America is one of the wealthiest countries with a very healthy income spread - if anything, it's not disparate enough. America beats out every country that isn't very small (over 10 million population) in median income, and frankly, it ranks very high even from the folk who are in the bottom 10%. It always irks me when folk say that America has a bad standard of living - it's one of the greatest in the world.

I'm not saying standard of living, I'm stating spread of wealth. Secondly, Japan has 100 million people, and a much better distribution. Germany? check. France? check. UK? check.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/economic-inequality-it-s-far-worse-than-you-think/

KEY POINTS

The typical poor household, as defined by the government, has a car and air conditioning, two color televisions, cable or satellite TV, a DVD player, and a VCR. If there are children, especially boys, the family has a game system, such as an Xbox or PlayStation.
In the kitchen, the household has a refrigerator, an oven and stove, and a microwave. Other household conveniences include a clothes washer, clothes dryer, ceiling fans, a cordless phone, and a coffee maker.
The home of the typical poor family is in good repair and is not overcrowded. In fact, the typical average poor American has more living space in his home than the average (non-poor) European has.
By its own report, the typical poor family was not hungry, was able to obtain medical care when needed, and had sufficient funds during the past year to meet all essential needs.

Poor folk in America have more than enough of what they need.

Why rob folk of their money and give it to folk who already live well? Screw off, Sheriff of Nottingham.

Edited 5/12/2016 03:01:20

well, without any education, you can't move up the income ladder, and today an education of such a degree costs way too F*cking much. My basic suggestion is to cover the cost of education for everyone by using the money from people like the waltons(who combined own as much as the bottom 42% of the Americans in terms of pay(duh), because Murica!)

I'm not saying standard of living, I'm stating spread of wealth. Secondly, Japan has 100 million people, and a much better distribution. Germany? check. France? check. UK? check.

Socialists always try to do as if wealth disparity is a bad thing. The spread is skewed, which means an addicting growth to excel. Made it to 30% from 20%? Well, if you make it to 40%, you'll get even more money than you did for 20-30! And for the tip, wealthy businesses = big businesses = money gets respread through jobs. Anyhow, let's see other countries with a great wealth spread. Ukraine, check. Kazakhstan, check. Afghanistan, check. Mm, we should catch up to Afghanistan, maybe some Islamic law for 10 years to catylise...uh, the wealth equalisation.

yeah, but the Waltons own as much money as the bottom 42% of the populous, we have major problems, they can basically run the country in terms of economic power.

Edit: Secondly, Minor wealth disparity I'm okay with, but the degree on which occurs in the US is just F*cking ridiculous. If the top 20% owns 90% of the wealth, and 40% of the populous is net negative in wealth, we have major issues.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/05/21/the-top-10-of-americans-own-76-of-the-stuff-and-its-dragging-our-economy-down/
http://fortune.com/2015/09/30/america-wealth-inequality/
http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/12/17/wealth-gap-upper-middle-income/

Yep, 3 sources, I think I got one from the left, right, and middle.

Edited 5/12/2016 03:20:06

So you're advocating the organized robbery of folk because they efficiently met the needs of poor folk? Screw off, they made that money and you have no right to it, especially when you're trying to destroy the economy even more with your stupid policies that have been disproven already.

without any education, you can't move up the income ladder

Sure, you can. Less than half of all Americans even have an university diploma. It's not easy, just like that, and maybe you don't want to do the work for a higher paying job, but it's fully feasible.

today an education of such a degree costs way too F*cking much

First, that's like saying a genetic show costs too much...then don't get it if you don't afford it. Both are just for your own interest.

My basic suggestion is to cover the cost of education for everyone by using the money from people like the waltons(who combined own as much as the bottom 42% of the Americans in terms of pay(duh), because Murica!)

They're already hiding assets as is, also, have you heard of any big businesses from socialist countries - they leave and don't get built, which is sometimes ok, if there's enough employment in government.

The Walton family has around 150 billion dollars. The US spent 3.688 trillion dollars last year. Did they teach you math in your public school or just socialist propaganda?

@MSGB explain Scandinavia(destroyed economy?)

