Eh, money solves a number of problems, but it doesn't solve cultural concerns.

people might have more jobs, but their expense/revenue ratio is VERY low

and their savings is virtually non-existent

And, so far, most of the metrics I've seen are really tweaked to some definition to make it look like things are what the presenters want it to be.

Money is related, but money should not be in the calculation.

Square footage, structural durability, longevity, the percentage of the population that can walk four miles or climb three flights of stairs without losing their breath (at each age), access to and ability to afford entertainment (bowling alleys, movie theaters, tennis clubs, music venues, etc), disability rates, education levels, how many friends people have, depression and suicide rates, all could be factored in.

The Lefty "Sanders" types are right about at least one thing and that's wealth disparity.

further, the value of their assets have suffered dramatically in compared to their increasing expenses

Where you set the exact figure is subjective, but the measurement is objective.

disagree

You could use two flights of stairs instead of three.

you aren't measuring what you claim you are measuring if the metrics vary

@Arthur Grayborn Alright, that's pretty good.

How do the metrics vary?

You can use a standardized stair climb challenge and do random testing on the population of every state.

Life experience isn't as quantifiable as we've been led to believe far as I'm concerned. What is a good life?

the words 'objective' and 'subjective' denote a qualification of a 'perspective'

@Laucivol Wrong question, we're just considering the things that can be controlled for.

Not how someone socializes

you can't have 'objective measurment' only an 'apperhent objective measurement'

If you give up quantifiability, then you've conceded that living standards don't matter.

If you focus on economic valuations, then we might as well live in a city choked by pollution, paying $3,000 a month to live in a broom closet where we escape from the feces and heroin needle littered streets, and pay an extra $500 a month for security because we don't want to get jumped by someone looking to buy drugs.

hence laucivoi's last point

Except socializing feeds *straight into* all of the factors mentioned.

I think we might have invested a bit too heavily in material wealth as the most important hierarchy.

not nessecarily; you just need to choose the appropriate metric ratio

If I spend my money on booze carousing with friends, I will not have much left.. but I will have a helluva story to tell, assuming I survive.

you can't quantify QoL directly but you can use metrics that move in tandem

It heavily supersedes morals, corrupts our institutions and generally makes things difficult.

disposable income for example

@Laucivol Also true and you're not wrong for it.

can't drink more than you have and still pay rent

And in that hypothetical, I will not be able to meet the health challenges presented as metrics.

Material wealth is relevant, in so much as it relates to living standards.

Ultimately though, cities and politicians should not be judged on the basis of bank account balances or the total value of all products manufactured (slave plantations were very productive, mind you).

Tell that to the drunk in the street, MA. >.>

A minimum amount, sure

drunk doesn't pay rent; he is homeless

i.e. he has no assets

Might be having a gay old time, though.

agreed, politicans just like universities aren't organizations that look for the most profitable solution

they should look to find the most EQUITABLE solution

however, people tend to focus only on what they can write on a ledger

I wish the US would spread back out. THe cities have gotten so big. We have spent some time on trying to repair, or rebuild a lot of slums and rot in cities, I feel like they should be bulldozed and left open and new towns should be built elsewhere. Grant companies a lot of tax credits or however it works to go and setup a new town between some other place, especially one near a new power plant 😉

like the old housewife who added value yet that value wasn't quantifiable in terms of income