>>>The systems can't exist without people creating them -- but the systems are still necessary. And each system of government can always be improved upon - and that is one of the genius of our system - the fact it's designed to adapt with the changing times. At the moment, however, our system is broken - and it is going to remain that way until the money is taken out of politics. Lets just hope Bernie wins this time - because for now he seems like our best chance to make some of the radical changes that are necessary.
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>>Herbert Hoover and FDR operated within the same system with drastically different outcomes.
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>>Yes, Bernie is what we need right now.
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>No idea how far Bernie would swing the US.
>But just comparing GDP might not be the best indicator.
>
>You might check worth per capita - Greece from former example and Italy have populations probably surprizingly wealthy compared to the people living in Germany. West german wealth was gutted by a something between a third and a quarter shortly after Fall of Wall, but as Germany is considered to be the economic powerhouse of the EU (leaving out selection errors like Luxembourg due to small size and special factors - in that case high-paid politicians flooding the economy with money generated elsewhere) the comparative lack of personal wealth stems from overeager re-distribution and guilt complex.
>

You should also look at distribution in the "everyone equal" countries.
World Bank GINI index(Distribution of wealth-lower is better) China 46.5 (2016 est.) USA 41.5 (2016 est.) Greece 36.7 (2012 est.)
I couldn't find anything recent for Venezuela but I did see an estimate last month that 90% live below the poverty line. Before anyone blames Trump - I also saw this in the Guardian dated Apr 5, 2017 " In Venezuela 82% of people live in poverty ".

As for Greece being a "basket case"
Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-):
China -3.8% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
USA --3.4% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
Greece +0.8% (of GDP) (2017 est.)


>Look before you leap ;-)