Distribution of Wealth

Having nothing to do with distribution of wealth, but having everything to do with Belgium . . .

we were considering buying a new sewing machine.  No particular reason.  We looked at our local appliance/media/everything store - Best Buy equivalent.

Here's the Singer sewing machine we considered buying at 279 Euro (or $355).  That's right.  $355.

We considered buying it ONLY until Ross looked up the price if we were in America and could order it on Amazon.com.

The EXACT same sewing machine can be purchased, brand new, with free shipping, right to your door for $118.  That's right.  $118.

That is EXACTLY three times less than the price in Belgium.  Yes.  THREE times the price.  For the SAME.  EXACT.  THING.

Unbelievable.

 Actually it's not.

Things I never gave much thought to in the States are very thought-provoking here . . .

like un-refrigerated milk lasting for several months - this is a good thing, 

parallel parking on a dime - I will never master this,

biking in skirt and heels - she makes that look way too easy - I can tell you it is not. 

But money, in general - the high cost of nearly everything.  And I don't mean SIMILAR items to those in the U.S.  - I mean the EXACT. SAME. THING.


As they say, a picture paints a thousand words . . . distribution of wealth in the U.S. is pretty scary.

This next graph may paint the thousand words even better.

Nearly half of all Americans combined would own only that "red dot".

By contrast: Belgium.

Belgium was recently honored with the "nowhere in the European Union is disposable income more evenly distributed than in Belgium".

Some may say that it's simply taxes being redistributed from the "haves" to the "have nots" and that may, in fact, be true, but . . .

Minimum wage Belgium:  $11.69

Minimum wage U.S.: $7.25

However, it would need to be 3 times more to justify buying that Singer sewing machine.  Here.  In Belgium.