Comments on: The income mobility myth

By: ubervisionary

ubervisionary — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 01:03:17 +0000

The important data needed to verify how the US is being damaged by wealth concentration is not ‘income mobility’ but ‘wealth mobility.’

Income mobility suggests nothing that can be solidly verified but wealth mobility can.

DerekHaas, forget that treasury.gov thing and google ‘wealth mobility.’

By: DerekHaas

DerekHaas — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 02:38:34 +0000

You show profound disregard for evidence in this post. From a US Treasury report on income mobility:

“The key findings are that there was considerable income mobility of individuals in the U.S. economy during the 1996 through 2005 period and that the degree of income mobility among income groups is unchanged from the prior comparable period (1987 through 1996).”

http://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/ tax-policy/Documents/incomemobilitystudy 03-08revise.pdf

Also in the report a summary of prior work that shows the same rates of income mobility in the two decades prior to 1987.

If you have actual evidence to the contrary I’d be interested to see it.

By: MediaEmpyre

MediaEmpyre — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 04:41:36 +0000

Dear sick, perverted Boojum – Most CHRONIC poverty – most of it – is related to people making poor choices, like dropping out of high school and missing out on needed skills, having kids out of wedlock(the preferred lifestyle for certain minorities), getting addicted, and getting criminal records that make them unemployable. Any discussion of wealth inequality has to also address underclass behavior. minorities are not the ones who prefer to have kids out of wedlock. nobody does. I repeated what you said hoping that the sheer stupidity of the words together would dawn upon you.
People do make poor choices, but there are reasons. I believe Americans buy cheap stuff to stretch the shrinking budgets from years of price inflation for goods but non for their paychecks. That’s not hypocrisy, it’s dealing with reality. But I would have to assume you pay full price for everything you buy, right?

By: eanmdphd

eanmdphd — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 18:51:41 +0000

There are often articles about lack of opportunity … yet fewer about what might have to be sacrificed in order to make opportunities in one’s own life.

Most students lived in dorms in the past; today they have apartments. Few students had cars; few today use public transportation.

I was fortunate to go to school just when the hippie movement was happening and clothing style was readily dismissed… it was unimportant.

Today, many spent much on a life style that most in the world could not even imagine.

By: eanmdphd

eanmdphd — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 18:51:34 +0000

There are often articles about lack of opportunity … yet fewer about what might have to be sacrificed in order to make opportunities in one’s own life.

Most students lived in dorms in the past; today they have apartments. Few students had cars; few today use public transportation.

I was fortunate to go to school just when the hippie movement was happening and clothing style was readily dismissed… it was unimportant.

Today, many spent much on a life style that most in the world could not even imagine.

By: StanWilliamson

StanWilliamson — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 03:49:25 +0000

“Clearly, though, their [OWS] movement still has plenty of work to do.”

Like using their computer savvy to create an alternate barter and trade economy. Like organizing the unemployed into online non-profit skill groups (plumbers, carpenters, electricians, auto mechanics, computer programmers, financial advisers, home loan specialists) to provide customers of these services with free, honest solutions and alternative opinions (thus challenging dishonest businesses). Like providing communities with web services such as dedicated, free, open source and locally controlled versions of Google, eBay, Craig’s List, PayPal, Amazon and Groupon. Like replacing the impersonal simplistic rating agencies (Equifax, Experian, TransUnion) with local versions capable of treating local people as real human beings. Like providing fast free legal response for OWS demonstrators, homeless people, and poor people. Like recording (as did the WPA Writers’ Project) the abuse of the ill, handicapped, and elderly by budget-cutting governments. Like using modern technology to demonstrate energy and food independent communities (think of Barterville of the movie Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome done right). And there is much more to do, all of it possible for the world’s first web-based revolution!

By: Boojum22

Boojum22 — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 23:12:53 +0000

If jobs are going overseas, it’s because Americans prefer to buy the cheapest product. And before the whining begins that EVERYTHING is made overseas, what happened when Chinese goods were only 10% of the merchandise? What happened is that Americans bought them instead of more expensive products made by their fellow citizens. We care about our wallets first, full stop. Let’s just acknowledge the hypocrisy.

Most CHRONIC poverty – most of it – is related to people making poor choices, like dropping out of high school and missing out on needed skills, having kids out of wedlock(the preferred lifestyle for certain minorities), getting addicted, and getting criminal records that make them unemployable. Any discussion of wealth inequality has to also address underclass behavior.

By: loveone

loveone — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 09:44:10 +0000

Stupid ideas like the 9-9-9 tax proposal would introduce even more inequality into the system. It would force the poor – who have to spend perhaps all their income on consumption of basic necessities – to spend 9% of their income on sales take alone, while the rich save millions and only pay the 9% sales tax on a small percentage of their earnings.

By: matthewslyman

matthewslyman — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 23:32:22 +0000

p.s. Thank you, “CarlOmunificent” and “KJMClark”: I just watched the TED talk you recommended. It’s excellent.

By: matthewslyman

matthewslyman — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 23:15:22 +0000

Amen!