[frankthetank]

Do we all have to live like millionaires? What the hell would that do to the environment?

Give Joe 6 Pack a million bucks and see what happens. Bass boat, ATV, big box house, new truck.....

[shortonsense]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Tyler_JC', '
')Regardless, I don't think we should be relying on theft as a mechanism for social equality.

[Ludi]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('shortonsense', '
')The legal version of theft in America, otherwise known as "wealth redistribution"

[VMarcHart]

I'm not crying poor me. I live well, way better than most of my relatives and high school mates. I have no problem whatsoever helping the less fortunate, even the lazy; I can't take my checking account balance with me when I die.

If the wealth distribution does exist, somebody must be taking my share. How do I apply for it?

By reading some of the critics on the disparity of wealth in the country, it kind of sounds like it doesn't exist, that it's all a fabrication or inflated to make it look bad, or that it's not a problem at all.

A quick glance within my siblings, all raised with the same love and values, and I can see a huge disparity and consequence. It gets worse within my 1st and 2nd-degree cousins, even worser with my high school mates, etc. They're all alive, if that what counts (for those alive, of course). But man, their lives suck.

[Javaman]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Ludi', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('shortonsense', '
')The legal version of theft in America, otherwise known as "wealth redistribution"

[Javaman]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Sixstrings', '[')img]http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_H6XW_a4TYus/SeV_Z-awS6I/AAAAAAAAAmo/HmPjoENZd0Q/s400/gini+by+state+map.bmp[/img]

This article isn't new, but it's some interesting data. Here in the US we stand alone among developed nations in terms of the sheer gap we have between the rich and everyone else.

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'S')o the higher the number, the more wealth inequality there is. For most advanced industrial economies, the Gini number is pretty low. According the the CIA World Factbook (table compiled here), the lowest Gini score in the world is Sweden's, at .23, followed by Denmark and Slovenia at .24. The next 20 countries are all in either Western Europe or the former Communist bloc of Eastern Europe. The EU as a whole is at .307. Russia has the highest number in Europe (.41); Portugal is the highest in Western Europe (.38). Japan is at .381; Australia is .352; Canada is .321.
http://mapscroll.blogspot.com/2009/04/is-us-becoming-third-world-country.html

[Gerben]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Javaman', 'I') read somewhere that the average standard of living in Germany is roughly comparable to that of Arkansas.

[Javaman]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Gerben', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Javaman', 'I') read somewhere that the average standard of living in Germany is roughly comparable to that of Arkansas.

[Ludi]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Javaman', '
')I read somewhere that the average standard of living in Germany is roughly comparable to that of Arkansas.

[VMarcHart]

The US ranks 13?!

I guess one can always draw an average between the Hamptons and the ghetto.

[Javaman]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Ludi', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Javaman', '
')I read somewhere that the average standard of living in Germany is roughly comparable to that of Arkansas.

[Ludi]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Javaman', '
')It is possible that southern Europeans generally live better than Scandinavians, despite what the cherry-picked data of socialists might lead one to believe.

[Javaman]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('VMarcHart', 'T')he US ranks 13?!

I guess one can always draw an average between the Hamptons and the ghetto.

[Javaman]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Ludi', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Javaman', '
')It is possible that southern Europeans generally live better than Scandinavians, despite what the cherry-picked data of socialists might lead one to believe.

[Ludi]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Javaman', '
')We need to avoid the socialists' data entirely.

[VMarcHart]

Java, you crack me up. Kudos for putting a smile on my grumpy face this early in the morning. (It's 5:30am my time.)

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Javaman', 'F')irst of all, anything authored by the UN is to be taken with a large grain of salt.

[VMarcHart]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Javaman', 'T')he "ghetto" can look surprisingly good compared to Europe-on-average.

[MarkJ]

In many regions, we have an extremely large gap in knowledge, education, skills, experience and work ethic, so of course there's a large gap in income, savings, assets and investments.

Cities once full of hard working blue collar workers now have a larger population of unemployable, unskilled, uneducated, unmotivated, inexperienced public assistance recipients, high school dropouts, GED recipients and students that barely passed and/or were pushed through the system.

Many can't find good paying jobs simply because they have no transportation, no parking and can't pass a drug test, criminal background check, aptitude test, performance test, probationary period and/or their physical appearance holds them back.

We have tattooed, pierced job seekers that show up for job interviews smelling like BO, smelling like an ashtray, smelling like cat urine, beer, liquor or pot and/or they're wearing sweat pants, pajama bottoms, slippers, baggy pants (boxers or crack exposed), backwards baseball caps, bandanas, multi-colored hair, ripped jeans, dirty clothes, no bras, t-shirts with profanity or risqué text.

Many of the income challenged residents are far too obese and out-of-shape to fill many jobs with physically demanding worker requirements.

Since their health is often very poor, (cigarettes/coffee/alcohol/drugs/snacks instead of meals) many of the late 20 something to 40 something low income residents have poor teeth, missing teeth, no teeth, deep wrinkles, bloodshot eyes and look 10 to 15 years older than their actual age. This really hurts their chances of being hired.

We have a large financial gap within my own family as well. We have aunts, uncles, cousins and step siblings with no jobs, no homes, no savings, no assets, no investments and tons of past/current debt. They've blown every dollar they've ever made, blown every dollar they were ever given, sold/mortgaged every property they were ever given and blown every opportunity they ever received.

[VMarcHart]

Hey, Mark.

I second your post.

And then bubble-boys like Java think all account of disparity and hardship is socialistic propaganda to be taken with a grain of salt. I can not wait for guys like him to lose their jobs, healthcare, the house, the wife, the dog, and the pickup truck.

[Gerben]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Javaman', 'U')S poverty rates are around 13%. Germany's REAL poverty rate is probably twice that, although it does redistribute some income to bring that number more in line with the US rate.

Ask yourself why Germany has such a high poverty rate.