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> ... most western workers can afford much more from their flattened or fallen income than they could 10 years ago ... Afford much more of what? It's probably

> ... most western workers can afford much more from their flattened or fallen income than they could 10 years ago ... Afford much more of what? It's probably easy to find evidence that computing power in a smartphone is more affordable. But, can people now afford more quality in their children's education or their family's health care? And what about food? Maybe the price per calorie has actually decreased in real terms, but what about the quality of those calories? Is a calorie of corn equivalent to a calorie of fresh fruits and vegetables? And housing? Is a condominium equivalent to a house with a yard? etc. It seems like a mixed picture. Some things are more affordable, but some other important things appear to be more expensive.

justin66 10y ago
> Afford much more of what? Junk you can buy in a store. Education, health care and real estate are a totally different matter.
- LesZedCB 10y ago
  > Education, health care and real estate are a totally different matter Yes, and totally inaccessible to the people that the folks in this thread are saying allegedly have a better quality of life because they can afford useless commodities.
- woodpanel 10y ago
  I hate to sound aggressive or confronting, but will say this: you do have heard of a thing called "the internet"? ;-) we have lots of knowledge for free now. Degrees however are a different story. Here, the same competition Western workers face from abroad due to globalization, the same competition now students face as emerging market's rich dads prefer to send their offspring to western universities.