Working Conditions and Benefits

My experience working in the US was that US 'executives' suffer from presenteism. Not only do they have fewer holidays, they seem to be at work for longer hours. But they were no more productive for it - in my industry anyway.In my experience it was a fear thing. I was surprised to find that my colleagues had no employment contracts, they can and were sacked without notice or warning and without compensation.There are plenty of international productivity stats produced. The US is generally high up them, but there are plenty of buts.

I think it's measuring variants of GDP - which is "the monetary value of all goods and services produced within a nation's geographic borders over a specified period of time."So it's the value of goods sold not just the profit made on them.

There isn't 'a' root cause; it's complex. The summarised position is that crime is normal - that is, we're all capable of and even willing to commit every crime if the circumstances permit. Circumstances are the complex bit - opportunity and propensity are two main chunks, each influenced by numerous factors - age, sex, upbringing, state of mind, environment, genetics, chance of being caught, beliefs etc etc etc.

I don't think the USA allows people to starve on the streets unless they are rejecting help? Most low level theft isn't to survive, it's to support drug and alcohol addiction.I think it's a stretch to suppose that higher beneits or that increasing minimum pay rates would reduce crime given that basic needs are met. The evidence is rather against it - in the last recession crime rates fell.But I do agree that pursuing a living wage is a worthy goal in its own right.

That gets my vote. Sadly it doesn't get the politician's approval because they don't think the public would go for it. In fact they continue to act against the evidence.

Those sound like specific anti-vagrancy efforts rather than the state not feeding those that are starving in a systematic way, but I don't know anything about your laws. I'm not arguing against progressive social measures, I'm saying that purely increasing benefits is unlikely to reduce crime in the direct way you seem to suggest. Not at all, most stealing is done amongst people and properties in poorer areas and it was perceived wisdom that economic downturns created unemployment which created criime. Not so this time. I agree, so why not move to a sane country?

It seems that there are more Christian values in atheist countries......