i haven't worked in the US for 25 years. was fairly hit and miss, some people work hard some are lazy shits. but I've lived and worked on 4 different continents for 30+ years and in general the work ethic has declined drastically. people want all the perks and benefits without paying their dues. I live in the country and surrounded by every part of society. most are just extremely hardworking and doing what they need to do to pay the bills. we have 2 families in town that are rich and own a lot of land, but the rest are and interesting mix. sure we have peoole on benefits and the associated issues, but mosy people have left the cities and trying to make a go of. Many new businesses starting up, and then others to service them. I've started a couple myself. Cities have been a source of problems since they were invented. pollution, disease, crime, also makes people much easier to control being all in the same area. you couldn't pay me to live in a city again.

I'm in the US, and see it differently. I'm sure it's because each region has it's differences. Are there wealthy retirees, or people that inherited 50 acres living outside city limits? Sure. At the same time, there are far more rural residents that are barely scraping by, or live below the poverty level. There's certainly not enough wealth in my rural area to sustain anything "high class". About the closest thing we have is a golf course that begs for anyone to come play. Meanwhile, worth ethic is very poor. When I was an employee, in order to look like a rock star I only had to do three things: 1. Show up on time (which means showing up early) 2. Not leave mid-afternoon. (i.e. stay until the end of the day) 3. Work while I was there. (i.e. don't slack off, or waste company time) Contributing anything extra, like thought, had employers beyond impressed.