> In fact America does have one of the highest standards of living. It also has one of the highest median incomes, and among the highest disposable incomes.
For the top X percent maybe; the US also has a poverty rate of over 16% [1], over half a million homeless [2], food stamps programs to support the poor, etc.
> You are free to choose your job based on the benefits you desire, including vacation time and maternity leave.
Do tell that to the big employers like McD's & co (who are now replacing their employees with order computers after they asked/demanded a minimum wage), Wal-mart, Amazon, etc. There's far too many people who do not have the luxury of choice - and even if they did, they can't get the education they'd need to get hired anywhere unless they have rich parents or happened to be eligible for a grant from somewhere.
And as long as people that don't tip in restaurants and such get mistreated or scoffed upon, don't even start about minimum wages.
For the top X percent maybe; the US also has a poverty rate of over 16% [1], over half a million homeless [2], food stamps programs to support the poor, etc.
> You are free to choose your job based on the benefits you desire, including vacation time and maternity leave.
Do tell that to the big employers like McD's & co (who are now replacing their employees with order computers after they asked/demanded a minimum wage), Wal-mart, Amazon, etc. There's far too many people who do not have the luxury of choice - and even if they did, they can't get the education they'd need to get hired anywhere unless they have rich parents or happened to be eligible for a grant from somewhere.
And as long as people that don't tip in restaurants and such get mistreated or scoffed upon, don't even start about minimum wages.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poverty_in_the_United_States [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homelessness_in_the_United_Sta...