Is America a third world country?

@Flarbalard, I was curious about nurse practitioners & what they can do in the different states. Each is different with either full, reduced or restricted practice authority ( Nurse Practitioner Practice Authority: A State-by-State Guide | NurseJournal.org ). I didn't look it up the specific education required, but I'm sure each state has their own standard as well.

We've seen a Certified Nurse Practitioner for years & she's been just as good as any MD that we've had. Now it's not uncommon for specialists in our area to have either a CNP or PA assisting them in seeing their of patients.

A while back, my husband & I was talking to our CNP about degrees. She said you had to have either a masters or a doctoral degree & mentioned that Ohio was thinking about making it a doctoral. That hasn't happened yet, but will be interesting to what they will do. After seeing what they go through in Ohio, it seems that it will closer to the point of having the same amount of schooling as a GP MD.

I can honestly say that when I was in the hospital, the nurses I had was more in tune in with their patients than the doctor on duty. I was throwing up for 30 hours & the two nurse said I needed a NG tube. One of them called the doctor & told him to write the order for it so they could do it. That stopped it immediately.
 

fuzzybuddy said:
The concept that the US is declining comes from the idea that there was once a happy, shining era, where all was right in the world. And now it's lost. Truth is there never was such a time. Every era was filled with wars, riots, injustices, etc., and human suffering. It's easier to remember the good times, and forget other times. Plus, we now have a global economy, where the Third World is becoming economically equal to other nations. No longer is wealth confined to a few nations.
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I believe your spot on & said what I was thinking.
 
Lilac said:
@Flarbalard, I was curious about nurse practitioners & what they can do in the different states. Each is different with either full, reduced or restricted practice authority ( Nurse Practitioner Practice Authority: A State-by-State Guide | NurseJournal.org ). I didn't look it up the specific education required, but I'm sure each state has their own standard as well.

We've seen a Certified Nurse Practitioner for years & she's been just as good as any MD that we've had. Now it's not uncommon for specialists in our area to have either a CNP or PA assisting them in seeing their of patients.

A while back, my husband & I was talking to our CNP about degrees. She said you had to have either a masters or a doctoral degree & mentioned that Ohio was thinking about making it a doctoral. That hasn't happened yet, but will be interesting to what they will do. After seeing what they go through in Ohio, it seems that it will closer to the point of having the same amount of schooling as a GP MD.

I can honestly say that when I was in the hospital, the nurses I had was more in tune in with their patients than the doctor on duty. I was throwing up for 30 hours & the two nurse said I needed a NG tube. One of them called the doctor & told him to write the order for it so they could do it. That stopped it immediately.
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Thank you for the link , I am most familiar with full practice NP's. I have no problem with NP's or medics , but it greatly varies from person to person. My wife quite literally, is alive today because of an NP.

NP's and Physician Assistants can be able to handle a number of medical situations, that don't really need an MD. In the case of my wife, the MD seeing her is a great guy, but with so many possibilities from the presented symptoms, he chose the wrong path. As luck would have it when she had deteriorated to the point she was admitted was a Friday, there are no MD's present on Fridays. Often they're working at satellite locations elsewhere.
 

There has been a mix of thoughts as far as the woman in the video from the original post. This is just mine...

IMO, she is making money being an influencer. She's one of those people who picks a topic that's hot at the moment & then preys on those who will take the bait that is posted & will send money. Quite a while back, someone else had posted another female who had a similar videos.

I'm curious on how much money influencers like her can take in over a year. It's all taxable income no matter how much or little she makes & is subject to IRS rules whether she lives in the states or abroad. She can also be responsible for paying taxes to the country she is in. Do they pay their fair share? Who knows?

I understand people can hit rough spots in life through no fault of their own & honestly need help. Helping them get back to where they were so they can be independent again isn't an issue. What ever happened to encouraging people rather than teaching them self-pity or that it's ok to keep taking?

It's sad when you have someone scamming the system taking from those who are legitamately in need. Has anyone ever watched their local news reports showing drive-thru food pantries that open up during the holidays? There are people in line claiming they don't have money for food, but are able to make payments for the not-so-cheap cars their driving.
 
America is not a 3rd world country.

ms gamboolgal and I lived and worked in West Africa for almost 20 year while I worked for megaoil corp before retiring. We lived in the places no one goes to vacation at. The poverty and corruption was just sad - folks have no idea what goes on. So many sad things happen that never make the main stream media.

Having said that, we have lots of issues of our own in-house.

