Denver Post: The Fabric of America is Fraying as the Economic Downturn Continues

[Hissyspit]

http://www.alternet.org/healthwellness/92717

The Fabric of America Is Fraying as the Economic Downturn Continues
By David Wann, Denver Post. Posted July 26, 2008.

Our economic success, as it's generally measured, obscures some deep social problems.

By certain measurements, the U.S. economy has been quite successful in the last several decades, but the fundamental question remains: Successfully what?

We may lead the world in categories like gross domestic product, average house size, and ownership of color TVs, but we also "lead" the industrial nations in debt per capita, the child poverty rate, overall poverty rate, ratio of people in prison, rate of traffic fatalities, murder rate, carbon dioxide emissions per capita, and the per capita consumption of energy and water.

These are hardly distinctions we can be proud of. Clearly, we're not taking care of what really matters. On the upside, increased awareness of where we stand can guide a reordering of national and local priorities, resulting in a healthier and more satisfying American lifestyle.

Especially eye-opening is data compiled by John de Graaf, director of the non-profit Take Back Your Time, which advocates legislative and lifestyle changes to provide more discretionary time.

The data compares the U.S. with 14 European Union countries in key quality-of-life indicators, demonstrating that many of our economic and cultural priorities are out of step with what humans actually need. Despite the familiar aspiration to be/appear optimistic, it's clear that health care, safety, personal security, equality, education, and leisure time are faltering in America.

For example, even a need as basic as nutrition is compromised when money is poorly allocated or spent. The average American slurps 53 gallons of soft drinks every year, and now spends more in restaurants (many of the fast-food variety) than in grocery stores. "Even wild monkeys have healthier diets than most Americans," says anthropologist Katharine Milton, partly because in our fast-paced world, the emphasis is on snackability, convenience and shelf life rather than human life.

Americans also rank near the bottom among industrial nations in health per unit of food, spending the least for food (as a percentage of income) but the most for health care. In spite of these expenditures, we've fallen to 42nd place in the world for longevity, ranking below Guam and just above Albania. We're also 42nd in infant mortality but No. 1 in obesity, pumping 1 billion extra gallons of gas each year to carry the excess weight -- enough to fuel 1.7 million cars, according to a University of Illinois study.

Coincidentally, Americans are no longer the tallest population in the world; the Dutch are. (In fact, most European populations are, on average, taller than the average American). Researcher John Komlos of the University of Munich speculates that the EU's emphasis on social safety nets, especially in the critical childhood years, may be responsible. De Graaf, co-author of "Affluenza: The All-Consuming Epidemic," agrees. "A 30-year trend of income tax cuts for the rich has decreased quality of life overall in the U.S.," he says. "In contrast, Western European countries invested in their social contracts. Strategic investments in health care, education, transportation, and common space reduced the need of individuals to maximize their own incomes."

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[fasttense]

1. This is the real bush legacy. A country in a very deep recession.

ruled by corporations, wasting billions on wars to control corporate resources, no jobs, no factories, no values, no trust, no compassion. This is bushes real legacy.

[wintemark]

5. The way out of this

I think at least, is with localize programs on small scales that don't pose threats to cooperate interests directly but when done in concert with other small scale community actions across the country have a significant impact.

Things like Community gardens, expanded city bike trails or ordinances that open up city roads to bicycle traffic, more community programs to fight illiteracy like the program that my mothers church does. More after school sports programs, art programs, music programs, and technical programs. I personally would like to see the creation of a health club that is run by the same principles as a credit union or food co op where all members are part owners and all profits are used to expand services subsidize costs to poorer members or in other ways improve local community health and fitness.

[Karl_Bonner_1982]

2. Sounds exactly like what I've been saying

We can produce more stuff but if it takes more stuff to get by, what's the point? And really what is the point if we don't have enough time to enjoy it all?

[wintemark]

3. Stop eating fast food

" The average American slurps 53 gallons of soft drinks every year, and now spends more in restaurants (many of the fast-food variety) than in grocery stores. "Even wild monkeys have healthier diets than most Americans," says anthropologist Katharine Milton,"

I work two jobs one at a McDonald's and the other at a small town grocery store. The amount of food waste at McDonald's is easily several times what it is at the grocery store. Not only is fast food unhealthy for us it is extremely waste full. On the average the daily food waste is about 30 to 40 dollars a day, in store food cost before mark up, the after mark up cost is easily 200 a day. On the average day at the grocery store we waste next to nothing by offering steep discounts on close dated items or using close dated items in our quick selling deli foods and when ever possible we prevent the wasting of food stuffs.

I often think to myself how there is a looming food crisis that is hitting third world countries right now while I am throwing away 15 to 20 salads that are only bad because the sticker on the underside of the salad plate was given a 6 hour time limit that had passed, or how I throw away 40 cookies at a time because McDonald's said that they have to be served within 4 hours of being made or they are bad.

It really gets me how wasteful fast food is as well as how unhealthy it is.

[OnyxCollie]

4. Welcome to DU!

:hi:

Psst: You may want to hit the "check spelling" button before you post.