Are Americans working longer and harder today for the same level of overall material wealth?

[txfriend]

Originally Posted by redguard57

You missed the point, which was the ability to provide for the children in the first place. A form of prosperity. Today, providing for even one child is an considerable burden. Let alone 5-10.

They had to expand to find new farmland. We have to educate our children for 22 years at extraordinary cost just to give them a shot at the middle class.

I did not miss the point since having lived in an agrarian-type society. The reason for the large family was for labor. Also, two of the ten would not survive into adulthood. Your livelihood was dependent on weather and or crop failure. Why do you think half of the Irish population moved to America. Further, the farmers were never considered middle class but the working poor.

[redguard57]

Originally Posted by txfriend

I did not miss the point since having lived in an agrarian-type society. The reason for the large family was for labor. Also, two of the ten would not survive into adulthood. Your livelihood was dependent on weather and or crop failure. Why do you think half of the Irish population moved to America. Further, the farmers were never considered middle class but the working poor.

You're still missing it. Today a family would break if it even tried to have that many children. Life today doesn't accomodate them. Society today is oriented around having 1-3, maybe 4 at most. Our median incomes won't afford more.

[FrankMiller]

Originally Posted by Sunbiz1

That's b/c we're the only country on the planet that consumes without an equal amount of production.
We accomplish this by simply printing 1 trillion in currency annually, an approach which is unsustainable.
Anyone stating differently, is in denial of what is to come.
The playing field will eventually be leveled, lowering the U.S. standard of living.

It kind of sounds like you're saying we're the only country on the planet with a trade deficit, which is factually incorrect.