I will say that the feeling of coming back to Texas after being overseas for months was wonderful every time.
 
Lilac said:
There has been a mix of thoughts as far as the woman in the video from the original post. This is just mine...

IMO, she is making money being an influencer. She's one of those people who picks a topic that's hot at the moment & then preys on those who will take the bait that is posted & will send money. Quite a while back, someone else had posted another female who had a similar videos.

I'm curious on how much money influencers like her can take in over a year. It's all taxable income no matter how much or little she makes & is subject to IRS rules whether she lives in the states or abroad. She can also be responsible for paying taxes to the country she is in. Do they pay their fair share? Who knows?

I understand people can hit rough spots in life through no fault of their own & honestly need help. Helping them get back to where they were so they can be independent again isn't an issue. What ever happened to encouraging people rather than teaching them self-pity or that it's ok to keep taking?

It's sad when you have someone scamming the system taking from those who are legitamately in need. Has anyone ever watched their local news reports showing drive-thru food pantries that open up during the holidays? There are people in line claiming they don't have money for food, but are able to make payments for the not-so-cheap cars their driving.
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there

There are always examples of people scamming the system. It is scarier when it comes from the top.
 
hollydolly said:
yes that's it decribed exactly... but it's endemic throughout the UK, no difference between the services in the city compared to the rual shires... everyone is getting the same treatment... they've gone from Nurse practitioners at my GP surgery..to Paramedics seeing the ''less important'' maladies...
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Here it seems most of this is being driven by corporate medicine. An example of this would be our optometrist. We have the same Doctor, who is just fine, but a few years ago they sold the practice and dispensary to a corporation. All the office staff and opticians were replaced and it simply isn't even close to the quality of service, of 2 years ago. Especially important when scheduling, or refusal to do so, of post op exams or the fitting of eye glasses.

I am pleased at least for traditional medical concerns we have access to care, whether it be our GP, the on call MD (M-Th) or an NP. A few of the specialties that used to be on a rotating calendar now require people to travel to other towns, 60+ miles or so. We also don't have access for medical helicopters as we did a few years ago-- out about 5 minutes flight time, now they closest one I know of is about 30 minutes out flight time, not maybe that big a deal, unless your one of the people that was severely injured in farm, or vehicle accident.
 
What I consider a third world country is one where you  cannot get help when you need it.

Starving? Well, sorry, THERE IS NO FOOD. The fields have been burned and the relief shipments are not getting through.

Sick? Well, sorry, THE HOSPITAL HAS BEEN BOMBED AND THERE ARE NO DOCTORS. You're free to lay your dying child there in the destroyed courtyard and fan the flies off him.

Homeless? Sorry, there's not even an old piece of canvas to shelter your family. There's plenty of sand and dirt, though. Just watch out for the mines

In the United States, you CAN get help. But you have to help yourself, too. There are shelters, there are food banks, the are free medical clinics. You have to utilize them, but too many people want manna to fall in their laps. There's a nice warm homeless shelter to sleep in but those meanies won't let me shoot up while I'm here so WAAAH! I have to sleep in the alley.

I could go on, but I won't. Off the soapbox.
 
After reading all of the posts here, I am grateful not to have to pay for any
medical insurance, medical, dental or vision care.

I feel very fortunate to be living in the greatest country on the globe. (My opinion.)
That doesn’t mean we couldn’t be better. I do believe that our military is number one.
I just hope we never have to prove it. We have learned a lot from the many wars we have fought.
 
Classifying countries as First, Second, Third, and Fourth World is an old concept, created after the end of World War II in 1945.

I wasn't around to know how most Americans felt from 1939-1945. I've been told there was a strong sense of patriotism in America during those years. The Great Depression of 1929 was a very different story, when Americans felt a whole range of emotions, including fear, loss of control, and despair, as they lost their jobs, homes, and savings.

Feelings change depending on circumstances.

I feel differently when I hear "America The Beautiful" now than I felt when I heard Ray Charles sing it in 1972.
 
Rich said:
I think if you look into this you'll find that hospitals have 2 separate pricing schedules, one is what they charge you if you're paying cash. The other is what they bill the insurance companies.
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Oh yeah, that's right. Cash gets you at least 20% off here. Same with dentists and oral surgeons. When I didn't have dental insurance, I always got a 20% discount. That came in really handy when my son broke his 2 front teeth attempting a backflip at the grocery store.

