land of opportunity ?

In 1915 during the age of the Robber Barons the top 1% controlled 18% of the wealth in the US. Today it's closer to 24%.

From 1980 to 2005, more than 80 percent of total increase in Americans' income went to the top 1 percent. Economic growth was more sluggish in the aughts, but the decade saw productivity increase by about 20 percent. Yet virtually none of the increase translated into wage growth at middle and lower incomes.

In a survey of 27 nations conducted from 1998 to 2001, the country where the highest proportion agreed with the statement "people are rewarded for intelligence and skill" was, of course, the United States. (69 percent). But when it comes to real as opposed to imagined social mobility, surveys find less in the United States that is considered class-bound , France, Germany, Sweden, Denmark, Spain—not to mention some newer nations like Canada and Australia. According to the CIA, income distribution in the United States is more unequal than in Guyana, Nicaragua, and Venezuela, and roughly on par with Uruguay, Argentina, and Ecuador. Income inequality is actually declining in Latin America even as it continues to increase in the United States.

from here, http://www.slate.com/id/2266025/entry/2266026/