I'm Australian. Hopefully I'm going to engineering school next year at the moment I work in a hardware store. I get paid $18 per hour.. I used to get paid upto $32 dollars an hour for night time work with the same company. Its basically warehouse work more so than retail.

Most people in this country will earn a wage of atleast $17 per hour. We have startling inequality, don't think we don't, there is definently insentive to create value. Everyone in this country can afford to live with dignity. We have high wages and none of this inflationary sky falling has happened. Infact we a going along nicely and have a very happy, healthy crime free society. People are looked after and theres not much harassment of any sort at work.

The difference is everyone can afford to live, our poor are nowhere near as poor as your poor in the states.

I have to ask, what the hell is wrong with Americans ? Five dollars an hour is a joke.. its slavery you can't even make a decent living on that. In a developed nation.. what the hell... I don't understand americans.

To me it almost looks like a lot of you worship the ideal of the free market. I don't understand how you can detach yourself from the plight of the working person. Even 10 dollars an hour is not really enough to life off.

I've got nothing against progress inequality is indicative of growth.. but declining standards of living and a continually growing working poor are not. Neither are an abundance of sector service jobs.