considering that the UK is so much poorer than the US, this is noteworthy.

To put it in perspective, the US has a life expectancy roughly on par with Poland.

As an Englishman who lived and worked in the US for 4 years, though numerically correct, it's very odd to think of the UK being 'so much poorer than the US', because there is very little appreciable difference in the quality of life of the average man - for that reason, I returned to England, despite being a lawful permanent resident of the US. America offered me nothing - or rather, nothing I actually wanted.

The reason the average American sees so little benefit from the vast wealth of his nation is the same reason the mightiest years of the British Empire were also those of extreme poverty for many Englishmen: Maintaining an empire is fucking expensive.

Add on top of this, the American elites have still not grown out of the 1920's mindset that they have to one-up the European elites on the size of their houses and you see America's riches either burned on the upkeep of GAE, or squandered on bragging to people who stopped caring half a century ago.

considering that the UK is so much poorer than the US, this is noteworthy.

To put it in perspective, the US has a life expectancy roughly on par with Poland.

As an Englishman who lived and worked in the US for 4 years, though numerically correct, it's very odd to think of the UK being 'so much poorer than the US', because there is very little appreciable difference in the quality of life of the average man - for that reason, I returned to England, despite being a lawful permanent resident of the US. America offered me nothing - or rather, nothing I actually wanted.

The reason the average American sees so little benefit from the vast wealth of his nation is the same reason the mightiest years of the British Empire were also those of extreme poverty many Englishmen: Maintaining an empire is fucking expensive.

Add on top of this, the American elites have still not grown out of the 1920's mindset that they have to one-up the European elites on the size of their houses and you see America's riches either burned on the upkeep of GAE, or squandered on bragging to people who stopped caring half a century ago.