(February 2, 2018 at 2:19 pm)alpha male Wrote:(February 2, 2018 at 2:05 pm)Brian37 Wrote: So?
The RATIO that the top gets, negates the crumbs the rest of the bottom two classes get. THAT is the SCAM Reagan started and the GOP has sold ever since.
What difference does income inequality make?
I got a 5% raise this year. My billing rate was increased 7%, so the gap between me and my boss widened. Why should that bother me?
Just curious... have you read any studies on causes of crime?
You'll find a direct correlation between high crime rates and status inequality.
In biological terms it's about sexual selection. Lower-order males need to find ways to raise their status to gain breeding rights. Sometimes that involves theft, sometimes murder. Some will band together to remove an aggressively dominant pack leader.
Economically, this is about the Pareto Distribution (think about how the game Monopoly works).
In human terms see, French, Russian, English, Chinese Revolutions.
Wiley elites saved themselves by heeding Marx's warnings and creating state-funded social programs (schools, housing) instead of leaving it to philanthropists.
Medieval elites would hold tourneys to entertain the proles while they built higher castle walls. Earlier... Colosseum... same reason.
As Mark Blyth put it, "The Hamptons is not a defensible position". They are letting you eat cake... today.

(February 2, 2018 at 2:21 pm)Neo-Scholastic Wrote: ...
What exactly do you think the people at the top do with that money? Horde it in a vault like Scrouge McDuck? They invest it in businesses and ventures that provide jobs and build the wealth of nations. Have you ever job from a poor man?
It's a myth that rich people create jobs.
Consumption creates demand. Demand creates supply. Some clever people create/expand businesses to organise supply and create jobs and might get rich in the process. Consumption is the key.
Spread the profits and more people can consume. If the consumers are skint it all grinds to a halt. This is why some countries are considering Guaranteed Minimum Income strategies.

(February 3, 2018 at 7:26 am)alpha male Wrote: ...
They have huge piles of cash offshore because the corporate tax rate in America has been 35%. Now that the rate is being lowered to be in line with the rest of the world, money is coming back to the US.
"Hey there!" says the Rest of the World, standing on the street corner in high heels and underwear, "No need to go back to your wife. We've cut our rates again."
Then what?

The PURPOSE of life is to replicate our DNA ................. (from Darwin)
The MEANING of life is the experience of living ... (from Frank Herbert)
The VALUE of life is the legacy we leave behind ..... (from observation)
The MEANING of life is the experience of living ... (from Frank Herbert)
The VALUE of life is the legacy we leave behind ..... (from observation)