Elizabeth Barrette (ysabetwordsmith) wrote,
Elizabeth Barrette
ysabetwordsmith
  • Mood: frustrated

Falling into the Income Gap

This article explains some more reasons why politicians are indifferent to America's economic problems.  (Link courtesy of my_partner_doug.) Being college-educated insulates them from the worst unemployment, as does living in or near Washington, D.C.  Their personal comfort robs them of a sense of urgency, such as is felt by the many citizens struggling to keep their lights on.  Also, when the wealthy 10% and the non-wealthy 90% differ on policy decisions, the wealthy opinion almost always prevails, based on observations of past results.

This is a problem, because when the gap between rich and poor gets too wide, a society tears itself apart.  History is quite clear on that point.  Even before it gets that bad, social aspects break down, causing an increase in crime and other problems.  So then, things that increase, or fail to alleviate, the widening income gap are actually un-American in that they reduce the chance of America surviving as a nation.  It would be bitterly ironic if one of the world's greatest social experiments collapsed because people couldn't be bothered to give a rat's ass about each other.  What war couldn't accomplish, greed and indifference very well might.
Tags: economics, news, politics
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  • 15 comments
just_the_ash

just_the_ash

March 5 2011, 20:45:07 UTC 10 years ago

Being college-educated insulates them from the worst unemployment

I'm not sure this is true across the board, said the adjunct professor who is about to fill out a food-stamp application to go with a form of Medicaid.
ysabetwordsmith

Well...

ysabetwordsmith

March 5 2011, 20:48:30 UTC 10 years ago

I too have a college degree, and we've not had a regular job in this household for over three years. It's not a guarantee. But the unemployment rate among people with college degrees is about half the overall unemployment rate. That makes a difference in perceived urgency.