Wealth Inequality in America

[sc94597]

nanarchy said:

sc94597 said:

nanarchy said:
I visit the US on a regular basis (2-3 times a year over the last 15 years) and I do find it amazing how many poor and destitute people the US has, I would definitely say it is worse than any other western country I have visited and I have visited most. something is definitely not working right in the US.

Actually, most of Europe has a poverty level comparable to the two poorest U.S states Misssippi/West Virginia. 

I have been to most of the countries listed there and I would say that graph is a poor representation of the poor, it also isn't a poverty index, rather a quality of life index. This probably comes from many of the factors they put into that index such as environment, health, satisfaction etc.

Poverty is defined by scarcity rather than low-income/lesser accumulation of capital (only one facet of poverty.) That is why the "Better-life index" is MORE suited to defining poverty than otherwise. And yes, you might have been to those countries, and you might have been to the U.S, but you haven't been to every place in these respective countries, and hence your anecdotal experience is limited, especially when confronted with OECD data.