Strawman argument. Median income ==/== standard of living across cultures. The Swedes pour a lot of their income into taxes and social services. So although very few people are rich, everyone lives well. Where as here in the US we've basically spent the last 49 years defunding our government and tearing up the social contract. So even though we all have more money in our pockets, very few of us actually live as well as the Swedes and Europeans.