Does America have an obligation to become a third world nation?

[randb]

Cmon, you know this is faulty logic.

couple questions about your hypothetical......Why did tensions rise? did we perhaps break the perameters of an agreed upon cease fire? did we verbally threaten China's existence?

of course not.

Maybe you're only considering the bigger picture..... But why should an innocent lose his life...if he didn't do anything wrong? Shouldn't Bush face trial for murder? Oh... I forgot...he's the most powerful man on earth..he can get away with almost anything. So a poor man's life is worth nothing... I get it.

 

[Wiccan013]

Just to do what is right. You just don't care about the poor do you?

Lost Soul, Where exactly do you live? America? If so go to a third world country and live there for a while, and then explain to me again why the U.S.A needs to be a third world country. "Hate America First"? Is it that you hate the U.S. Government or the country itself? Once again go to a third world country, more than likely it has a communist form of government. Then you will realize how much better you would have it in this country, with some freedoms, than in a country with no freedoms at all.

And to say that the United States of America needs to be a third world country, because we owe it to the poorer countries is just F***ing Stupid.:biglaugh:

Just some thoughts.

 

[Jaymes]

Mod note: This thread is to discuss whether the US has the obligation to become a 3rd world country. If you'd like to discuss something else, please create a new thread for it.

 

[Karl R]

This thread made me curious, so I decided to see what it would take to put a serious dent in poverty worldwide.

These statistics won't be 100% accurate for 2006, but they're all from 2001-2004.

Extreme poverty (or absolute poverty) is defined as earning less than $1 per day.

1.1 billion people live in extreme poverty, approximately 21% of the world's population.

The US GDP (gross domestic product) is 12.47 trillion per year.

$365 for 1.1 billion people equals 3.2% of the US GDP.


I believe Portugal is considered a first-world nation. Portugal's per capita GNP is 35% of the US per capita GNP.

Given these numbers, I would say that extreme poverty could be eliminated (solely by the efforts of the US) without turning the US into a third-world nation.

 

[sparc872]

Given these numbers, I would say that extreme poverty could be eliminated (solely by the efforts of the US) without turning the US into a third-world nation.

As Karl said, we could help the people in extreme poverty right now, without becoming a third world country. We do not need to knock ourselves down several levels just to help everyone out. How about rather than doing that, we give everyone a helping hand up. The no one loses, everyone is better of than before.