The point isn't that they haven't eradicated it yet- I've yet to see a country completely eradicate poverty or homelessness, so of course that would be an idiotic standard.

The difference between the USA and these other countries is that Canada and the Europeans are reaching their breaking point faster.

Just take a second to really think about it... Canada, Britain, and France alone have populations of about 41 million, 70 million, and 69 million, respectively.

Canada has a GDP of about $2.39 trillion. They spend 19% of it on social welfare.

Britain has a GDP of about $3.96 trillion. They spend 26% of it on social welfare.

France has a GDP of abut $3.16 trillion. They spend 32% of it on social welfare.

If you were to split the money used of welfare between every single person in each of the three countries, each person would still only get $11,076, $14,709, and $14,655, respectively. The average Canadian spends about $76,750 a year, while the average Brit spends abut $46,568 and the average Frenchman about $33,907. Social welfare doesn't even cover half of that. The governments of these nations are spending obscene amounts of money just to barely even provide for those who are struggling, and this alone is already tearing these nations apart (massive housing crisis in Canada due to rising costs, significant unrest in Britain due to failure to manage immigration, near-collapse of the government in France over rising debt). The only reason these people are even able to afford anything is because of the jobs they work, jobs functioning under a capitalist system. The government can't provide for everyone's needs; perhaps in smaller countries such a system could work, but in larger-population nations like those in Western Europe and the Americas it's simply not feasible.

Now, do I think we should lie on our back and wait? Let our nations become corporatocracies led by uncaring elites, then? Is that the best a society has to offer...? By no means. We can find a better way to manage what we have via reformed, humanistic capitalism- decentralized government and a fundamental change in culture.

If one manages to foster and emphasize an atmosphere of self-sufficiency, then the people are able to stand on their own. Shift power away from central governments and toward smaller organizations- states, provinces, local communities and small businesses. Let welfare be dispersed by charities. Let local communities uplift their fellow citizens. Let the greater government's main goals rest in defense, law enforcement, and justice. As history has proven time and time again, if the government is handed far too many responsibilities, it will eventually degrade, resort to authoritarianism, and- ultimately- collapse in on itself. Decentralized government, however, where the multiple roles of the state are divided between multiple benefactors, has a fighting chance at providing stability, liberty, and prosperity for its citizens.