Life goes on.

I’m a bit surprised to hear you use stereotypes like that. The government wasn’t clueless because it was right wing, it was clueless because leaders were incompetent. Not very “democratic” of you.

I don’t know how I can prove to you that I don’t try to take in information and bend it to my own beliefs.

I’m sorry, this was never my belief anyway. It is not about bending, but about awareness. That’s all.
And I too like links to more info to broaden view, eventhough I only have time to skim it at best.

1. Well-educated workers who can earn more in the US
2. Low-cost labour from countries with worse conditions
3. Wealthy businessmen looking for greater opportunities

In fact, your visa requirements pretty much guarantee it’s only those groups that get to operate in the US, right?

Continued immigration from those groups doesn’t for a minute mean that there’s good social mobility within a country. It just says that US companies get what they need to make the most money – skilled workers trained at another country’s expense, and cheap labour, and the individuals get to make more money than they could in the place they came from – which involves being in certain groups, either already trained, or coming from an environment of very low opportunity so that even crappy wages seem good (and there’s always the promise of the American Dream, although few will realise it). Where does that leave the indigenous poor? Grass-roots investment seems to always be labelled negatively as socialism, and maybe that’s because in the US history there’s been no need for it, since people from other countries have come in to fill all the gaps needed, chasing the money. That still seems to leave a lot of indigenous people in a sorry state though.

Personally I think as a ‘young’ country the US could get away with playing a bit fast and loose and not worrying about social fabric very much, because of all the raw materials, space and constant influx of people hungry for opportunity. But when you saturate that land you have to start dealing with all the social issues of a more static, indigenous population, and that has to mean taking more account of utilising the people you already have better, rather than just discarding the ones that are too much trouble and advertising for immigrants who are less hassle.

I wonder if it has ever occurred to people in the US that Europe is like it is not because we’re a bunch of whining lefties, but because it’s had more of these kinds of issues for a few hundred years longer, and policy has evolved to cope with it? Europe used to be a far wilder, less socially responsible place too, but it changed to respond to changing needs.

Steve, do you ever wonder why so many people immigrate to the United States? If the American dream doesn’t work, why do people keep coming in, since the dawn of our nation? You’d think they would get the picture after a few hundred years, no?

Ok, so its my turn. Where are your non-anecdotal evidence for “Not all are economical in their nature” statement. Start pumping out facts, we can’t hold a debate unless you start throwing out you tube links and article links. Do you not agree with what I say purely because I haven’t bookmarked everything I’ve read, seen, and heard, or do you have your own articles and facts to back up your own claims. If you want to discuss like this, please, start throwing up links.

You realize that I made a much more modest statement than you did? For me to prove my point I just have to point out one reason and one person that considers it important. (I leave this as an exercise)

But your statement about how the USA are going socialist is much wider reaching. It reminds me of a surreal discussion that has been raised earlier this year in Germany.
There was a mugging in Munich committed by resident aliens, something that is tragic but it happens all the time. Somehow this found its way into national news. Since important elections were imminent, one party started to exploit the case and made a big fuzz about how crime rates are rising. Soon polls were made on the issue, they showed that people had more fear to become victim in criminal assault and considered the crime rates there on the raise. Every assault, usually only shown in the crime section of local papers made national news.
Only there was no crime rate raise. It falls slowly but steadily over the last decades, with a few hiccups. At the same time though news and boulevard magazine coverage of criminal assaults raised.

My point is, that just having a feeling about an issue getting more grave or less, doesn’t mean it actually has to be the case.
Also the confirmatiomn bias is a strong force you have to reckon with. With politics I now draw my informations from a wide variety of sources, also those who contradict my own standpoint. It made me reconsider my positions greatly the last few months.

Forget about the Ivy League and their outrageous tuition costs .. There is a very well developed system of mid-level educational institutions, namely various types of community colleges and the like, generally lavishly equipped with just about everything you would ever need ( my wife works as a lab manager at local cc … recently she told me they purchased a 3d scanner for about 30 K … sounds like fun)

The problem lies with primary education which is frankly a disaster waiting to happen.
And its not about the money , they have plenty of money … it is about the curriculum ,which is imho ridiculous – the kids here are literally 4-5 years behind from where I was at their age ( and at that age 4 years is a lot .)

Somehow they will need to fix this problem because, frankly, I don’t see how this country will be able to maintain itself as a technology leader.

(of course feel free to ignore the question if that’s too personal – I’m just wondering)

I’m really not talking very rich either – kids from middle class families have a much better chance of being middle class themselves too, and kids from poor backgrounds have a high chance of being poor themselves if they don’t get access to good education. It’s not impossible of course, but it’s a lot harder.

Well, you are talking about ultra-rich people …
In my case I came to this country with nothing … literally $200 in my pocket and promise of a job.
10 years later I am in the top 10% in terms of income … not rich my any means but, obviously the American Dream is not an exclusive club.