I think the comment does a lot to derail one of OP's foundational points: Americans work much, much more than other countries. Comment argues that, well, we wor

I think the comment does a lot to derail one of OP's foundational points: Americans work much, much more than other countries. Comment argues that, well, we work lots, but not smart. I'd be interested to see how corporate profits parse across sectors--it's likely the finance industry is responsible for the increase in profits.