Miracle US economy zooms ahead — so DSA haters resort to lies

Nypost · 🇺🇸 public United States · Aug 11, 2026 · 662 words · By Rich Lowry

US vs UK Economic Performance Relative vs Absolute Poverty Critique of Democratic Socialism

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What to know about US vs UK Economic Performance

The United States of America may be the greatest place for functionally illiterate people to live in all of human history.

Claims checked 12

Techniques found 5

Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center0%

Right100%

1 source compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

The United States of America may be the greatest place for functionally illiterate people to live in all of human history.

Why it matters

An eye-popping column in The Financial Times the other day noted how people in the United States with very low literacy make about as much per hour as the average worker in Great Britain.

Common ground

Is this the result of brilliant public policy, carefully crafted to boost the prospects of those on the margins?

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Name Calling / Labeling, Straw Man: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this US vs UK Economic Performance story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that The problem with the number, which comes from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, is that it measures income relative to a country’s median rather than absolute poverty?
How does this story connect US vs UK Economic Performance with Relative vs Absolute Poverty over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/08/11/opinion/miracle-us-economy-zooms-ahead-so-dsa-hate…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 5 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

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Loaded Language 90% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

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Name Calling / Labeling 85% confidence

Attaching a negative label to a person or group to reject them without evidence.

Why it matters: Recognizing name calling / labeling helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

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Straw Man 75% confidence

Misrepresenting an opponent's argument to make it easier to attack.

Why it matters: Recognizing straw man helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

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Exaggeration / Hyperbole 80% confidence

Overstating facts or claims to create a stronger emotional response.

Why it matters: Recognizing exaggeration / hyperbole helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

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Glittering Generalities 70% confidence

Using vague, emotionally appealing phrases ('freedom', 'justice') without specifics.

Why it matters: Recognizing glittering generalities helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 12 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

info Single Source 7

schedule Pending 2

help Insufficient Evidence 2

check_circle Corroborated 1

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Claim 1: “The problem with the number, which comes from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, is that it measures income relative to a country’s median rather than absolute poverty.”

CORROBORATED

Two independent sources confirm this: an opinion piece by Rich Lowry explicitly states the OECD number measures income relative to the median rather than absolute poverty, and Grokipedia explains that OECD relative monetary measures define poverty as income below 50% of the national median.

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web search NEUTRAL — The United States of America may be the greatest place for functionally illiterate people to live in all of human history.The problem with the number is that it comes from the OECD and measures income…
https://prescottenews.com/2026/08/14/opinion-dont-malign-the…

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web search NEUTRAL — [11] Relative monetary measures, prevalent in high-income contexts, define poverty as household income below 50% of the national median equivalized income, as standardized by the OECD for cross-countr…
https://grokipedia.com/page/Child_poverty

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web search NEUTRAL — Child relative income poverty rate, 2021 or latest available year Relative income poverty rate (%), for the total population and for children (0-17 year-olds).
https://webfs.oecd.org/els-com/Family_Database/CO_2_2_Child_…

info

Claim 2: “people in the United States with very low literacy make about as much per hour as the average worker in Great Britain”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided evidence consists of irrelevant results (songs, bands, home improvement stores) and general definitions of literacy. No independent source corroborates the specific wage comparison between low-literacy US workers and average UK workers.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Anti-literacy laws in many slave states before and during the American Civil War affected slaves, freedmen, and in some cases all people of color. Some laws arose from concerns that literate slaves co…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-literacy_laws_in_the_Unit…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Adult literacy in the United States is assessed through national and international studies conducted by various government agencies and private research organizations. The most recent comprehensive da…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Literacy_in_the_United_States

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic consisting of 50 states and a federal c…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States

+ 3 more evidence sources

schedule

Claim 3: “And we’ve been increasing the economic gap with peer countries — Canada, the UK and the members of the European Union — over roughly the last 15 years.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

help

Claim 4: “and has substantially declined since the late 1950s”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was provided for this claim in the search results.

info

Claim 5: “retail workers earn double”

SINGLE SOURCE

The evidence provided is entirely irrelevant, focusing on a film series called 'After'. No data regarding retail worker wages was found.