Secondly, I'm not advocating for big business or their removal, I'm advocating for a reduction in the wealth of people like the waltons, because they own way way too much.

Lastly, @MSGB, maybe you should go look at this "Hard-earned" money. Let's see some of it is inherited, some comes from playing the stock market, and some is actually earned by you being a CEO, which you could argue is hard earned, but compared to the person working a manual job 16 hours a day just to make it by, it is not even remotely "hard-earned". Basically, your advocating for the lucky to become rulers of the world.

@MSGB, socialist propaganda, excuse me?(I'm living in TEXAS), and secondly math, yes I'm a junior in BC calc, and expecting a 5 on the test(I cleared the bar by 15 AP points on the practice exam with no review) so you can shut your mouth.

Edited 5/12/2016 03:28:52

So you're saying that when someone dies their property should become state property, getting rid of inheritance altogether? No. The bloke who founded it did work hard to get where he could and he gave his money to his children, not you or anyone else, and they're getting more money from the company that is run by hard working folk who still try to meet the needs of poorer folk. You're advocating for the folk with the most guns to be the ruler of the world, you violent prick.

Also who even works sixteen hours a day at this point? The eight hour workday is by far the most common thing for workers in America, and has been for some time.

For most workers yes, but in fact the poorest parts of the US still do in fact work ridiculous hours to support the family.

Secondly, how am I advocating the folk with the most guns to be the ruler of the world?

Thirdly, I haven't made the argument to eliminate inheritance, rather I think its kinda of ridiculous that a single person can give their children so much money that 5-6 generations down the road they still don't have to work, rather I am suggesting a limit on the amount of wealth that a single person can own, as you can't do pure hard work and end up as a multibillionaire.

Lastly, while the poor may benefit from the jobs offered by the company, as the current economic situation shows that lacks to be a successful balance in regards to the extreme amount of capital made by those with the correct combination of skill, ambition, and luck to emerge at least in the US as the extremely rich.

(Secondly)Governments are monopolies of force that participate in mass extortion and enforce unjust laws that limit the freedom of folk. You are advocating for the most violent folk with the most weapons to rule society.

(Firstly)For the most poor in America, no. The poor work about eight hours a day like other folk.

(Thirdly) No. There's no moral basis for you robbing people when they're alive or dead.

(Fourthly) The poor have benefited greatly from these jobs and enjoy a higher standard of living than in most countries, why give them more money that they haven't made, when they don't need it?

Well, I give up, its completely pointless for both of us at this point.
Before this descends into a flame war, I'm pulling out.

The Basic issue is what do you view as freedom. You take the classical liberal stance of freedom being freedom from governmental control of anything. I happen to take the stance of freedom to mean freedom from poverty, and towards a more equal and just society, because I don't trust market dynamics to accomplish such a thing, whereas you do.

It's a major ideological difference, and one that isn't going to be breached by either of us or any of our allies/enemies in this argument, or probably any of them.

Wealth is blasphemy, burn the disbelievers, for life, forward green army!

Teachers really ought to be payed more here in the US. They have difficult jobs that are extremely valuable for the community, yet they get treated like shit.

it seems people are paid more in the US, because as for France, teachers are paid almost nothing.

My father is a teacher, and he is less paid than common workers even with years of work (seniors are paid more but still nothing), do you think that is normal too? Knowing you have to get at least a Master degree in France to teach, and there is a huge selection to get a post, but also young teachers are sent in "difficult" zones (Paris suburbs, I think "paying them more" is totally justified. Easy to criticize others when you do not know what you are talking about.

And Juq your comment about "researchers" and "scientists" getting less paid, I would like to get your source first before commenting it. Because again in France people working in laboratories are paid many times more than common teachers. So unless you are talking about Uni professors, that also work for research anyway (most of professors at college and uni do not only teach but also work in labs/research/etc), so I fear your comment is wrong here.

Money is a sybol for power. Only leaders can have power and teachers are always serfs.

Teachers aren't treated like shit in any discernible manner, and are well paid. And they aren't valuable to the community, they've shown that the Prussian Model is a drain on the community's resources , destroys individuality and isn't even that good at teaching.