Nation of Extremes

Americans either work too much, or they work too little. Overemployed, or underemployed. Its appropiate, in a strange sort of way, because with the constant shrinking of america's middle class comes the shrinking of the balanced healthy life.

Overemployed, or underemployed.......

Those who work work well over forty hours a week, on average, as many as forty five, fifty, sixty hours per week, or beyond.

Then, there are those millinons who get in just under the full time mark, sometimes wroking thirty eight hours a week for very clever scheming employers, thus just missing out on benefits.  ouch!
Then, of course, the millions of unemployed, who seem to have less hope for a future then ever before. Long term unemployed are increasing in number.

The average work week in europe is thirty five hours long, with six weeks of paid vacation, on average.
The united states has a way to go. Not only is the standard of living higher in europe, not only are they wealthier in europe, but they  dont spend trillions  on military procurement, trying to control the world.
maybe there's a connection somewhere.
the united states is a nation of haves and haves not, with little to nothing in bewteen.

It has been pointed out by economics demographers that america, in structure, more closely resembles a third world country than anything else. We certainly do not seem to match up very well with europe's industrial and prosperous nations, what with their benefits and pay for workers, and socialized health care system, and general prosperity..

The Danes pay a seventy percent tax rate, if you can believe it, but in denmark the lawyer and the custodian live in the same neighborhood, college students are paid to study, and danes, on the whole, are happy. Much happier than americans, it seems.
in fact, americans rank 33rd on the world wide happiness list, and follow up surveys indicate that most americans do not consider themselves underranked.

Maybe a little humanity and compassion and cooperation comes in handy, after all.