03-29-2013, 06:51 PM
It's interesting that you are asking for an opinion about a fact. For people like me, if asked a question like that I always check the available data and then provide an answer based on those. If I can't get at data then I would generally not offer an opinion. If everybody did that then there would be no debate I suppose. However, it sounds as though you are expecting that many people would just render an opinion without even looking for any data for back up. Sadly, I think that a lot of people in the US do just this because they have never been taught critical thinking skills.
Some data:
Income inequality went way down with the New Deal, the rise of unions and better labor laws in the 1930s and 1940s. Things were good until the mid 1970s, and the rot and rise of the plutocrats really set in badly when Ronald Reagan was elected and has continued to the present.
Family income went to hell at the same time that the plutocrats started their takeover.
This is an interesting one. The Gini coefficient summarizes income inequality in a single number and is one of the most commonly used measures of income inequality. The southern red states seem to have the highest inequality (still left over from the days of slavery?) but always vote for the folks who support policies that increase that inequality. Go figure.
Some data:
Income inequality went way down with the New Deal, the rise of unions and better labor laws in the 1930s and 1940s. Things were good until the mid 1970s, and the rot and rise of the plutocrats really set in badly when Ronald Reagan was elected and has continued to the present.
Family income went to hell at the same time that the plutocrats started their takeover.
This is an interesting one. The Gini coefficient summarizes income inequality in a single number and is one of the most commonly used measures of income inequality. The southern red states seem to have the highest inequality (still left over from the days of slavery?) but always vote for the folks who support policies that increase that inequality. Go figure.