35 Mind-Blowing Facts About Inequality

[MizMotown]

Here are 35 astounding facts about inequality that will fry your brain.

1. In 81 percent of American counties, the median income, about $52,000, is less than it was 15 years ago. This is despite the fact that the economy has grown 83 percent in the past quarter-century and corporate profits have doubled. American workers produce twice the amount of goods and services as 25 years ago, but get less of the pie.

http://www.alternet.org/economy/35-m...out-inequality

[G-DDT]

Don't stop now. I'm listening.

[Jimaz]

Don't stop now. I'm listening.

Who isn't listening? Here's Thom's take on it:

DetroitYES Home » Non Detroit Issues » Thom Hartmann » Economic Inequality Harms our Economy!

[gazhekwe]

This is what frosts my jets:

14. Tax rates for the middle class have remained essentially unchanged since 1960. Tax rates on the highest earning Americans have plunged from an almost 70% tax rate in 1945 down to around 35% today. Corporate tax rates have dropped from 30 percent in the 1950s to under 10 percent today.

And yet, when it comes to funding things like infrastructure repair, maintenance and improvement, where do the lawmakers go for money? They want to cut social programs, tax retirement, reduce spending on education, health care, veterans and other programs that help people who need help. Who supplies the missing revenue when business and rich folk get such big breaks? Everybody else, that's who, in the form of higher taxes, more spending on local programs that lose federal funding, higher medical bills, personally shoring up education failures, the car repair road tax, more pressure from local charities trying to pick up the slack.