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US? Mexico?! Ignoring the graph, you want to end up in a company with strong social services and wealth redistribution - Norway or somewhere similar. The US is

US? Mexico?! Ignoring the graph, you want to end up in a company with strong social services and wealth redistribution - Norway or somewhere similar. The US is not the best place to be poor. It also depends who "you" are. Are you black? A woman? Gay? Other countries may have a relative advantage over the US.

vinceguidry 13y ago
The US is still upwardly mobile. If you have any ambition at all, it's possible to rise. It's not easy, but it's far from impossible. http://www.nationalreview.com/article/367903/white-ghetto-kevin-d-williamson http://www.nationalreview.com/article/367903/white-ghetto-ke... This article on the poorest county in the US is very interesting, while they're very poor, it's not like anyone's starving, the food stamp program seems to support them well enough.
- davidw 13y ago
  Stats actually seem to show that mobility is lower in the US than in the nordic countries: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_mobility#Country_comparison http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_mobility#Country_compari... Of course the US is a very different place, too.
  - pedrosorio 13y ago
    Not just lower than the nordic countries but a lot of other countries: "There is more intergenerational mobility in Australia, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Germany, Spain, France, and Canada than in the U.S. In fact, of affluent countries studied, only Britain and Italy have lower intergenerational mobility than the United States does." And also: "In spite of this low mobility Americans have had the highest belief in meritocracy among middle- and high-income countries." TL;DR: Tell the same lie enough times and people will start believing it.
    - n09n 13y ago
      And when enough people believe it, it stops being a lie.
adventured 13y ago
Why is the US not a good place to be poor? The average poor person in America owns a car (75% of all poor people) and either owns a home or lives in a clean apartment (83%), according to the US Census Bureau. Ever look at the massive wealth redistribution from the top 75% to the bottom 25%? Or the total dollar value of government benefits that the average person in the bottom quarter receives in the US? It far exceeds Norway's progressiveness. In fact, America is the most progressive country on earth in terms of wealth redistribution, just take a look at the % of taxes paid by the top 1% / 10% / 25%.
n09n 13y ago
A problem easily avoided by simply not being poor.

vinceguidry 13y ago

The US is still upwardly mobile. If you have any ambition at all, it's possible to rise. It's not easy, but it's far from impossible. http://www.nationalreview.com/article/367903/white-ghetto-kevin-d-williamson http://www.nationalreview.com/article/367903/white-ghetto-ke... This article on the poorest county in the US is very interesting, while they're very poor, it's not like anyone's starving, the food stamp program seems to support them well enough.

davidw 13y ago
Stats actually seem to show that mobility is lower in the US than in the nordic countries: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_mobility#Country_comparison http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_mobility#Country_compari... Of course the US is a very different place, too.
- pedrosorio 13y ago
  Not just lower than the nordic countries but a lot of other countries: "There is more intergenerational mobility in Australia, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Germany, Spain, France, and Canada than in the U.S. In fact, of affluent countries studied, only Britain and Italy have lower intergenerational mobility than the United States does." And also: "In spite of this low mobility Americans have had the highest belief in meritocracy among middle- and high-income countries." TL;DR: Tell the same lie enough times and people will start believing it.
  - n09n 13y ago
    And when enough people believe it, it stops being a lie.

adventured 13y ago

Why is the US not a good place to be poor? The average poor person in America owns a car (75% of all poor people) and either owns a home or lives in a clean apartment (83%), according to the US Census Bureau. Ever look at the massive wealth redistribution from the top 75% to the bottom 25%? Or the total dollar value of government benefits that the average person in the bottom quarter receives in the US? It far exceeds Norway's progressiveness. In fact, America is the most progressive country on earth in terms of wealth redistribution, just take a look at the % of taxes paid by the top 1% / 10% / 25%.

n09n 13y ago

A problem easily avoided by simply not being poor.