Ladies and Gentleman, you all know me as one who doesn’t like to stir things up. Far be it from me to rattle the cages of those who may be slumbering peacefully.
I’ve been reading up on my economic statistics, though, and I’m learning some interesting facts. For instance, did you know…
If you earn over $100,000 a year you earn more than 85% of households in the United States.
If you earn over $250,000 a year you earn more than 98.5% of households in the United States.
The median household income in the US is just over $44,000.
The wealthiest 25% of households own 87% of the wealth in the US.
The median net worth in the US is $120,000.
The median net worth for white people is $170,000.
The media net worth for non-white people is $27,000.
The 400 wealthiest Americans combined net worth is $1.57 trillion.
Now you may be thinking “This is all very interesting, but what is the point?”
My point is that most people don’t have a whole lot of money. Sorry, maybe you were expecting something more insightful. Still, people don’t act like they don’t have much money.
The overwhelming majority of Americans earn little income and possess little net worth. Yet, we make decisions that benefit those that earn huge incomes and possess a higher net worth than many countries.
What’s up with that?
How in the world have the majority of Americans been convinced that a system that pushes 87% of the wealth to 25% of the people is a good idea?
How have smart people been convinced that the free market will take care of them when it is blatantly obvious that a select few reap almost the entire reward?
2 comments:
They are convinced because they live in a country where, though they may not be the wealthiest, they are certainly better off then most other countries. Pick countries where the "wealth" is more evenly spread and you will find that everyone is equally poor and those that are poor in America would be considered much better off.
http://www.mapsofworld.com/world-top-ten/world-top-ten-quality-of-life-map.html
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