>>508763988 (OP)what happened those past 20 years?
when we joined the EU in 2007, it was pretty much on par with the US in terms of economic potential. and the rich countries in Western Europe enjoyed a similar standard of living and a similar income, well ahead of us.
fast forward 20 years and the US has completely eclipsed us. we're as much of an economic competitor as Russia is a military one.
the so-called rich states in Western Europe have stagnated horribly, allowing us to catch up but letting the US run away with fabulous salaries and standard of living.
we didn't join the first world. the rest of Europe joined the second world with us.