Since then ive always been grateful for any country that has a safety net for those that fall on their luck.. it what makes us human beings.

+1, makes me sad that people want to be like America and eliminate the 'socialism' from our system, at times we are pulling that way and then pull back a little.. depends who is in power I guess..

But on topic, I found your OP very interesting, if you look at something like housing though the decrease in affordability is just as high!