[Pyuvjzwf]

I realize I might be stepping into a polarizing argument here, so I will keep my comments anecdotal and objective. (I am NOT trying to start a back-and-forth with anyone.)

Since the majority of points seem to center around food, here's my take:

In America, I think eating out is undoubtedly cheaper than it is in Europe (even adjusting for exchange rates). Whether it's better, nutrition-wise, is up to debate: there are just way too many restaurants to make a broad generalization. And I'm not talking about fast-food. We have literally thousands of full-service, very affordable restaurants that serve a wide range of cuisines. Places like Friday's and Applebee's offer perfectly good food, IMO: they've caught on to some of the healthier trends, and if you order a dinner without alcohol, you can eat a full meal for 10-15 bucks in many cases, with tip.

Raw food, I'm not so sure about. My experiences in Europe with supermarkets are limited to Poland, where, I can say objectively that food is almost as expensive as it is here (despite the much lower wages there). And quality is lacking in many areas, especially meat and produce. Talking to friends and family there, most people think the supermarkets are very under par. That being said, you can still get good, reasonably priced food items at specialty stores. Bread is excellent there, if it comes from a local bakery. As are some other things like butter, eggs, potatoes, and mushrooms.

I don't know how expensive, relatively, food is here in the US. I do know that prices vary widely (as with other things like housing). Costs of living are far lower in places like Denver, Dallas, Charlotte, and Minneapolis than they are in New York and San Francisco. I think that, specifically, Whole Foods has been a tremendous success in bringing high-quality, organic and fresh foods to almost every major market in America. It is undoubtedly more expensive than your local supermarket, but I think it's worth going to occasionally for that good piece of steak, fish, or cheese (and they've got great selection). They also have great working relationships with local suppliers of bread and produce. If food quality really is a problem for a lot of America, I hope that Whole Foods (and other chains like it) will help to raise the level generally by not only expanding but also putting pressure on others to change their standards.

Quick note about education: from the statistics I've seen, we still have one of the best primary education systems in the world. Our 4th graders score as well as anyone else, and 8th graders are just a bit worse. The real trouble comes in after 8th grade: high school is where our education system fails children. The biggest problem is the lack of qualified math (and to a lesser extent, science) instructors. We need to find a way to change the pay structure (which right now pays an English teacher just as much) to attract more qualified people with Math degrees who choose to work in the private sector where their skills are well compensated. This will ensure our students will be able to pursue the advanced degrees in engineering, math, and computer science to stay competitive for skilled jobs.

In addition, widespread zoning reform should be undertaken to eliminate de facto segregation of minorities and whites in the public school system. It's a tremendous failure on the part of policymakers to have perpetuated such a grave inequality, and it's one of the biggest reasons I despise zoning as it currently works in the US.