Hi Vince, no offense taken here (and hope also not on your side really, at least that wasn't my intention).
@Legs has put it exactly right and if you see it the same way, we have a common understanding. Due to the fact that I worked for american companies for roughly 30 years now, I also follow (at least what is publically available) what is going on over there. Also, I have worked with Russia, Poland etc. when the USSR still existed, have traveld to Russia in the 90's, to Cuba just some years ago. I grew up in a time where the cold war 1 was still going on, I was mid 20's when the wall that separated east germany from west germany fell and the eastern european countries opened up. I have friends that grew up in the former GDR (eastern Germany), friends from Russia who have relatives in Russia and in Ukraine and currently go mad as basically their family has to fight each other etc.. So - I think I am having some insights into these systems, the menthality of the people and at least a bit of history. Not to speak about my own family's history in WW2 and before.
For someone having grown up in a social democratic system with a working health insurance, unemployment insurance and several other safety nets that catch you when you struggle or fall (and having had to make use of it from time to time but also happily pay for it!), I can not understand what should be wrong with having such security features for people that struggle or suffer. US now has Obama-Care - is it now a socialistic state? No (allthough the right-wingers wanted the folks to believe that...) - it just became a bit more social...
Regarding the mid-class... It's a question of measurement. In Germany, you are defined being rich if your monthly income is higher than 4.560€ as a single according to google. I know LOTS of people that fall into that category, even my two sons (without having studied and in their mid-20's...)... I wouldn't call them rich though. And once they get married and have kids, they are not rich anymore by definition, even with a higher income, as that is devided then statistically between them, their wife and the kids... If you have a house in Germany, you are already statistically rich (if paid full) as long as the house is worth more than 450.000€ (in my region it's hard to find a house cheaper than that...). So - "rich" or "midclass" all depends on definitions. by this definition, 16,2 Million People in Germany (roughly 20%) are rich, as they have a house. ;-) Are they within the top 5%? Obviously not all of them though. I would call most of them (like me) "middclass" like all my neighbors. Statistic would call all of us rich.
I call myself rich not for the money or house I have, I call myself rich for the family and friends I have. All a question of definition...
..... ) ......
