I just framed it as aliens bringing it from the outside to avoid it being redistribution, just looking at the effects of different segments of the economy gaining wealth.

Quote Originally Posted by BananaStand View Post
Income equality is overrated. Income mobility is what matters. I'm quite sure we've discussed this before. In America, the vast majority of folks in the bottom fifth of earners have kids who rise above, and often far above, that bottom fifth. At the same time, a fair amount of folks in the top fifth, have kids who fall all the way to the bottom.

Income mobility. I really don't know what else a citizen could ask for.
Income mobility has been in a steady decline since WW2.



The reasons suggested for that are:

- Decline in unions. Organized labor was once better able to negotiate pay raises for their members, whatever their career stage.
- The number of jobs at the bottom and the top of the pay scale is increasing, while the number of jobs in the middle isn’t. If there were more employment growth in the middle, those who start out at the bottom might have a better shot at moving up.
- Income inequality. The earnings of the people in the top decile are much higher than they used to be, compared to the overall population. That means it is increasingly harder to reach those top ranks. “In the presence of increasing inequality,” they conclude, “falling mobility implies that as the rungs of the ladder have moved farther apart, moving between them has become more difficult.”