==The USA - deliberately planned poverty== 

 The USA has the worst poverty rates (both absolute and relative) in the developed world and yet at the same time has the one of the world's highest per capita GDP. One should concentrate on how this differentiates the USA from the rest of the developed world in terms of literacy, mortality rates, and crime. The arguement that the American poor are not as poor as other nations is false. . . . .Working on the checkout in Walmart USA earns you about 5$ and hour. Working on the checkout in Walmart UK earns you 9$ + complete health insurance + subsidised housing + subsidised child care. Poverty in both the developed world and undeveloped world is more about access to education and health care than wealth per se, and in both cases is measure of the effectiveness of government. Countries can be 'poor' in financial terms but punch well above thier financial resources in terms of the education and health of thier citizens - Costa Rica and Cuba are two examples. Similarly, countries like the USA, in which some states struggle to compete with Cuba, can perform appalling badly. 

 A major edit will follow. . .. . .  

 Albanaich