link to original reddit post by /u/lordnikkon
since the commies in other subs on reddit did not taking kindly to this analysis i will bring it here
The median salary among all workers in the US is $56,310 https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_nat.htm
The GDP per capita is $58,454 https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/A939RX0Q048SBEA
If we were to go to full communism where everyone got the same cut of GDP most workers would receive a tiny increase in the ideal world where GDP remains the same after entire system is changed. This would also include every single person and child receiving same amount of benefit of $58,454 per person even if they did no work
Total GDP 22.73 trillion https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/GDP/
Total workers 153 million https://tradingeconomics.com/united-states/employed-persons
GDP per worker is $146,562
The disparity is that the average worker produces on average $146k of value to GDP but only receives $56k in salary. How to solve this? Clearly the answer is not communism/marxism because the worker will get pitiful amount more just for wealthy to be redistributed to people who dont work.
So much money is spent by the government that if the US government paid every single worker an equal share of the 6.5 trillion US federal budget they would pay each worker $42k. State and local governments spend 3.7 trillion which is another $24k. For a total of $66k of public spending per worker, think about this the government spends more money per actual working tax payer than those workers make on average. Meaning every worker is receiving the equivalent of $66k in public service for their tax dollars which means of total gdp per worker they receive $56k in salary and $66k in public services or $122k per worker in salary and public services. There is some overlap here because workers pay some of their salary in taxes. Lets say they pay 30% to taxes so minus $20k leaving them 44k in salary or 102k in total benefits. Leaving $44k or 30% per worker unaccounted for that is siphoned off by the upper class. This is the actual amount of income inequality in america. The average worker is losing 30% of total GDP that is being lost by the working class to the upper class. This is the tax of the capitalist system we live in, the capitalists take 30% of productive output as their cut for running the system and taking all the risk
I think the results of our prosperous society is worth the 30% of productivity that is captured by capitalist class. You can disagree but these are the numbers and you can make your own decision. But a lot of people need to realize the majority of GDP is being sucked up by public services not capitalists. The majority of that 102k in public services the worker will never see, it includes welfare payments and food stamps to the poor and military services, etc