>First, the little ants at Walmart do have the chance to climb the ladder. My cousin's husband, who is now in management above store level, can attest to that. He even, and this may shock you, has excellent benefits and a healthy salary. He started out at Walmart retrieving shopping carts from the parking lot. At my last home, my neighbor (who modified his mercedes to run on cooking oil) was a manager at Walmart at the store level. He also did well financially. Most of the greeters are either senior citizens earning a little extra money, and they actually enjoy the greeting process, or high school or college students earning extra money. I've spent many a day doing much lower work to earn pay, believe me. My first paying job, outside of working for the family business in a dry cleaners, working the fields of a farm for no pay, or picking strawberries or walnuts all day for days on end (among other jobs), was at Kmart. I was promoted within 3 months to a supervisory position at
>17. It is indeed possible, back then, and today. Whether you continue on with the same company or use that experience as a stepping stone is up to the individual.
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>I think that lowly ants working here in the states have a much better chance of getting further financially in life (especially without any friends or relatives in high places) than in socialist or communist countries. Otherwise, I think our immigration demand (legal and illegal) would be closer to the level of your home country, wouldn't it?
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>Second, part of it is our culture which so many Europeans comment on. It's what I've seen here on the UT referred to as that 'fake public friendliness' that supposedly means nothing deep down. You see it in nurses in hospitals who present a cheerful friendly atttitude when they are so exhausted they'd like nothing more than to lay down and sleep for 12 hours.

Hi Tracy,

Climbing ladder by hard work is true in every market economy.
What can I read from your post is that you believe US social system is heaven on earth, which pribably trives from your personall success. Bear in mind that not everybody is gifted brains, capabilities and at the end of the day opportunities You had.
I agree that there is chance for success if you are capable (and you deserve every bit of it!),
but point is that just society have to think of those less fortunate as well.

Those who are capable of climbing ladders in Wallmart will eventually leave Walmart, point is exactly on those who are NOT capable of living Walmart.

They should be by all means spared from clapping 6am in the morning.