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Originally posted by passthedutchie
Yes the United States generates innovation and development, but it also loses points in the humanity department. Take a look at the pharmaceutical and agriculture industries, and how their advancements could greatly benefit the third world and developing countries, but they are more focused on the profits that go above and beyond funding their R&D budgets.
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You see, that's exactly what I was talking about when I started this thread. Why should pharmaceutical companies strive to break even? You think just covering their R&D expenses is enough? Do you devote your life to helping third world and developing countries? You obviously own a computer, you selfish bastard. Why didn't you give the money you used to buy that computer to a charity for sick children in a developing country? $800 goes a long way, you know.
That's exactly what you're asking a company to do if you think they should recoup their R&D budgets and nothing more. Those companies take risks. Many of them go bust, and their investors lose everything. Why shouldn't they get big rewards if they develop something useful? Why do you think someone in what you consider a developing company is entitled to have corporations work to cure their ills, with no profit? What motivation would these companies have in the first place to develop new medicine, if they didn't get any profits in return?
During the big antrhax scare, people were up in arms because XYZ Drug Company (I forget who it really was) had the only known anthrax innoculation, and they were charging more than people thought was fair. Of course some knee-jerk politicians were suggesting legislation to force XYZ to sell at a steep discount. XYZ just happened to take the risks necessary to see a need for an anthrax innoculation in the first place, and then develop it. And people want to punish them for taking those risks. Who would have bailed out XYZ if a natural cure were found for anthrax, and they went bankrupt?
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Sorry to tell you, but there are countries out there that have just as much, if not more opportunity than the United States.
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You were talking about standard of living, not opportunity. I maintain my original position that the U.S. has more opportunity than any other nation.