Six in 10 Support Policies Addressing Income Inequality (ABC/WashPost Poll)

[Hissyspit]

Source: ABC News

Nov 9, 2011 12:01am

Six in 10 Support Policies Addressing Income Inequality

Six in 10 Americans say the federal government should pursue policies to reduce the gap between the wealthy and less-well-off Americans, although fewer express support for the Occupy Wall Street movement that’s been protesting U.S. income inequality.

Sixty-one percent in this ABC News/Washington Post poll think the wealth gap is larger than it’s been historically. And despite longstanding public concerns about activist government, six in 10 also say the federal government should seek to reduce that differential.

The public’s concern is buttressed by a recent Congressional Budget Office estimate that the wealthiest 1 percent of Americans have nearly tripled their incomes since 1979, while the bottom 80 percent of earners have seen their share of the nation’s total income slightly decline.

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Overall support for such policies is linked to perceptions of a widening wealth gap. Among those who think the gap is much larger than it’s been historically, 84 percent say the government should pursue policies to address it. That declines to 54 percent among people who think the gap is just somewhat larger than in the past, and 41 percent of those who think it’s about the same.

Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2011/11/six-in-10-support-policies-addressing-income-inequality

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Occupy Wall Street changed the dialogue and raised awareness. No question.

[alp227]

1. "CLASS WARFARE!" Boehner, Cantor, and the slaggers

[No Elephants]

2. We know it is. We finally started fighting back. Yeay for us.

Word to the Occupiers: Love and thanks.

[xchrom]

3. Recommend

[sam11111]

5. more on this idea -

http://www.ourfuture.org/blog-entry/2010041625/13-ways-90-percent-top-tax-rate-fixes-economy

Fm excellent writer at a think tank. Fact and graph-heavy.

See points 4 and 8 especially.

[xchrom]

6. +1

[Hissyspit]

8. Thanks!

[Magoo48]

4. The national conversation really is changing...Good for US.

[Kingofalldems]

7. Kick and Rec