Tag: equality
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Republicans Create Opportunity? Yeah, Right.
Republicans constantly proclaim that inequality is the price of prosperity. If things are more unequal, there’s more incentive–and crucially, opportunity–for people to better themselves. Everyone benefits from that. Except it’s not true. Let’s think about Joe the Plumber, who made $40K in 2006 but would like to buy the plumbing business he works for–for a…
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More on Equality and Growth
I just came across this graph that I created a while ago, and never got around to posting. Trickle-down theorists would have you believe that inequality is necessary for growth and prosperity, or even that inequality causes growth. But in the decades after their theories took sway, growth declined. It came after therefore it was…
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Inequality is Bad Because it Hurts the Republican Brand
I thought I'd pointed this out in a previous post, but apparently not. When you hear Republicans speaking negatively of America's extreme and growing inequality, it's only because it might hurt their brand and their electoral prospects. David Frum is the poster child. In this week's NYT Magazine, he's nice enough make my point for…