The floors were ceramic tiles on cement foundation and my son was a 10yr-old doofus. 😝
 
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Been There said:
I do believe that our military is number one.
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One would certainly hope so. The U.S. military budget stands at roughly $900 billion annually. When you divide that by the 153 million tax returns filed in 2022, it amounts to approximately $5,882 per taxpayer. The figure might shift slightly depending on how many returns represent joint filings, but the takeaway remains clear: American taxpayers shoulder a substantial financial burden to fund our military.
 
fuzzybuddy said:
The concept that the US is declining comes from the idea that there was once a happy, shining era, where all was right in the world. And now it's lost. Truth is there never was such a time. Every era was filled with wars, riots, injustices, etc., and human suffering. It's easier to remember the good times, and forget other times. Plus, we now have a global economy, where the Third World is becoming economically equal to other nations. No longer is wealth confined to a few nations.
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Since this is about America no douubt in my mind there is a decline Not only real but recognized otherwise there would not be MAGA hats, MAGA T shirts. Thats not political it's a 4 letter acronym for recognition of decline.

For me these are the main reasons. Increased population & decrease in better paying manufacturing jobs.

Total current population for the United States in 2025 is 343,603,404. Or about doubled since 1960 when I left home to begin living an adult life. With only a high school education opportunities were everywhere for me. I could be wrong but I don't think that is possible now.

Recovering what has been lost to competition that can make products, ship those products & cost less won't be easy to overcome. I sincerly doubt that will be possible. So decline will continue until ??
 
Rich said:
One would certainly hope so. The U.S. military budget stands at roughly $900 billion annually. When you divide that by the 153 million tax returns filed in 2022, it amounts to approximately $5,882 per taxpayer. The figure might shift slightly depending on how many returns represent joint filings, but the takeaway remains clear: American taxpayers shoulder a substantial financial burden to fund our military.
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The thing is, the US signed on decades ago to protect its allies, democratic nations, and bludgeoning democratic nations militarily. At the time, a lot of those countries had puny military forces and some had no military at all aside from cross-trained police forces. So, while it's true American taxpayers have a sizable burden in supporting a massive military, they're contributing to the security of other countries, too.

In theory, that also secures the safety of the US, but in reality, I think we can all agree there's been times when that objective was ..ehh... a bit blurry. At least in the eyes of the average citizen.
 
I agree that there has been a decline and more importantly a shift in attitude.

It feels like the majority are only concerned about what’s best for them and their families immediate needs or what the government can do for them specifically.

A good old fashioned crisis used to draw Americans together to work for the common good but even those times feel more like every man for himself.

I’m not sure but I believe that much of the shift may be related to the internet, social media, etc…

I’m afraid that we need a bit of tough love to get things on track, pay our bills, sacrifice for the greater good, etc…
 
Knight said:
For me these are the main reasons. Increased population & decrease in better paying manufacturing jobs.

Total current population for the United States in 2025 is 343,603,404. Or about doubled since 1960 when I left home to begin living an adult life. With only a high school education opportunities were everywhere for me. I could be wrong but I don't think that is possible now.

Recovering what has been lost to competition that can make products, ship those products & cost less won't be easy to overcome. I sincerly doubt that will be possible. So decline will continue until ??
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I don't disagree, but I would argue that propaganda and generational dependence on welfare are also big factors.

Factory work pays a decent wage, and we do have factories producing various things from plastic bags to automobiles. Entry-level workers are paid upwards from $18-$20/hr. I can only guess that no one is telling young men and women that those jobs are out there. And alot of those factories only require they pass a GED test. Some of them are in dire need of workers.

Also, kids can still get grants to get skills-training in construction, plumbing, cement work, nursing, medical assistant, medical transcribing, etc. And many workers unions offer free training and apprenticeships. My grandson joined the iron workers union, and has an excellent job after 9 months of paid training. He's still considered a trainee, but even with their entry-level jobs, he's making good money.

Right now, there are over 300-thousand job openings in skills jobs like construction, electrician, nursing, etc...a long list.

Opportunities are there, it just seems like nobody's telling the kids.
 
When ACA was in formation, there was a proposal of a government sponsored health plan (such as Medicare), that can run in parallel with private insurance. I.e.., people could have had a choice between government health plan or private health insurance. This proposal was rejected by private health insurance out right. The health insurance companies wanted the government to pay them to run everything, while there could be no laws or agency or competitors to control their prices. So here we are, we have this ACA that uses tax payers money to fuel private insurance company without any price bargaining power.
 
