Sources: NY Times Report
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2006/dec2006/ineq-d12.shtml
http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/16760690.htm (McClatchy Report)
The Human Rights Record in the U.S. in 2006
China's report on Human Rights Violations in America
by China's State Council
The U.S. Justice Department reported on Sept. 10, 2006 that there were 5.2 million violent crimes in the United States in 2005, the highest rate in 15 years. The United States has the largest number of privately owned guns in the world.
The United States has the world's largest number of prisoners. According to a report issued by the U.S. Department of Justice on Nov. 30, 2006, by the end of 2005, nearly 2.2 million inmates were held in state and federal prisons or country and municipal jails. The adult U.S. correctional population, including those on probation or parole, reached a high of more than Seven million men and women for the first time. About three percent of the U.S. adult population, or one in every 32 adults, were in the nation's prisons and jails or on probation or parole. A report, issued by the U.S. Department of Justice on Sept. 7, 2006, said that more than half of the inmates in U.S. prisons suffered from mental problems.
The Americans in poverty constitute the “Third World” of U.S. society. A report released by the U.S. Census Bureau on August. 29,2006 said there were 37 million people living in poverty in 2005, accounting for 12.6 percent of total U.S. population. The report also said there were 7.7 million families in poverty and one out of eight Americans was living in poverty in 2005. The poverty rates of Cleveland and Detroit were as high as 32.4 percent and 31.4 percent respectively and nearly one out of three was living under the poverty line.
There are 600,000 or so homeless people nationwide, including 16,000 homeless in Washington D.C. and 3,800 in New York City, and 88,345 in LA area.
The United States lags behind most countries in legal protection for labor and family-friendly policies in the workplace. The Voice of America reported on Feb. 4,2007 that a study of 173 countries with high, middle and low income jointly conducted by Harvard University and McGill University found the United States is one of the only five countries that do not guarantee some form of paid maternity leave, the other four countries being Lesotho, Liberia, Swaziland and Papua New Guinea
Unequal Access
According to U.S. Census Bureau's 2005 data, in the United States more than half ethnic minority males dropped school before high school graduation, 67.5 percent Hispanics and 53 percent blacks got no further education after graduating from high school. White Americans were more likely to hold a graduate or professional degree. At least 30 percent white adults held a bachelor's degree, compared with 17 percent black adults and 12 percent Hispanic adults.
According to a report released by the Human Rights Watch on Dec. 1, 2006, the number of black inmates was 6.6 times that of whites and the number of Latino inmates was 2.5 times that of white inmates. Statistics showed that about one out of 12 black men were in jail or prison, compared with one in 100 white men. Researchers pointed to poverty, a lack of opportunities, racism in the criminal justice system for the black-white prison gap 12.9 million children under 18 lived below the poverty line by the end of 2005 and 8.3 million children uninsured.
Psychological Stress and Health
Each year in the U.S., thousands of teenagers commit suicide. Suicide is the third leading cause of death for 15-to-24-year-olds. Over sixty-percent of teens who kill themselves use guns.No doubt, China has its own share of problems with human right violation.
Stress is linked to the six leading causes of death: heart disease, cancer, lung ailments, accidents, cirrhosis of the liver, and suicide.1 - Canadian Mental Health Asso
The U.S. Justice Department reported on Sept. 10, 2006 that there were 5.2 million violent crimes in the United States in 2005, the highest rate in 15 years. The United States has the largest number of privately owned guns in the world.
The United States has the world's largest number of prisoners. According to a report issued by the U.S. Department of Justice on Nov. 30, 2006, by the end of 2005, nearly 2.2 million inmates were held in state and federal prisons or country and municipal jails. The adult U.S. correctional population, including those on probation or parole, reached a high of more than Seven million men and women for the first time. About three percent of the U.S. adult population, or one in every 32 adults, were in the nation's prisons and jails or on probation or parole. A report, issued by the U.S. Department of Justice on Sept. 7, 2006, said that more than half of the inmates in U.S. prisons suffered from mental problems.
The Americans in poverty constitute the “Third World” of U.S. society. A report released by the U.S. Census Bureau on August. 29,2006 said there were 37 million people living in poverty in 2005, accounting for 12.6 percent of total U.S. population. The report also said there were 7.7 million families in poverty and one out of eight Americans was living in poverty in 2005. The poverty rates of Cleveland and Detroit were as high as 32.4 percent and 31.4 percent respectively and nearly one out of three was living under the poverty line.
There are 600,000 or so homeless people nationwide, including 16,000 homeless in Washington D.C. and 3,800 in New York City, and 88,345 in LA area.
The United States lags behind most countries in legal protection for labor and family-friendly policies in the workplace. The Voice of America reported on Feb. 4,2007 that a study of 173 countries with high, middle and low income jointly conducted by Harvard University and McGill University found the United States is one of the only five countries that do not guarantee some form of paid maternity leave, the other four countries being Lesotho, Liberia, Swaziland and Papua New Guinea
Unequal Access
According to U.S. Census Bureau's 2005 data, in the United States more than half ethnic minority males dropped school before high school graduation, 67.5 percent Hispanics and 53 percent blacks got no further education after graduating from high school. White Americans were more likely to hold a graduate or professional degree. At least 30 percent white adults held a bachelor's degree, compared with 17 percent black adults and 12 percent Hispanic adults.
According to a report released by the Human Rights Watch on Dec. 1, 2006, the number of black inmates was 6.6 times that of whites and the number of Latino inmates was 2.5 times that of white inmates. Statistics showed that about one out of 12 black men were in jail or prison, compared with one in 100 white men. Researchers pointed to poverty, a lack of opportunities, racism in the criminal justice system for the black-white prison gap 12.9 million children under 18 lived below the poverty line by the end of 2005 and 8.3 million children uninsured.
Psychological Stress and Health
Each year in the U.S., thousands of teenagers commit suicide. Suicide is the third leading cause of death for 15-to-24-year-olds. Over sixty-percent of teens who kill themselves use guns.No doubt, China has its own share of problems with human right violation.
Stress is linked to the six leading causes of death: heart disease, cancer, lung ailments, accidents, cirrhosis of the liver, and suicide.1 - Canadian Mental Health Asso
Financial and Job Stress
The leading cause of stress poll by LifeCare cites 1) finance, and 2) job and careers as primary causes of employee stress. The poll was open to employees of LifeCare's 1,500 client companies nationwide via its web site, http://www.lifecare.com/, during the month of April, 2005.
The human costs of outsourcing, offshoring and downsizing manufacturing, high-tech and high skill jobs from developed to developing countries are being increasingly felt everywhere. Having one or two dominant world currency for international trade and Third-world debt may not be a good idea after all!
And what all the above economic, social, mental health dysfunctions got to do with enlightened capitalism or changing the macro system from inside out??? Hmm…may be a whole lot and more.
3 comments:
The USA is clearly not providing a high standard of living to all its citizens. However, the only countries that are doing that are smaller, much more homogenous countries, like Switzerland and Denmark.
I don't think any country of similar population and diversity is doing better than the USA, in terms of average or even lowest 10th percentile quality of life.
What is your proposal to improve things?
If change needs to happen globally, it must happen here. The discussion link on the right side is a good way to start unravelling the sytemic source of the problem with capitalism.
USA is a powerful country with so many problems both outside and inside.Rich and less spiritual and over materialistic.
Post a Comment