Health care in America is not free for all, just for some. For poor people, most recent number, June 2010, 50 million on Medicaid. Also, a special program for poor children, CHIP, 5 million, most recent number from 2009. Also elderly, Medicare, available to all citizens aged 65 or over, 33 million as of June 2011. So, almost 1/3 of Americans have free health care.
Not intended to start a debate on "free" health care, which of course is not free. Just to point out that "poverty" as defined in the US is not poverty, per se.
Yes, there are income disparities. You cannot legislate that away. Nor, I suggest, would you want to, even if you could. Otherwise, no incentive for innovation and enterprise. Every country that ever tried that caused hideous misery for almost all but the kleptocracy.
I note, and hope you do too, ongoing debate on this thread on how to get into the US, still the Land of Opportunity. As of 2006, last available statistic, US has more legal immigrants than the rest of the world, combined, and probably the same can still be said for illegal immigrants. 26 million legal, 11 million illegal. More than one million legal immigrants every year. Of whom most have children after they get here. They don't think the US is "in the crapper." Thanks in large part to them, US economy keeps growing. Slower, for sure, but still growing.
Oh, dear, I don't want to get into chest-beating, "whose country is better? Yours or mine?" We aren't going to do that, are we? I think that's boring. |
