"...America ranks roughly alongside a number of Second and Third World nations in terms of income distribution..."

Yes, but the US and Canada have the Middle Class which very few countries can claim.

People can move up or down the economic ladder and are not trapped as they are in the usual elite/peon societies that are the norm now and throughout history.

Trouble is, the Middle Class is dying. It took a huge hit over the last four years due to the collapse of single family house values.