[Archangelsk]

One other thing to consider: where else but the west do the poor have cell phones, color t.v., cars, $100 sneakers?

You are connecting things to quality of life? Let's examine this:

cell phones

The greatest marketing scam ever conceived. Two years ago, I jettisoned my cell phones and beepers and have not missed them at all. My voice mail takes messages when I'm not in the office and I return them promptly. My work has not suffered one wit because of a lack of "wireless". Furthermore, most of the snippets of conversation that I've caught in the last couple of months have been nothing less than vapid conversation that borders on inane. For this we pay all that money?

color T.V.

The great time waster of all time soon to be taken over by the Internet.

$100 Sneakers

You must be joking if you think this is an advance.

Unfortunately, the poor are more susceptible to brainwashing and are convinced these items improve the quality of their lives.

[Skooz]

I think you missed the point of AIRFORCE76's post. His point, I believe, is that even the poor in the US have an affluence that would qualify them as middle-class in most of Europe. That is unassailably true.

[AIRFORCE76]

The next poster got my point, sorry you didn't. Regardless of your opinion of any individual product the simple truth is that the poorest in this country live like the wealthiest of other countries. You don't have to go very far to the south of our border to see destitution. Mexico, much as I love the people and the country, have suffered under 70 years of socialist mismanagement of the economy and all their resources, animal, vegetable, or mineral.

[Old Professer]

I spent a boring month in Vapid once, it was so close to being silly.