American Income Inequality Widens

The debates about income and wealth distribution continue without demonstrable progress towards change, which means the inequality gaps continues to widen without much expectation of change. The income of the top 20% continues to rise while the middle 40% and the bottom 40% see decreasing wages (as measured as a percentage of total wages.) The disparity accelerates within the 20% where the top 1% of the top 1% have the highest rates of growth, rates that are being applied to the highest incomes, therefore further accelerating the extremes. The top 20% make about 51% of all income in America. Meanwhile, the bottom 40% have seen their share drop from 15% to 12%. As income accumulates into wealth and wealth is power, power concentrates as well. The primary counter balancing action available is one-person-one-vote, but that hasn’t produced much more than rhetoric – yet.

(Click on the graph for the link.)

“The Dangerous Separation Of The American Upper Middle Class” – Brookings