Why....

[Thoros of Myr]

The DS is being released in the US before Japan...strange I know.

[Red Harvest]

Pulled up some stats for 2003, EU per capita income was less than 2/3 that of the US--I don't think that includes recently added countries, but I don't recall when the last addition was. On average, that difference should translate into considerably less disposable income (magnifying the disparity.) Food is not that much of a problem in the US even among the poor. From what I've heard of EU food prices I suspect the US food supply is considerably more affordable on average. Other issues tend to be worse for the poor in the US (like healthcare) but starving is rare except in cases of severe neglect. I was poor as dirt as a kid in the US, but we always ate well--rarely extra helpings of the meat course, limited candy/treats, and soft drink intake was low; but I never went to bed hungry for lack of food.

[Devastatin Dave]

Pulled up some stats for 2003, EU per capita income was less than 2/3 that of the US--I don't think that includes recently added countries, but I don't recall when the last addition was. On average, that difference should translate into considerably less disposable income (magnifying the disparity.) Food is not that much of a problem in the US even among the poor. From what I've heard of EU food prices I suspect the US food supply is considerably more affordable on average. Other issues tend to be worse for the poor in the US (like healthcare) but starving is rare except in cases of severe neglect. I was poor as dirt as a kid in the US, but we always ate well--rarely extra helpings of the meat course, limited candy/treats, and soft drink intake was low; but I never went to bed hungry for lack of food.

This basically means, more capitalism, more gaming. Too bad you guys have gone all socialist over there!!!

[Tamur]

So this is what a political debate begins to sound like on the Org... Huzzah to my policy of avoiding the open forums I'm sure, as they say, I haint seen nothing yet.

[Red Harvest]

This basically means, more capitalism, more gaming. Too bad you guys have gone all socialist over there!!!

I don't see it that way, and it would be best to avoid broadly painting many separate nations with one brush. North American or European, we are living in countries with some form of elected/representative type govt. Each have advantages and disadvantages. Better to celebrate the differences rather than thinking they should be just like us.

I would gladly trade the US healthcare system for so called "socialized medicine." I've seen it from the side of the uninsured poor, and from the side of well insured. Either way it gave me and my family poor service and was not a good value for the money spent. I've had egregious medical mistakes kill relatives, and I've had to get personally involved in care of other family members to correct other life threatening mistakes. When I hear what a great healthcare system we have, I have to wonder what the standard is--I expect a heck of a lot better. I am appalled at the 50% overcharge that is standard practice in the industry. With a 14% annual inflation rate over the past 20 years or so, it won't be long until no employers offer coverage, and premiums for self insurance will be so high as to be unaffordable even for the healthy. Personally, I'm a bit tired of paying exorbitant costs for a system that gives me poor service on the rare instances I use it.

Let's not forget: unfettered capitalism results in the robber baron system we had around 1900, where a few Microsoft type entities ran each major industry as personal monopolies. People seem to forget that free market capitalism requires some regulation to keep it competitive, for it can devolve into monopoly. Capitalism in and of itself is rather ruthless and can be quite destructive, hence the formation of unions, labor laws, anti-trust law, environmental law, conservation law, accounting standards, food labeling & inspection, patents, etc. To give some perspective: those robber barons would utterly balk at the system we have today and would not think it free market at all.

[Jango Fett]

give it to china