[bodiekane]

And yet, millions of people work 40 hour weeks and take a couple vacations per year while working in razor-thin margin industries like grocery stores and low margin restaurants, manufacturing, agriculture, construction, retail, trucking and services ranging from hair stylists to accounting.

Sane working hours and vacation time should be taken as a given in the modern economy. Unusually long work hours should be reserved for unusually highly paid professions like investment banking and surgeons.

[lotsofpulp]

In the US, that might be true if you don't have kids, and/or don't aim to buy a home in a major metro. Otherwise, a lot of those people are going to be working multiple jobs, or relying on a higher earning spouse. Especially retail and restaurant workers. Most won't even get subsidized health insurance from their employer, and if they do, they are not going to be able to afford the deductibles with their income from one 40 hour per week job.