Quote Originally Posted by The12lber
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distribution_of_wealth
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distribution_of_income
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Income_..._United_States
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gini_index

"As of 2006, the United States had one of the highest levels of income inequality, as measured through the Gini index, among high income countries, comparable to that of some middle income countries such as Russia or Turkey,[15] being one of only few developed countries where inequality has increased since 1980"

As for the whole "standard of living" thing, there are a variety of indices, the United States isn't first in any of them. In terms of countries who are consistently ahead of us, you're looking at places like Ireland, Norway, Sweden, Iceland, etc.

The best one is probably the Economist Intelligence Unit's Quality of Life index - for 2005 we were 13th.

http://www.shannonireland.com/media/Media,2966,en.pdf

Also, its achieved when a government is of the people, by the people and for the people, acting in the best interest of said people.

Not constantly acting in the best interests of itself as a whole, its members as individuals and the interests of corporations.
2 things:

-The whole "distribution of wealth" idea is ambiguos and based on whomever devices the formula. For example, in the chart you provided it shows that the U.S. although only 5% of the total world population has over 25% of the world's "wealth", which could be seen as some kind of great divide. But if you look at China, with over 50% of the entire world's population and it too having over 25% of the world's wealth.....what's that mean really?

- Distribution of wealth is a Socialist idea, hence why it's so much more prevelent in Europe. It assumes equality of wealth as some sort of checks and balances device directed towards keeping the GOV'T in check. The idea, much like Communism, backfires because when you try and stiffle an individual's or corp's ability to advance, i.e. make more money, then you repress and ultimately irritate one very basic human principle....the principle that we always naturally strive to be better tomm than we are today. Why do you think that sometimes when you look at some of the most politically repressed countries they seem to be stuck in some kind of time warp where they never seem to advance with the rest of the world? Because the oppressive gov't basically kills the drive of it's citizens by basically capping their advancement in life.

Anyway, my