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here was the statement you took exception to:That's not just an implication, that's a direct statement. You're free to characterize that as a failure, but given that there is only one nation with a higher median income, I think that's a bit ridiculous.
The US has vast riches but only 1% of the population gets much from them except to work their asses off for the barons of industry.
actually, i was assembling facts and using them to show the position you criticize, that the wealth of our nation is not well distributed ... which is a valid argument you have been unable to refuteTaking facts that are already well understood and putting them in a colorful graph doesn't affect whether the position asserted is more valid.
what that graph depicted was that the wealth of our nation is concentrated among 2% of our populationAre you saying that a median household income of $50k is something to be ashamed of? Are you saying that we should be angry that 98% of people make less than $250k? What percent would make you happy?
which is what was being presented as a likely scenario for the distribution of wealth resulting from the natural mineral deposits found in afghanistan
and my standard of success is not $50,000. what i would find a more legitmate international benchmark is the happiness index, where the residents of the country indicate their degree of satisfaction with their lives. note the descending order of responses to the following question:
"All things considered, how satisfied are you with your life as a whole these days?"
Happiest Countries in the World1. Puerto Rico
2. Mexico
3. Denmark
4. Colombia
5. Ireland
6. Iceland
7. N. Ireland
8. Switzerland
9. Netherlands
10. Canada
11. Austria
12. El Salvador
13. Venezuela
14. Luxembourg
15. U.S.
16. Australia
17. New Zealand
18. Sweden
19. Nigeria
20. Norway
21. Belgium
22. Finland
23. Singapore
24. W. Germany
25. France
26. Argentina
27. Vietnam
28. Chile
29. Indonesia
30. Philippines
31. Taiwan
32. Brazil
33. Spain
34. Israel
35. Italy
36. Portugal
37. E. Germany
38. Slovenia
39. Japan
40. Czech Rep
41. S. Africa
42. Croatia
43. Greece
44. Peru
45. China
46. Morocco
47. S. Korea
48. Iran
49. Poland
50. Turkey
51. Bosnia
52. Uganda
53. Algeria
54. Bangladesh
55. Egypt
56. Kyrgyzstan
57. Hungary
58. Slovakia
59. Jordan
60. Estonia
61. Serbia
62. Tanzania
63. Azerbaijan
64. Montenegro
65. India
66. Lithuania
67. Macedonia
68. Pakistan
69. Latvia
70. Albania
71. Bulgaria
72. Belarus
73. Georgia
74. Romania
75. Moldova
76. Russia
77. Armenia
78. Ukraine
79. Zimbabwe
recognize that the USA is not prominent in that rating despite the annual income data you have trotted out to prove nothing