We're Better off Than Egypt -- Right? Let's Take a Look.

[Joanne98]

A tourist who was interviewed last night from Cairo spoke for millions of his fellow Americans when he said he couldn't imagine living a country like Egypt. It is hard, isn't it?
Imagine: A government run by and for the rich and powerful. Leaders who lecture others about "sacrifice" and deficits while cutting taxes for corporations and the wealthy. A system so corrupt that rich executives can break the law without fear of being punished. Increasing poverty and hardship even as the stock market rises. And now, a nation caught between a broken political system and a populist movement that could be hijacked by religious extremists at any moment.

No wonder they're upset! Why, we'd be marching in the streets too.

Here's the reality: Income inequality is actually greater in the United States than it is in Egypt. Politicians here have close financial ties to big corporations, both personally and through their campaigns. Corporate lawbreakers often do go unpunished. Poverty and unemployment statistics for US minorities are surprisingly similar to Egypt's.

http://www.opednews.com/articles/We-re-Better-off-Than-Egyp-by-Richard-RJ-Eskow-110130-83.html

And when our citizens try to peacefully protest billioniares trying to steal our democracy, they are met with police in riot gear then arrested.

[dixiegrrrrl]

1. they are met with police in riot gear then arrested.

while the "leaders" in DC publicly call on a dictator in the Middle East to let HIS people protest peacefully and not arrest them!!!!!!!!!

"It isn't that they can't see the solution. It is that they can't see the problem." G.K. Chesterton

[dmallind]

2. Oh great - another reposter who can't distinguish between a ratio and an absolute

I am approximately 1:100000 when compared to Bill Gates in net worth. I am quite comfortable financially. Someone however who is at a 1:10000 (a tenth of the first ratio) compared to me cannot afford a meal outside the likes of Taco Bell. Who is in direr straits?

[yurbud]

3. if you lose your current job, do you expect your next will increase or decrease your income?

[Quantess]

4. Oh, not this embarrassing tripe again!

It's already in General Discussion. It's ridiculous to claim that people in the US have it worse. I understand there is a point to be made, but this is pure hyperbole.

[Citizen Worker]

5. Hyperbole indeed. Just ask someone who has been unemployed for more than 99 weeks and no longer

receives unemployment compensation. He or she would see this as pure hyperbole to compare their plight with that of Egyptians in the streets.

[Lucky Luciano]

6. Many parts of Egypt still use donkeys as a source of transportation.

Sorry - the US is not as poor as Egypt.

[Quantess]

7. I sure hope that was sarcasm.

[txlibdem]

8. Joane, you seem to be beset by the fully indoctrinated

Here's a dose of reality for the head-in-the-sand crowd: you are very likely to be only one paycheck away from going bankrupt or losing your home. Yet you plug your ears and scream "la la la" when someone tries to help you to learn the danger that you are in.

If the poor in USA are so well off then why are there homeless children in this "fantastically rich" country?

Right here in the United States, there are over well over 1.5 million children that are homeless. Many recent studies suggest there are up to as many as 2.8 million children who are homeless. Even more stunning is the fact that 42% of those kids are actually under the age of 6 years old. 32% of them are forced to participate in sexual activity against their will. Many fall victim to the horrors of sex trafficking. A third of them will become so hopeless they will attempt suicide. 13 homeless children will die every day.

http://forsakengeneration.com/

Why do tens of millions of children go to bed hungry each night --right here in the richest country in the world?

The reality is that nearly 17 million children in America—that's almost one in four—face hunger. And it's likely that these children will endure lifelong consequences as a result of having limited access to nutritious foods. In fact, they're more likely to suffer:

* Weaker immune systems
* More stomachaches
* Headaches
* Colds
* Ear infections
* Fatigue
* More hospitalizations
* Behavioral difficulties
* Impaired performance in school-academically, athletically and socially
* A whole host of other lifelong consequences

And hunger doesn't discriminate. It can affect any child—even those you'd least expect.

http://strength.org/childhood_hunger/?gclid=COXpz8qK6qYCFS9m7Aodg0bF1g