Quote: (12-27-2011 05:44 AM)Vicious Wrote:
That chart is not telling you a whole lot. While someone in the US has more disposable income than someone in Norway the latter will have all welfare covered as well for example.
It's hard to compare countries wealth for sure. For example, people in the US buy tons of cars, which simply aren't needed in many areas of Europe.
And cars, although needed in Murka, also make the place into a giant parking lot in suburbia. The amount of land wasted for highways, streets, and parking lots is huge.
But the chart helps define the ball park. People in Switzerland do have more money than people in Poland.
But then, the US is good for certain professions.
For example, in my profession, my salary was about twice what it would have been in Scandinavia; and the pension (at the time) significantly more generous.
I'm the last one to defend Murka for QOL, but it's good for making money if you're the right kind of weasel.