The Disadvantaged Stay that Way, according to new Research. America’s Popular Myth about Upward Mobility just another Republican fiction.

Just like American Exceptionalism, upward mobility in America is also no longer a bragging right.  

I’ll let the following article explain why:

NY Times: America lags in economic mobility reports Jason DeParle: "Many researchers have reached a conclusion that turns conventional wisdom on its head: Americans enjoy less economic mobility than their peers in Canada and much of Western Europe. The mobility gap has been widely discussed in academic circles, but a sour season of mass unemployment and street protests has moved the discussion toward center stage...At least five large studies in recent years have found the United States to be less mobile than comparable nations.

A project led by Markus Jantti, an economist at a Swedish university, found that 42 percent of American men raised in the bottom fifth of incomes stay there as adults. That shows a level of persistent disadvantage much higher than in Denmark (25 percent) and Britain (30 percent) -- a country famous for its class constraints...By emphasizing the influence of family background, the studies not only challenge American identity but speak to the debate about inequality.

While liberals often complain that the United States has unusually large income gaps, many conservatives have argued that the system is fair because mobility is especially high, too: everyone can climb the ladder.

Now the evidence suggests that America is not only less equal, but also less mobile.”

Coincidentally, I just ran across this video clip of militarized authoritarian Rep. Alan West, still pushing the myth that we all have an equal chance of going all the way to the top. I’m also fascinated by his complete avoidance of the civil rights movement that gave him all the opportunities he now claims came from just being a good student. If you have the stomach, and a few wasted moments, check out this self-righteous government freeloader.