Today I sent him the following email:
Dr. Diamond,If I get the time I might publish a more thorough refutation that addresses some of the other points he raises.
In your recent essay "What's your consumption factor?" you stated the following:Much American consumption is wasteful and contributes little or nothing to quality of life. For example, per capita oil consumption in Western Europe is about half of ours, yet Western Europe's standard of living is higher by any reasonable criterion, including life expectancy, health, infant mortality, access to medical care, financial security after retirement, vacation time, quality of public schools and support for the arts.
If this is true, that Western Europe has a higher standard of living, then why do so many Western Europeans emigrate to the U.S. (50,000 in 2006)? I would be surprised if a proportionate number of Americans had moved to Europe during that year (Indeed, while 3,845 Americans (page 69) emigrated to the UK in 2006 over 10,000 UK citizens emigrated to the U.S. -- this despite having a population 5 times smaller). Does it not stand to reason that people tend to emigrate away from places with lower standards of living towards those with higher standards of living? While jobs and economic factors may be a reason, they have to do with money, which is simply a means of obtaining a higher standard of living, so I don't see this as an adequate explanation.
Source: 2006 Yearbook of Immigration Statistics, Office of Immigration Statistics
PERSONS OBTAINING LEGAL PERMANENT RESIDENT STATUS BY REGION AND SELECTED COUNTRY OF LAST RESIDENCE:
FISCAL YEAR 2006
Country Number
Austria 1,301
Belgium 891
Denmark 738
Finland 513
France 4,945
Germany 10,271
Italy 3,406
Netherlands 1,928
Norway 532
Sweden 1,579
Spain 2,387
Switzerland 1,199
United.Kingdom 19,984
Total: 49,674
Regards,
Colin
4 comments:
apples and oranges. Europe does consume less and have a higher/comparable standard of living.
don't see how immigration #s discount that.
a fact's a fact.
conversely, if the US is so great, why are people happier in Central and Latin America (and nigeria!), where consumption and quality of life is substantially less?
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/3157570.stm
Conversely, if they are so happy, why do so many of those in Central and Latin America try to leave for the US?
Mike, you are stating that the standard of living is higher/comparable but provide no evidence to support this assertion. If their standard of living is higher why do they emigrate to the U.S.
It seems illogical to leave a place with a better standard of living for an inferior one.
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