| Labor share of US GDP is usually around 60%, which is comparable to Europe. If you divide the GDP by the number of employed people (including self-employed and entrepreneurs), you get a bit over $180k/person. The median full-time income is a bit over $60k. In other words, as a gross simplification, the mean worker earns 80% more than the median worker. The comparable numbers for Germany are a ~€100k, ~€45k, and 35%. If something is hollowing out the American middle class, it might be the high earners rather than the capital. |
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| ▲ | twothreeone 3 days ago | parent [-] | | Exactly this. And the main "equalizing" factor in Germany is taxes, round about 50% of Germany's labor share of GDP for average earners consists of taxes and social security contributions. Which is exactly what the Republican campaign has been all about - minimize taxes and cut spending wherever possible. Yes, you get a vastly more unequal and in many cases just flat out inhumane society. But if you can manage to be part of the "upper" class for a few years it pays so well that it becomes very appealing to a lot of people all over the world. | | |
| ▲ | forgotoldacc 3 days ago | parent | next [-] | | Yep. It's the same reason those tiny oil countries in the Arab Gulf are popular. You can work a few years to save big and go home. There's a underclass of slaves below you that keep the country running, but if you're not a slave yourself, it's easy to ignore that. America is similar. Ignore the homeless, the people who can't afford basic trips to the doctor, the illegal immigrant underclass, hope the crime problem never affects you, and focus on your own money, and it's fine. | | |
| ▲ | mlrtime 3 days ago | parent [-] | | That is hardly the same, the people come to America to stay because it is a nice place to raise a family. UAE ... not so much. | | |
| ▲ | lesostep a day ago | parent | next [-] | | >> a nice place to raise a family
is it? No free childcare, no free medicine, no free urgent care and almost no third places for children. Add to that almost no food regulation. And, for immigrants, no support from their parents What's nice about that, getting into debt as soon as one of us gets medical emergency? Or staying in a suburban home 24/7 with a child until they can go to school? | |
| ▲ | tekne 2 days ago | parent | prev [-] | | I mean, I spent 7 years of my childhood in Dubai, and it was overall decent. Anecdata, et al. |
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| ▲ | Mars008 3 days ago | parent | prev [-] | | > But if you can manage to be part of the "upper" class for a few years it pays so well that it becomes very appealing to a lot of people all over the world. Unfortunately last several millions came for exactly the opposite. Free full government support, aka communism. | | |
| ▲ | twothreeone 3 days ago | parent | next [-] | | They'd be much better off in Germany, Portugal, Denmark, France, or Sweden. Which incidentally all rely on immigrants to hold up their paygo retirement schemes, so it's mutually beneficial. | | | |
| ▲ | MiguelX413 2 days ago | parent | prev [-] | | Who? Illegal immigrants pay a lot in taxes and actually get less for the taxes they pay because they aren't eligible for welfare like fox news says they are. |
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