I dare say it’s not that simple for us Europeans, either. I mean it *is* better in theory, in some countries it may even be better in practice — and it certainly is a more humane approach philosophically speaking. But the reality is one would live in despair and misery if left at the mercy of the state. Those necessities are provided for in such a bare-minimum fashion, that at times they feel more like a sick joke to those who come to depend on them. The disabled, the orphans, the elderly, they all live on the edge of starvation and death by curable disease, and are stuck in overall extreme, basic-necessities-of-living-are-subjective poverty, if left at the mercy of the state. There just isn’t enough to go around when the richest of the rich are not willing to set aside a single cent in order to help those less fortunate. The result is many of us would rather end our own lives then end-up at the mercy of the state. Our approach to the necessities of living is a step in the right direction, I’m not denying that. But it’s no utopia we’ve got going on over here.