"Seen from an international perspective, America certainly looks an unequal country, but in a way that many of those optimistic Americans might be proud of (see chart). According to the EPI, admittedly using figures from the late 1990s, the gap between the top and bottom tenth of earners in America is wider than that in almost any other rich country. Even so, America's poorest are (in real purchasing-power terms) only a tiny bit worse-off than their peers in Sweden, Finland and Denmark; and they are better-off than those in Britain and Australia."

First of all, the Article was discussing purchasing power - and said America's Poor a a little worse off than people in some countries and better off than others, but that's just in purchasing power.

It said nothing about a comparison in terms of health care and education.

A country that provides health care, education and social mobility beyond going from "below the poverty line" to "member of the working poor", has poor citizens who are better off than the ones in the US, even if they have less purchasing power.

If you're in the bottom Quintile, chances are, there is little chance of you getting in one of the top 3, let alone top 2. That's true social mobility - not going from really poor to just poor.

14k/year and you're below the poverty line - 22k/year and you've moved up to the next rung - but you're still poor.



Peace,







M2