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America pays workers just 27% of what its wealth allows – the worst in the OECD

fortune.com

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Re: America pays workers just 27% of what its wealth allows – the worst in the OECD

#141

Post by AnimalMuppet »

krige wrote: post #68
roenxi wrote: post #12

> America pays workers just 27% of what its wealth allows – the worst in the OECD The US consistently scores among the best countries in the world for paying people [0]. Is there some way I can lodge an application to be exploited in a similar manner, without having to move there? Being wealthy and having to live among really wealthy people sounds better than being poor and living among equals. They're inventing a me…

These charts are seriously out of date though. Five years in the current economic climate? Might as well be ancient history.

Perhaps so. In what direction do you expect "the current economic climate" to be moving the charts?

Re: America pays workers just 27% of what its wealth allows – the worst in the OECD

#142

Post by AnimalMuppet »

rbehrends wrote: post #101
dauertewigkeit wrote: post #29

I know what they want to say, but I think their argument is quite weak, because essentially you have US industries that aren't tech. American workers still get higher salaries than elsewhere in the OECD and growth in such industries isn't out competing those same industries in other OECD countries. In fact many industries are lagging behind. So actually US workers are being paid more not less than elsewhere. Then you…

> American workers still get higher salaries than elsewhere in the OECD and growth in such industries isn't out competing those same industries in other OECD countries. I used to think that also, probably because FAANG salaries had skewed my perception, but after looking at the data, this does not seem to be actually true, at least not in general. For example, Germany has a somewhat higher annual median gross salary…

My expectation is that Germany has higher taxes than the US. What happens if you look at median net salary rather than gross?

Re: America pays workers just 27% of what its wealth allows – the worst in the OECD

#143

Post by _DeadFred_ »

FeloniousHam wrote: post #139
krapp wrote: post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>yeah the hostility started recently with trump and his ilk - fighting for nationalism of a bygone era. It definitely didn't start with Trump, it just became policy under him. Trump would never have had a chance if Americans didn't already blame immigrants for the effects of neoliberalism rather than the billionaires who put it into practice, and if the rural white populace weren't already afraid losing the cultural…

[flagged]

"estimates suggest that inability to afford costs of medical care contributes to at least 530,000 personal bankruptcy filings annually. Approximately two-thirds of personal bankruptcies in the U.S. are associated with medical expenses or illness-related loss of work."

https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshuacohen/2026/04/05/increasi...

Re: America pays workers just 27% of what its wealth allows – the worst in the OECD

#144

Post by AmVess »

DarkNova6 wrote: post #2

As somebody living outside the US, I would find moving to the states highly undesirable even if it wasn't for the hostility towards non-US citizens. To me, it would mean a significant reduction in quality of live and I am low-key scared of all the ingredients and additives in food that are pretty much banned everywhere else. Not to mention all risks regarding healthcare.

It really is astounding how bad national brands are. Everything loaded with sugar and salt. Lowest quality ingredients in everything, and I do mean everything.

I bought a package of national brand slice turkey. Threw it right away. It was dripping in chlorine. Things like national or regional brand ground beef is vile, and nothing can be done to it to make it edible. I bought a package years ago, grilled up burgers. I had to throw every single one of them away because they STANK.

Our bread is a joke. Bakeries no longer smell like bakeries because they aren't making bread, but a bread substitute. Chemical leaveners, trash flour, loaded with sugar and salt. Extra absurdity? Some brands dye the crusts brown because the leaveners they use doesn't brown in the oven.

Candy is also a joke. Fake chocolate, tiny portions and very chemically tasting. Expensive, too. 75 cents for a bar the size of my ring finger.

Extra insults? Everything is shrinkflated. Less product for higher prices.

https://www.reddit.com/r/shrinkflation/ $22 for a package of toilet paper that has 1/3 less paper than before.

Prices are out of sight. 3 years ago, 1lb of real deli roast beef was $7. Now $20. Costs almost $30 to make a pot of stew. Used to cost $10.

I could write for hours on this subject. The garbage produced is that prolific.

Re: America pays workers just 27% of what its wealth allows – the worst in the OECD

#145

Post by _DeadFred_ »

mlrtime wrote: post #45
microtonal wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For instance, if you are less than 50 and on private health care through your employer than you're very likely going to have better healthcare access than anywhere in Europe and Canada. Your healthcare insurance being dependent on your employer seems like hell though. They will always have enormous bargaining power over you and I think it also leads to chilling effect, when your health is literally dependent on your…

America has some of if not the best hospitals in the world. Now, that doesn't necessarily mean equal access, but those are facts not ideology. We can argue if that is fair or not, but if you have a well paying job with good employee provided HC, America is [one of] the best places to be for medical care.

It's sickening to watch America go from everyone being fairly equal to this sort of elitism. 'America has some of the best hospitals in the world' 'if you are under 50 and have a great job, life is great'.

If you are 50+ with a average job in an average town, America is much worse now that it was prior to the 2000s. And nobody cares because 'America has some of the best hospitals in the world' 'if you have a good job, aren't really all that sick or are on someone elses insurance plan, and if you are under 50'.

