey generally did not go up?
Want to know another thing that just keeps getting more and more costly here in the United States? Healthcare.
Yes, I know, you have heard it before. And I have said it before. Actually, numerous times.
Still, it is such a relevant point, and something for which the United States truly does stand out, only not for the reasons that most Americans want to hear about. Despite spending, on average, more than most Europeans do on healthcare, the American system is failing tens of millions of it's people. There are medicines that are out of the price range for so many but the wealthiest of Americans. Obamacare might have helped, or it might rightfully be defined by the gaping holes that many have found in it.
Healthcare is likely to be the major, defining issue in the United States in terms of living standards for the people here for many years to come, until it finally wises up and chooses to look at the models available in other industrialized nations, and sets up a system of universally, affordable healthcare. Of all of the growing discrepencies between the lifestyle in the States versus that in Europe, and every single other industrialized nation, this is the most crippling, and the one in which, it seems, Americans keep falling behind faster and faster.
It is not the only one, however. Europeans have better healthcare, yes. But they also have plenty of other benefits that most Americans can only wish they had. These include affordable child care, more vacation time, better public transportation, more affordable cars with far better gas mileage, environmental regulations that, while far from perfect, put Americans standards in this regard to shame. Taxes are certainly higher in Europe, to be sure. But the people also ensure that they get the most bang for their buck. And it seems to work. People enjoy the benefits that they receive.
By contrast, here in the United States, we are getting more heated political discussion, largely because of the excessive cynicism that resides here regarding the political process. All around us are signs that things are not working. Pick up the newspapers, and you will see headlines dominated by high crime, by corporate and political corruption, and by scary projections from scientists regarding our collective future.
In Europe and elsewhere (such as Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and South Africa), that usually translates to doing something about these issues. When there are mass shootings in some countries, they pass tighter gun laws. Here in the United States, the NRA often holds a rally near the location of the shooting instead. In other countries, when there are dire projections of the detrimental impact of climate change, which most scientists believe is caused by human activity, there is a real effort made to tighten that impact. Here in the United States, we have prominent Senators explain that they are not scientists, and one such Congressman brought in a snowball to show how cold it was outside as proof that "Global Warming" does not exist!
Sigh.
But that is another topic altogether, although I will have a blog entry about that very soon.
In the meantime, please take a look at the article (see link below) where Robert Reich explains why Americans, despite the supposedly strong economic recovery, are still struggling mightily, while Europeans, despite consistently lousy economic news, tend to be okay overall.
Robert Reich: Why Americans are screwed and Europeans are not ROBERT REICH, ALTERNET 16 MAR 2015 A
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