I live in central mn but disregarding alaska and hawaii food is virtually the same prices across the entire country.

As a really smart person said once "Don't argue with a socialist/comunist, it's like playing with pidgeys... They will dump on you, mess the table, blow the chest and leave thinking he won"... there is no way to win the discussion because every time you present an argument they will pretend not to see and use a diferent argument with little backing, and keep changing... when he have no further fallacies to use he say that people are to dumb to understand and leave.

Maybe I didn't insert "more" in sense of community.

"Choose "voluntary private" and look to see which countrymen gives to his or her fellows the most out of his or her own free will, at 10.2% GDP (vasty more than any other.)"- Please man, that's just for tax relief. Free will? Where do you live?

Most inner cities and metropolis which harbors most of US population, live in a rat race to come up. One for all and all for one.

YES. donations for tax relief, the dumbest saying ever made. Hey guys...you should really donate 10000 to us so you can pay 3500 less in taxes. How does that make any sense...

You folks don't understand me I'm leaving. You're talking like Socilism and Communism are the same thing but whatever.

I'm more into the mix friend, I don't believe in dogma and generalization that's why I'm fleeing this place like a pokemon to put my mind to better use right now. Have a good one friends, not everybody is the same and not everybody cheat the system.

Metropolitan area =/= major city. There's a huge difference between inner-city Pittsburgh and the suburbs in the metropolitan area for example, or even between neighborhoods in Pittsburgh. Furthermore, I come from a metropolitan area (Scranton-Wilkes-Barre) that doesn't have a major city, just a few tiny ones (the biggest is 80,000 people.) In both places, there is a strong sense of community. These are MY anecdotes, and they are quite evidently verified by empirical and statistical evidence (see: OECD link previously posted.) Social spending of GDP is just as high in the United States as in other first world countries, it just so happens that in the United States a third of it is volunatry and private, whilst in other countries almost all of it is mandatory and public. Who cares more about his fellow man in his communites? The man/woman who must be forced to give, or the man/woman who wants to give? 

I clearly now the difference, but in the mean of arguing they usually use the same instance.

And about cheating the system, most socialist and comunist parties here (at least they say they are) live on sucking the government funds, and their supporters are usually allocated to public jobs or quotas. And for me is pretty moraly controverse when a person say he is socialist and earn US$ 12.000,00 say its little and the problem is that others don't earn enough, and keep that money for themselves... Don't get started in brazilian political system and abuses, that will get you nowhere, since here the norm is to abuse and cheat the system... and I really want to believe that in the US just the minority is like that.

Some of you may be surprised to know that we spent over 4 times NASA's budget on food stamps last year.

there is one main thing i think people do that gets them in trouble financially besides children and that is getting a house they cant afford, alot of people have it in there mind that they need this grandiose living place with thousands of square feet of living space. this simply isnt tue, you dont need a large house, that is more vanity then necessity. im currently saving up for a cabin, made by derkenbuildings.com, that cost around $6k for a size of 12x34 feet or about 408 square feet of living space. i currently live in a place that is only 15x24 which is only 360 square feet. they do have larger places like the deluxe cabin for 11k that is 16x40 or 640square feet. now please note that you have to have a plot of land to put that on and you have to have the utilities put into this cabin but even that might only add a few thousand more to the final cost. the problem im having isnt money but trying to find someone, close by to my work, that will sell a plot of land that is less then 10 acres. i really want something closer to about 5/100 of an acre or about 2178 square feet of land. in this way after having everthing installed and getting a plot of land for the right price i might only be paying $11k or less for an entire house and payed off all in one shot.

You sir seems to logical... you are not allowed to show that is possible to live with small incoming and make smart decisions and not depend on the government.