Re: America pays workers just 27% of what its wealth allows – the worst in the OECD

#146

Post by freedomben »

tstrimple wrote: post #140
freedomben wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If that way of thinking is wrong, why not just make the minimum wage a million an hour and let everyone be mega wealthy? What do you think would happen if we passed that? Edit: to the down voters, what is your answer to the question?

> “Oh water is healthy for you? Why don’t you drink a hundred gallons a day? Checkmate atheists!” Brilliant argument you have there.

You didn't answer the question. I suspect that is because basic economics kicks in and you quickly realize that you can't just raise the minimum wage as high as you want and expect it to work. It is a complicated and complex and highly nuanced thing.

Your water example actually reinforces my point. If GP ignores the reality around drinking too much water, they will poison themselves, just like ignoring the reality around minimum wage would destroy things.

Re: America pays workers just 27% of what its wealth allows – the worst in the OECD

#147

Post by lesostep »

entrope wrote: post #88
oblio wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And you know that it's not dangerous based on... Gut feeling? Have you read the health warning in detail and disagree from an informed point of view or are you just generally opposed to regulation? Even better, can you link the bike model and health warning and let others take a look at it for you? Or just your neighborhood chat bot :-)

I've read the list of materials that California knows cause cancer and birth defects. It lists things that people encounter every day. Alcoholic beverages, aloe leaf extract and aspirin are some of the most notable examples from the "A" section. https://oehha.ca.gov/proposition-65/proposition-65-list

>> Alcoholic beverages, aloe leaf extract and aspirin

Where I am, they all are known to cause birth defects. I never met woman with children that didn't take measures to avoid them (and a dozen of other products with similar effects) during pregnancy.

If you liken your bike to them, that's, uh. That's one hell of a bike. Probably should stay away from pregnant woman while riding it, huh

Re: America pays workers just 27% of what its wealth allows – the worst in the OECD

#148

Post by stvltvs »

petcat wrote: post #108
microtonal wrote: post #104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Also in the US. In many other countries, you do not only initially get unemployment benefits, but also a form of basic income if the unemployment benefits expire and you haven't found a job, plus rent compensation, etc.

> In many other countries, you do not only initially get unemployment benefits, but also a form of basic income if the unemployment benefits expire and you haven't found a job, plus rent compensation, etc. It's the same everywhere in the US. Colloquially called "collecting unemployment".

Only if you weren't fired for cause, are looking for full-time employment, have earned enough recently, etc.

Re: America pays workers just 27% of what its wealth allows – the worst in the OECD

#149

Post by _DeadFred_ »

petcat wrote: post #16
DarkNova6 wrote: post #2

As somebody living outside the US, I would find moving to the states highly undesirable even if it wasn't for the hostility towards non-US citizens. To me, it would mean a significant reduction in quality of live and I am low-key scared of all the ingredients and additives in food that are pretty much banned everywhere else. Not to mention all risks regarding healthcare.

It very much depends on life situation. For instance, if you are less than 50 and on private health care through your employer than you're very likely going to have better healthcare access than anywhere in Europe and Canada. I am able to see my PCP and dentist within a week if I want. I read a statistic that in Europe and Canada you have to make those kinds of routine appointments months in advance. Also, my father-…

I had skin cancer. I talked to my doctor and to the local skin care clinic. Because of my deductible, the final cost for removal would be the same with or without insurance. If I bypassed the American insurance hellscape, I could have the removal surgery that week. If I used my insurance, went to all the specialist referrals they wanted, etc it was minimum 3 months before I could get the surgery because of wait times for appointments to have confirmation what the skin care clinic tested/told me same day.

Re: America pays workers just 27% of what its wealth allows – the worst in the OECD

#150

Post by Hugsbox »

petcat wrote: post #16
DarkNova6 wrote: post #2

As somebody living outside the US, I would find moving to the states highly undesirable even if it wasn't for the hostility towards non-US citizens. To me, it would mean a significant reduction in quality of live and I am low-key scared of all the ingredients and additives in food that are pretty much banned everywhere else. Not to mention all risks regarding healthcare.

It very much depends on life situation. For instance, if you are less than 50 and on private health care through your employer than you're very likely going to have better healthcare access than anywhere in Europe and Canada. I am able to see my PCP and dentist within a week if I want. I read a statistic that in Europe and Canada you have to make those kinds of routine appointments months in advance. Also, my father-…

I'm in Canada. Earlier today I called the doctor's office to make an appointment for my wife. She'll be in tomorrow.

Last month had to get my son in to get checked out, turned out he just had a nasty cold, but they were able to get him in day-of. Mind you, that's not the emergency room, that's my _family doctor_.

Two weeks ago my mother had kidney stones, went to the ER. Had a stent put in, sent along her merry way in I want to say 4 hours?

When my sciatica flared up several months ago, I was in the ER for several hours just because there were much more severe cases ahead of me, which makes perfect sense. I got xrayed that day, bloodwork, among other shit.

I could go on and on, but these cases aren't outliers for us, they're the norm.

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