Denmark, Finland, Norway & Canada offer more economic mobility than the U.S.

[givemebackmycountry]

Chris from Paris posting at AmericaBlog, drops in to give us this link.
America is a great country if your rich, and you don't care about how anyone else is doing.

Remember when the US used to be that land? There is something seriously wrong in America if opportunity and mobility is better found elsewhere. It's also interesting to see that Old Europe offers more mobility, even with the social services being offered that don't exist in the US. CEOs in Europe tend to make considerably less than US CEOs (Big Oil CEOs in the US make around eight times the annual compensation of their European counterparts) and it's pretty obvious that European companies are holding their own in business.

Every generation does better? Don't count on it
Median income dropping for men, slowing for households, report says.

The report also found that many countries, including Denmark, Norway, Finland and Canada, offer far more economic mobility than in the United States when measuring by the income differences between generations.

While income is not the only measure of economic mobility, the findings challenge the historical presumption that each successive generation will be wealthier, said Morton.

“Today’s data suggest that during a 30-year period of economic expansion, a rising tide did not lift all boats,” Morton said in a release accompanying the report, “Economic Mobility: Is the American Dream Alive and Well?”

Of course, the men who run American companies don’t have too much to complain about. CEO pay increased to 262 times the average worker’s pay in 2005 from 35 times in 1978, according to the report’s analysis of Congressional Budget Office statistics.


More here: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18868904/

[Greyhound]

1. I'll give this one a recommendation. Of course, it will probably sink like a nugget of mercury. n/t

[givemebackmycountry]

2. Why thank you greyhound!

You never know - I post stuff sometimes and I'm often amazed at the reaction.
Could sink like a stone, could be number one with a bullet.

You never know.

That's why I love this place.

:hi: :hi: :hi:

[Wilms]

3. Well there's a rec for you.

But I think it's like saying * is a criminal. People here know it.

Thanks for posting, though.

[Greyhound]

4. We do have our own "America uber alles" chorus here.

They might jump on this, but when there is not some minor point they can use to distract from the main point, they usually let it sink, or start some similar thread, sans point, to counter it. We'll see.
another :kick:

[Faux pas]

5. Giving you the 4th R. n/t

[wildhorses]

6. i'll plead the fifth

or take a fifth :crazy:

[gulfcoastliberal]

7. K&R nt

[Rydz777]

8. And take the case of Britain

and the emergence of a new underclass called Chav's and Asbo's. Chav comes from "Council House and Violent." (Council House = public housing)Asbo comes from "Anti-Social Behaviour Order."

These are kids from the now non-working class who have seen their parents' jobs exported, and who themselves now literally have nothing to do but get into trouble. Even the "service jobs" are largely foreclosed to them because they lack the "skills." They used to like to wear baseball caps made by Burberry in Wales, but that factory has now been shipped to China.

[Solon]

9. I guess this blows a hole in the whole "land of opportunity" bullshit that this country...

has been spouting for decades. K&R

[raccoon]

10. The American Dream slowed wayyyyyyyyy down in the 1970's

and has now gone the way of the eight-track.

Actually, it was probably hyped six ways from Sunday from the beginning. There were some people who, after WWII, moved up on the socioeconomic ladder. Of course, the vast majority were male and white.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

11. Link to the Economic Mobility Project website and report...

http://www.economicmobility.org/

report - pdf file - http://www.economicmobility.org/assets/pdfs/EMP%20American%20Dream%20Report.pdf%20