Originally Posted by annette
There is a great deal of mobility in the American class system. It's simply not true that if you were born upper-class you are guaranteed to stay there (or vice versa). In 10 years, you could be at the other extreme.

Some facts:
http://www.nytimes.com/packages/html/national/20050515_CLASS_GRAPHIC/index_03.html

Your facts do not match your assertion, because the Times graphic indicates that the US has less mobility than other OECD countries, and that mobility has been on the decline. Moreover, the latest update on mobility they show measures it from the 80s to 90s, and we know from other sources that mobility has been on a sharp decline since the end of the 90s.

Furthermore, the Times graphic was published in 2005, shortly before a major economic event that ripped the guts out of the middle class.