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It’s not just the very wealthy. The middle class in America also enjoy a much nicer standard of living than in Europe. Have a gander at the cost of living indic
by weberc2 7y ago
It’s not just the very wealthy. The middle class in America also enjoy a much nicer standard of living than in Europe. Have a gander at the cost of living indices and there are very few categories where the US doesn’t fare better (and often dramatically better). Not to mention the takehome pay (post-pension, post-healthcare) are quite often 30-40% larger for working professionals. I think we still need a stronger social safety net, but Europe is not so dramatically better than the US as this thread makes it out to be.
- Sharlin 7y agoI did mean to include the middle class (especially upper middle class) in my definition of "well-off".
- weberc2 7y agoWhat then do you mean that American cars/houses are unsustainable? I don't think big houses/cars is a good thing, but I think it probably is sustainable for quite a while (less climate concerns, in which case everything is unsustainable, depending on who you talk to) because we don't have the same density as Europe. I haven't thought much about this, but that's my hunch. I'd be really interested to hear counterarguments.