happiness

I think it has to do with the division of wealth, and rampant corruption that most Americans see. If you have money and great job you can write your own ticket and bend everything including the legal system to your liking. The vast majority of American's however struggling to get by with corporations taking jobs overseas and finding new ways to rack them over the coals. Such as bank fee's, astronomical interest rates, and the rapidly collapsing housing market. Did I mention a very unpopular war in Iraq, or a culture of fear that our government uses to keep us in check? The other big problem is government itself. I think most Americans are of the feeling that the only interests that politicians are looking out for, is their own and that of the big business. Companies are slashing our benefits, taking away full time jobs (and all the benefits that go with them), and cutting our pay while CEO's and executives get millions to quit those jobs. Why would any of us be happy? Um, Freedom is another issue. How free are we really? There are soooo many laws telling us what we can and can't do and the government can keep tabs on us and do pretty much anything they want. It's depressing, really.

money isnt always happyness, i think these people you speak of are happier because they have good families and good family values ,and in times of poverty people seem to unite and become more like one big family