Re: how to compare living standards

Jim Blair wrote:

"Quirk" <quirk@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:1140426560.681168.34610@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

But infant mortality also has the drawback of being measured differently in
different countries.

Yes, I mentioned this.

To a certain degree it can be corrected for:

http://sociweb.tamu.edu/Faculty/POSTON/Postonweb/soci312-Spring02/lecture2.doc

Because it becomes a measure of the ability to keep babies "alive"
in a vegetative state.

Nonsense, these babies would have to be kept alive so long that they
where not considered infants anymore when they died, I suspect that the
number of such cases is insignificant in any nation.

I suggest a range of measures including access to clean water, indoor
plumbing, living space per person,

All of this I would expect to be reflected in Infant Mortality Rate.

the distance that people travel during
their lifetime, age of death, education level, etc.

You are imposing your own ideas of living standards that many do not
share.

I think it clear that by these measures, living standards in the USA (and
for most of the people in the world) have improved during the last 30 years,
inspite of claims to the contrary bease on "corrected wage" data.

It is not so much that living standards have not improved in the USA,
it is that the share of the greater total wealth is skewed more than
ever so that property owners benefit more than wage earners. Wager
earners today get a smaller share of a bigger pie, that they are better
off than previous wage earners in no way excuses the fact that the
current rent-collecters are are even bigger robbers than their
predecesors. It is typical of an appologist for exploitation and
privilege to try and make that argument though.

.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: how to compare living standards
    ... That is the way "infant mortality" is usually defined. ... It is not so much that living standards have not improved in the USA, ... ever so that property owners benefit more than wage earners. ... don't like it because the bigger pie is not divided up the way you want it ...
    (sci.econ)
  • Re: how to compare living standards
    ... It is not so much that living standards have not improved in the USA, ... ever so that property owners benefit more than wage earners. ... they easily afford all the necessities of live, or do the struggle to do so? ...
    (sci.econ)