Joseph H Sadove
3 min readAug 3, 2021

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Here's some useful information if you want to understand how wealth is created and well-distributed to the citizenry.

German net average single worker tax rate: 38.9%

USA net average single worker tax rate: 14.6%

And here is the full picture:

FUN FACTS COMPARING GERMANY TO USA

BUDGETS

- German Federal Budget 2010-2020: 6 surpluses, 1 breakeven, 1 deficit (2020 because of COVID, subsidizing all salaries at 60%)

- US Federal Budget: Last surpluses under B. Clinton 1998-2001, 2002 Bush takes over and....down it goes

TRADE BALANCES

-German Balance of Trade: Never had a deficit

-US Balance of Trade: Last surplus was 1975

-Germany has a near complete balance of trade with China

IMMIGRATION/DIVERSITY

-W. Germany's absorption of E. Germany was the economic equivalent of the US absorbing Mexico

-Before the absorption of the 1.2mm ME immigrants, in 2014, 1/5 of Germany are immigrants, mostly Turkish, E. European, and S. European

HAPPINESS

-Usually between 2nd and 3rd fewest workweeks in the world: 34.7/year vs. 43 for the US

-6 weeks federally mandated vacation, plus a minimum of 12 public holidays with typically more than that (usually between 2nd and 3rd fewest workweeks in the world: 34.7/year vs. 43 for the US)

-universal means-tested, hybrid public/private HIGHER quality healthcare than US

-fully funded federal retirement

-Education pre-school to graduate/post-graduate degree or professional/practical training and internships FREE and PAID.

-basically, the most unionized country on earth or tied for that honor

INFRASTRUCTURE

-renewable energy federal investment to 2015: $150bb, the equivalent of the US investing $1.9TT, currently invests ~$12b/year

-renewable energy: 51% in 2020, USA: 20%

-comprehensive fast, clean, comfortable, convenient, affordable public transportation

-top quality infrastructure...best roads, bridges, tunnels, etc. in the world by all measures

2020 COMPARATIVE BASE METRICS

German Population: 80.62mm

US Population: 318mm

German Land mass: 137,983 mi² (slightly smaller than Montana)

USA Land mass: 3.797 million mi² (27 times larger than Germany)

German Natural Resources: small amount of coal, tiny amount of oil, otherwise practically none, agricultural "museum"

US Natural Resources: Vast oil, gas, ore and other mining, timber, vast coast line with fisheries, vast agriculture

German GDP: 3.86TT

USA GDP: 21.43TT

German Average Lifespan 80.89 years

USA Average Lifespan 78.54 years

ECONOMY

German net average single worker tax rate: 38.9%

USA net average single worker tax rate: 14.6%

German CEO-to-Worker pay ratio 2020: 136 to 1

USA CEO-to-Worker pay ratio 2020: 265 to 1

German Manufacturing as a percentage of GDP (excluding construction): 19.11%

US Manufacturing as a percentage of GDP including construction): 11.39%

German Manufacturing employment as a percentage of employment: 26.78

US Manufacturing employment as a percentage of employment: 8.5%

German Export Size vs. US: in 2011 and 2013, out-exported the US. Prior to 2009, regularly out-exported the US and China

German Exports 2020: $1.489 trillion

US Exports 2020: $1.665 trillion

German Trade Surplus with China 2020: + $22.2BB

USA Trade Deficit with China 2020: $310BB

USA Total Trade Balance 2020: minus $678.7BB

German Total Trade Balance 2020: plus $261BB

German Top 10 Exports:

Machinery including computers: US$260.7 billion (17.5% of total exports)

Vehicles: $243.7 billion (16.4%)

Electrical machinery, equipment: $158.7 billion (10.7%)

Pharmaceuticals: $90.4 billion (6.1%)

Optical, technical, medical apparatus: $79.3 billion (5.3%)

Plastics, plastic articles: $63.2 billion (4.3%)

Aircraft, spacecraft: $42.3 billion (2.8%)

Mineral fuels including oil: $34.2 billion (2.3%)

Articles of iron or steel: $31.3 billion (2.1%)

Other chemical goods: $26.3 billion (1.8%)

US Top 6 Exports:

Machinery including computers: US$361.6 billion (15% of total imports)

Electrical machinery, equipment: $343.5 billion (14.3%)

Vehicles: $254.4 billion (10.6%)

Pharmaceuticals: $139.5 billion (5.8%)

Mineral fuels including oil: $130.1 billion (5.4%)

Gems, precious metals: $107 billion (4.4%)

Optical, technical, medical apparatus: $90.9 billion (3.8%)

Furniture, bedding, lighting , signs, prefab buildings: $65.5 billion (2.7%)

Plastics, plastic articles: $62.5 billion (2.6%)

Organic chemicals: $55.9 billion (2.3%)

VARIOUS SOURCES

http://www.tradingeconomics.com/germany/government-budgethttps://www.cia.gov/library/publications/resources/the-world-factbook/https://data.oecd.org/https://data.worldbank.org/imf.org/en/Datahttp://www.worldstopexports.com/https://www.bioenergyconsult.com/https://tradingeconomics.com/germany/balance-of-tradehttps://www.destatis.de/EN/Home/_node.html

etc.

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