[lit-ideas] Re: [lit-id] The Poverty of Heritage
- From: "Lawrence Helm" <lawrencehelm@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 24 May 2006 20:00:10 -0700
Note footnote 11 of the Heritage report: "See Katha Pollitt, "Poverty:
Fudging the Numbers," The Nation, November 2, 1998. Pollitt argues that it
is misleading to compare the living space of poor Americans nationwide to
that of average citizens in major cities in other nations, since European
cities, in particular, have small housing units that are not representative
of their entire nations. However, the author of the United Nations Housing
Indicators report asserts that, in most cases, the average housing size in
major cities can be taken as roughly representative of the nation as a
whole. A comparison of the data in Table 4 and Appendix Table A would appear
to confirm this."
" Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz" -- That's what Bruce Bawer said you guys were
doing. I believe it.
Lawrence
_____
From: lit-ideas-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:lit-ideas-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]
On Behalf Of Judith Evans
Sent: Wednesday, May 24, 2006 6:20 PM
To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [lit-ideas] Re: [lit-id] The Poverty of Heritage
LH>But the evidence doesn't agree with your assertions.
LH> Statistics don't support your prejudices.
You've given no statistics that support your prejudices. You've quoted a
statement that
your "poor" (who are financially poorer than our "poor") have more living
space than
people ("average" people) who live in certain major and very expensive
European
cities. That statement is meaningless given that the European cities are
very expensive
and (London apart) very crowded. (I hope that's clear.) You've quoted data
on their possessions plus medical care that I said I found *surprising*
given
a *maximum* income of $18,400/ 23,000/ 21,160. And I do find it
*surprising* that a family
of 4 on that kind of *total* income can afford all that even given that many
goods
are cheaper in the US.
LH> Anecdotal evidence doesn't trump statistical fact.
I don't recall offering anecdotes (not that stats are not anecdotes in
aggregate...).
I've queried various of your statements *given the stats*.
LH>In my current reading about Western Europe I have encountered
LH>several authors who believe Europe is a disaster about ready to
LH>happen. It is doomed. We may as well give up on it. It is well
LH>on its way toward becoming a collection of failed states with a
LH>few exceptions. They don't know how to run their economies.
LH> They aren't managing their entitlements. They don't know how to
LH>integrate their immigrants. They don't know how to defend
LH> themselves, and they are in serious danger of reverting to something
akin to Fascism.
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
LH>I read one author who argued that America should rescue Europe once
again. I don't think so.
particularly given how late you tend to leave it....
Gary Younge says some people in the US tell him if it weren't for them, he'd
be speaking German
now. No, he says, he'd be speaking Yoruba.
Judy Evans, Cardiff
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