The Well Being of the Suffering
Posted by Raven on May 1st, 2008
Another useless survey. Thats tells us we’re a bad country we have and what we can do to “fix” it. Gimme a damn break.
(WASHINGTON) — Staying healthy and happy is a struggle for about half of Americans,according to a massive survey that attempts to measure the nation’s general welfare, much like the Dow Jones Industrial Average portrays the health of the stock market.
The Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, based on interviews of more than 100,000 people so far, shows that 47% of Americans are struggling and 4% are suffering. Forty-nine percent of respondents are reported to be thriving based on a personal assessment of how they feel about their lives at the time of the survey, and where they think they’ll be in five years.
Pollsters asked people to imagine where they would put themselves on a ladder with 10 steps. Those said they were on step seven or above are listed as thriving. Those at four or below are suffering. In between are the strugglers.
Those who are thriving tend to have higher incomes, more education and less illness. Those who are suffering have trouble meeting their basic needs, including food, shelter and medical care, said James Harter, Gallup’s chief scientist for workplace management and well-being.
Yeah? Did they ask those who are suffering if they had Internet access, computers/laptops, cell phones and Play Stations? Bet not. And I bet the suffering DO have all this.
Researchers hope the findings, which can be broken down by occupation, commute time and exercise habits, will help employers better understand what they can do to create happier and healthier workers.
I think they need to ask the people what their POLITICAL leanings are as well. In terms of being a LIBERAL, A CONSERVATIVE or a LIBERTARIAN. I can say without a doubt the liberals will be the best off in terms of income and lifestyle AND access to health care; yet those liberals on the bottom half of the income scale will be the whiners and complainers who have Internet, computers, cell phones and nice houses and fancy brand clothing and Play Stations- but no health insurance. And many will be on some form of welfare. Count on it.
And, what has all this got to do with the workplace? Gah these surveys piss me right off because of what they don’t ask. 
May 3rd, 2008 at 7:38 am
In my county- in this region of my state– I find that the liberals are the people creating organizations to help peoples lives, including food banks, environmental programs, and educational programs for kids of all economic walks of life. The liberals are not the upper crust, but middle class people who do have to struggle to afford higher education. The most conservative of my neighbors are those that are the most angry and bigoted, the ones who will take welfare while they take their kids to Disney world on spring vacation, or have six kids and then ask for assistance to raise them. Not for nothing that the Republican majority states are considered deficit States where they take more from the Federal Government than deposit in. Your unending anger toward the liberals is really puzzling to me, especially since the conservatives have done so much damage for the last eight years.
May 3rd, 2008 at 9:18 am
California… Massachusetts.. and New York, where they are running deficits..those are considered Republican states?
Or Texas, a Republican state in the last few elections atleast, is not operating in a deficit? Here is a news report with an associated graphic to display the state’s outlook on their Budgets….
New York, a liberal bastion with high taxes… is concerned with their budget situation? Washington State? Republicans? Nope. Gimme a break.. they’re Democrat dominated states with social programs that will bankrupt them unless they raise their taxes to a European level…
And don’t confuse the Republicans with conservatives… any more than I necessarily confuse classic liberals with the Democrats. The Republican Party is no longer the party that supports limited and small government, and the Democrats are basically socialists.
And here is a study that shows that conservatives tend to give more than liberals…
Perhaps in your day to day, the so-called conservatives in your life don’t hold to their ideals, but don’t project them on to the rest of us. Or maybe you are just “reality-based”, only your reality is the one you want to see with ideological blinders on…