Marjorie Sener was still in her 20s when she took out a loan for about $5,000 to get some college credits she hoped would eventually add up to a bachelor’s degree. That goal was thwarted when her partner became ill. “The burden of our living expenses fell on me,” said Sener, who lives in the Dallas suburbs. “I devoted all of my resources to keeping our heads above water.” But while Sener never got her degree, that student loan kept growing, fattened by compounding interest.
Top half of the median salary is 95k a year. Nearly all of them will have decent health care. They’d be making less than in Europe in many cases and that includes cost of healthcare.
I’m not saying we shouldn’t improve, especially for low earners, but much of this country is very well off compared to our European counterparts.
I spent many months in Europe. From Spain to Kosovo and pretty much every where in-between
As if any of that matters at all in the least bit because your complaint is just a massive strawman but I’ve been all over including the pesky countries you all like to forget even comparing quality of life in the States.
Not a straw man. Personal experience. I’ve spent most of my life in Europe, in several different countries. And spent more than a decade in the US.
I can comfortably say that most Europeans, especially those in the middle and on the lower end of the income scale live vastly more comfortable lives than most Americans with similar incomes without having to worry about medical bankruptcy and crushing student debt. Not to mention having the time off to travel and parental leave to form families without all the financial stress Americans experience.
I’d agree to have a conversation on the details. It’s nuanced. But the median salary in us is 90k. That’s enough to live comfortably compared to most of the world.
Only shitty if you don’t have money. If your are in the top half it’s fantastic.
Half??
Top half of the median salary is 95k a year. Nearly all of them will have decent health care. They’d be making less than in Europe in many cases and that includes cost of healthcare.
I’m not saying we shouldn’t improve, especially for low earners, but much of this country is very well off compared to our European counterparts.
Where are you getting that number? BLS shows median male income per week at ~1200 which is not 95k a year
I may be wrong, but you don’t sounds like you’ve spent much time in Europe.
I spent many months in Europe. From Spain to Kosovo and pretty much every where in-between
As if any of that matters at all in the least bit because your complaint is just a massive strawman but I’ve been all over including the pesky countries you all like to forget even comparing quality of life in the States.
Not a straw man. Personal experience. I’ve spent most of my life in Europe, in several different countries. And spent more than a decade in the US.
I can comfortably say that most Europeans, especially those in the middle and on the lower end of the income scale live vastly more comfortable lives than most Americans with similar incomes without having to worry about medical bankruptcy and crushing student debt. Not to mention having the time off to travel and parental leave to form families without all the financial stress Americans experience.
I make about 45k and my SO half that but we have no kids and I just wish I could retire. I’m almost 40 and just tired lol.
Top 20% maybe
I’d agree to have a conversation on the details. It’s nuanced. But the median salary in us is 90k. That’s enough to live comfortably compared to most of the world.
Median salary in the US according to the BLS is slightly over $50k