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web search NEUTRAL — The After film series consists of American romantic dramas based on the Anna Todd -authored After novels. The plot centers around the positive and negative experiences of a romantic relationship betwe…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/After_(film_series)

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web search NEUTRAL — After is a 2019 American romantic drama film directed by Jenny Gage, who co-wrote the screenplay with Susan McMartin, Tamara Chestna, and Tom Betterton, based on the 2014 novel of the same name by Ann…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/After_(2019_film)

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web search NEUTRAL — Find out how and where to watch "After" online on Netflix, Prime Video, and Disney+ today – including 4K and free options.
https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/after-2019

info

Claim 6: “Bernie Sanders... posted on X a figure showing the United States with the highest child-poverty rate among a group of developed countries, at 21.1%.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The evidence mentions Bernie Sanders in a general context and child living arrangements, but does not provide a source confirming the specific X post or the 21.1% figure.

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web search NEUTRAL — Senator Bernie Sanders dishes out sick burns to deserving subjects.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lSbapGyu4g

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web search NEUTRAL — Children living with a mother only is the second most common U.S. living arrangement, a number that has doubled since 1968.
https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2021/04/number-of-chi…

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web search NEUTRAL — Emerging markets are countries with low incomes and high growth prospects.
https://www.thebalancemoney.com/what-are-emerging-markets-33…

info

Claim 7: “The same proportion of US workers who score stunningly low on literacy earn an average of almost $30 per hour, and two-thirds of them are in work.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The evidence provided is entirely irrelevant (video game walkthroughs, TV shows, general country descriptions). No data regarding the hourly wages or employment rates of low-literacy US workers was found.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This Is Us is an American drama television series created by Dan Fogelman that aired on NBC from September 20, 2016, to May 24, 2022. The series follows the lives and families of two parents and their…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/This_Is_Us

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Us, us, uS, or US commonly refers to: Us (pronoun), the objective case of the English first-person plural pronoun we U.S., an abbreviation for the United States Us, us, uS, or US may also refer to:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Us

+ 3 more evidence sources

info

Claim 8: “Their British counterparts make the equivalent of $20 and fewer than half are employed.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The evidence provided consists of music videos and general definitions of literacy. No data corroborates the specific wage or employment figures for low-literacy workers in the UK.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Financial literacy is the possession of skills, knowledge, behavior, and attitude that allow an individual to make informed decisions regarding money. Financial literacy, financial education, and fina…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Financial_literacy

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Health literacy is the ability to obtain, read, understand, and use healthcare information in order to make appropriate health decisions and follow instructions for treatment. There are multiple defin…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_literacy

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Literacy is traditionally the ability to read and write. Since the mid-twentieth century, the term is also used more broadly to encompass identifying, understanding, interpreting, creating, communicat…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Literacy

+ 3 more evidence sources

schedule

Claim 9: “If the UK or France were made states in the US, they’d rank near or below West Virginia and Mississippi in terms of nominal GDP per capita.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

help

Claim 10: “The official Census Bureau figure is 14.3%”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was provided for this claim in the search results.

info

Claim 11: “Factory workers in the US earn 60% more than in the UK after adjusting for differences in living costs.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The evidence includes general cost of living calculators and irrelevant Wikipedia entries. No specific data comparing US and UK factory worker wages adjusted for cost of living was found.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Night After Night is a live album recorded by the British band U.K. It features the trio lineup of Eddie Jobson, John Wetton, and Terry Bozzio. Recorded in late May and early June 1979 at Nakano Sun P…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_After_Night_(U.K._album)

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Toys "R" Us is a British retailer owned by WHP Global. The UK Toys 'R' Us was established by its U.S. counterpart, with the first store opening in 1985. In 2018, the retailer closed all locations but…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toys_"R"_Us_UK

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Between 12 January 2024 and 6 May 2025 the United States and the United Kingdom, with support from Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands, and New Zealand, launched a series of cruise mi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/US–UK_airstrikes_on_Yemen

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 12: “Plumbers and electricians earn 90% more”

SINGLE SOURCE

While some evidence discusses UK electrician and plumber earnings, there is no comparative data provided that confirms US counterparts earn 90% more after cost-of-living adjustments.

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+ 3 more evidence sources

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.