We Are the Most Unequal Society in the Developed World

[xchrom]

http://www.alternet.org/labor/we-are-most-unequal-society-developed-world

The American people have spoken. But what did we really say about inequality?

At first glance, it seems that extreme inequality mattered little to the majority of voters who put pro-business candidates into office. After all, the Republicans, along with far too many Democrats, are certain to cater to their Wall Street/CEO donors. Do Americans really want an ever-rising gap between the super-rich and the rest of us?

An important study ( "How Much (More) Should CEOs Make? A Universal Desire for More Equal Pay&quot by Sorapop Kiatpongsan and Michael I. Norton provides insight on why Americans aren't more upset about rising inequality: It shows we are clueless about how bad it really is. Their analysis of a 2009 international survey of 55,187 people from 40 countries found that when it comes to understanding the severity of inequality, we're the most clueless of all.

Americans are virtually blind to the growing gap between CEO pay and the pay of the average worker. As the chart below shows that gap has increased dramatically. In 1965, for every dollar earned by the average worker, CEOs earned $20. By 2012, that gap mushroomed to 354 to one.



But, when asked in the survey, Americans grossly underestimated this gap. Instead of 354 to 1, the Americans in representative survey think it is only 30 to 1. When asked what the ideal pay gap should be, Americans say that a fair gap would be about 7 to 1.

[truebluegreen]

1. It would be nice to have a party willing to really push this forward

instead of the opposite.

[stillwaiting]

5. Exactly. If we did, then so many Americans wouldn't be so ignorant on reality.

They would KNOW what's actually happening in this country, and if the Dems would offer progressive policies catered to correcting this situation they WOULD win.

But they don't push this forward (with the exception of a few elected Dems, i.e. Elizabeth Warren).

[UglyGreed]

2. Getting worse

everyday.

[liberal N proud]

3. With no relief in sight

[newfie11]

4. The feudal lord system returns

The new America!
Can't say we didn't see it coming!

[MisterP]

6. the system with 160 holidays a year? XP

[BlindTiresias]

7. Unfair to feudalism

This will be much worse with an even greater level of control over the lives of people and less rewards, material and spiritual. European medieval feudalism will seem like some distant paradise by comparison.

[haele]

8. Feudalism at least had noblesse oblige.

The New America is more like the Old Confederacy as it was envisioned by the Southern Elite of that time. It's more of a Caste-based Plantation System with indentured servitude as well as slavery. Fewer people with freedom of social movement because the new Brahmans will only need enough to provide professional services, and those would probably come from some sort of Educated Professional Caste or Petite Bourgeoisies based off mid-management toadies who managed to secure some sort of savings or bonuses and remote family members. I suspect the only Caste that would be available for upward mobility to wage Slaves will be some form of Entertainer's Caste (Sports, Beauty, and Arts) and probably the Security Caste, which would comprise of Paramilitary and maybe some emergency responders.
And everything else will be up for sale to the highest bidder, with unregulated services provided by the lowest bidder - or cheat.

Haele

[The2ndWheel]

9. We also have the largest population in the developed world

Other than Russia(lots of ice and snow), and Canada(lots of ice and snow), the US is also a pretty big country.

It's going to be difficult to see those gaps when people really don't have to see them. You have a couple cities where most people are clustered, and then lots of room.