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Well, don’t fall for the hyperbole in these kinds of articles. Here is some factual data to ponder: The U.S. is a big, diverse country. European countries are not. Here are some population figures: 2023 Population Denmark 5,910,913
Finland 5,545,475
Greenland 56,643
Iceland 375,318
Norway 5,474,360
Sweden 10,612,086 Each of the following states has a population equal to or greater than any one of the countries listed above: California 40,223,504
Texas 30,345,487
Florida 22,359,251
New York 20,448,194
Pennsylvania 13,092,796
Illinois 12,807,072
Ohio 11,878,330
Georgia 11,019,186
North Carolina 10,710,558
Michigan 10,135,438 Homelessness is a serious problem in the U.S., and it is visible on the streets of major U.S. inner cities. However, the percentage of homelessness is just 0.16% of the total population. There are roughly 530,000 homeless in the US. Of these, roughly 30% have mental health issues and roughly 30% have addiction issues. Many of these folks either refuse temporary housing/shelters or are in and out of shelters. It is a complex problem without a single solution. For those that both need and want help, the U.S. culture does not prohibit pulling people up. In fact, we do just the opposite. There are many state and federal programs to provide help to those who want help (housing, food, infant care, etc.). Of total federal government expenditures, entitlement programs account for 49%-almost half of federal money goes to social programs. Furthermore, for those things that aren’t covered by government programs, the U.S. population sends more of its personal discretionary income per capita for donations to good causes than any other country in the world (1.5% of GDP). Our diversity is our strength, as we do not have a monoculture like most smaller European nations. We encourage individuals to be individuals. It seems that socialism (as a political system) may work better in monocultures, but then again it is still early—Europe was at war twice in the past 100 years and before that was ruled by authoritarian monarchies that provided very little in the way of freedom to prosper for their citizens. I hope that those countries with social democratic systems, such as the Nordics, will continue to work well as demographics change and monocultures deteriorate as a result of immigration and falling birth rates. |