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TreasureKY -> RE: Keith Olbermann and the Twitter mess ... (3/31/2009 5:13:34 PM)
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quote:
ORIGINAL: rulemylife
quote:
ORIGINAL: TreasureKY
Hmmm... Standard of living sometimes takes into consideration factors in addition to GNP.
Standard of living: degree of prosperity in a nation, as measured by income levels, quality of housing and food, medical care, educational opportunities, transportation, communications, and other measures. The standard of living in different countries is frequently compared based on annual per capita income. On an individual level, the standard of living is a measure of the quality of life in such areas as housing, food, education, clothing, transportation, and employment opportunities.
I wouldn't offhandedly rule out CruelNUnusual's comment as invalid. While comparing countries outright, the GNP may show the US as having only the fourth highest SoL in the world, I suspect that it is the individuals within those countries that make up the spirit of CNU's statement.
I agree wholeheartedly with the first paragraphs, but I've posted links before that by any measurement we no longer have the highest standard of living.
I can look those up if you doubt it, but I'm getting lazy right now.
I don't really understand what you meant in the last paragraph about individuals making up the spirit of his statement.
Sorry... even Firm said I wasn't very clear. Allow me to break down the definition I provided and perhaps that will help illustrate my point.
The standard of living in different countries is frequently compared based on annual per capita income.
You provided statistics which compared SoL of different countries based solely on GNP.
As the definition states, this is an accurate way to compare countries across the board.
On an individual level, the standard of living is a measure of the quality of life in such areas as housing, food, education, clothing, transportation, and employment opportunities.
However technically accurate the comparison of countries is based on GNP, when it comes to comparing individuals, much more than GNP is taken into consideration.
My inclination was to accept that CNU's comment was with regard to individuals and not strictly the countries. I'd have to see widespread proof that Luxembourg, Norway & Switzerland all have higher standards in housing, food, education, clothing, transportation, and employment opportunities than the US, before I'd believe that they've overtaken the US in overall standard of living.
From the very article you quoted:
GNP per capita only counts consumption that can be measured in money. Therefore GNP statistics cannot capture the true quality of life in a country, nor do they necessarily define the best nations in the world. GNP per capita does tell a general story about a country's overall wealth - one that should be taken with a grain of salt and without stereotyping the living standard for all citizens.
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