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.....So here we are, we have this ACA that uses tax payers money to fuel private insurance company without any price bargaining power
Medicare, on the other hand, is a totally different story. Many drugs and medical procedures are charged at different (lower) price when billed to Medicare, because Medicare has a bargaining power to keep the price in check.
Capitalism is great to create wealth for the society, but I believe there should also be a social system to be the foundation of wellbeing for the general public. Healthcare and education are parts of this foundation.
 
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outlander said:
A very large portion of Americans are struggling economically. American society makes profit the priority for health care, groceries, basic housing and utilities. Capitalism is good and a smart and motivated person should have the right to become wealthy and successful. But not at the expense of lower income people not having basic necessities. I'm not a socialist, but there must be a better and more humane way to do things.
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To answer the thread title: No, not even close.

I have stated many times, and will state again, the US is a wonderful, fantastic, beautiful place. But that does not make it perfect, and in some instances it is very much on the wrong track. Some of those are deeply ingrained (I won't mention them here, since I don't want to debate them), others are casually pushed aside. Sometimes the US can give the impression that it doesn't care about its citizens. Well, unless they're generating money. But life isn't work (I learned the hard way), and life is much more than work and bank accounts.

But one look at a third world country will tell you categorically that for all its faults, the US isn't close. I don't think people realize that goes on elsewhere.
 
Murrmurr said:
I don't disagree, but I would argue that propaganda and generational dependence on welfare are also big factors.
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You are right there is a need for skilled trades. I looked for info on salary & most promising states to get a job.

10 Best States For Tradesmen In 2025 - Zippia

Could be hiring depends on level of skill. If employer is willing to train, if person is willing to relocate to get the kind of job in the trade he is interested in. A lot of variables.

From that web site I'll use California example.

1. California
Total tradesman jobs: 6
Average annual salary: $52,246
Lowest 10 percent earn: $41,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $66,000
Location Quotient:
0.55
Tradesman jobs in California


In California, fast food workers at chains with at least 60 locations nationwide are now subject to a $20 per hour minimum wage, effective April 1, 2024. This increase was part of the Fast Food Accountability and Standards Recovery (FAST) Act, also known as AB 1228, which also established a Fast Food Council to set future wage and working standards.
Google Search

$20.00 X 40 work week equals $800.00 or $41,600.00 annually.

Is it possible that rather than learn a skill, move to where that skill will be needed for the rest of their working years that opting for a no real skill needed basic job is preferred. And that as you posted generational dependence on welfare are also big factors.
 
Knight said:
You are right there is a need for skilled trades. I looked for info on salary & most promising states to get a job.

10 Best States For Tradesmen In 2025 - Zippia

Could be hiring depends on level of skill. If employer is willing to train, if person is willing to relocate to get the kind of job in the trade he is interested in. A lot of variables.

From that web site I'll use California example.

1. California
Total tradesman jobs: 6
Average annual salary: $52,246
Lowest 10 percent earn: $41,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $66,000
Location Quotient:
0.55
Tradesman jobs in California
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The average cost to rent a one bedroom apartment in California is $2200 a month. So with taxes, and other expenses, that money doesn't go far.
 
Quackers said:
Thanks for explaining Murrmurr, understanding more now.
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If you don’t have insurance, they only have to treat you if for instance, you’ve been in an accident and require immediate medical care or you will die. If you have diabetes and can’t afford your insulin or doctor visits, you may die and you will not receive healthcare. If you get cancer or another chronic illness and don’t have any type of insurance, you will meet the same fate.This has happened many times in the US.

Once Medicaid is cut, you’re going to see this happening to more people. The sad thing is many of these people will be the working poor whose jobs don’t come with health insurance.
 
Teacher Terry said:
If you don’t have insurance, they only have to treat you if for instance, you’ve been in an accident and require immediate medical care or you will die. If you have diabetes and can’t afford your insulin or doctor visits, you may die and you will not receive healthcare. If you get cancer or another chronic illness and don’t have any type of insurance, you will meet the same fate.This has happened many times in the US.

Once Medicaid is cut, you’re going to see this happening to more people. The sad thing is many of these people will be the working poor whose jobs don’t come with health insurance.
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That's not true. My one SIL didn't have insurance or Medicaid & she spent 3 months in the hospital being treated for intestinal/stomach issues. Since her only income was SSI & she couldn't pay her bill, the hospital wrote it off.

The only people being cut from medicaid are the ones who shouldn't been on it in the first place. If you think about it, those who shouldn't have been on it have been taking money from those who need to be on it.
 

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