How Germany Builds Twice As Many Cars As The U.S. While Paying Its Workers Twice As Much

In 2010, Germany produced more than 5.5 million automobiles; the U.S produced 2.7 million. At the same time, the average auto worker in Germany made $67.14 per hour in salary in benefits; the average one in the U.S. made $33.77 per hour.

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“the salient difference is that, in Germany, the automakers operate within an environment that precludes a race to the bottom; in the U.S., they operate within an environment that encourages such a race.”

The right shift of the past 30 years has been far more focused with punishing the poor than actually promoting economic growth.