[omonra]

Thanks.

Re the Bernie Sanders quote, it's actually not true (http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2015/apr/...).

For start it omits taxes and wealth transfers - and secondly it measures 2009-2013.

2009 was the year right after the crash when 1% experienced a sharp decline in income.

Thirdly, the huge increase in healthcare (hence insurance) costs is largely carried by employers. That's one of the main reasons for stagnant wages of late - total compensation has been increasing but the increase is flowing into benefits - thus flat income.

I have been thinking myself about the issue of inequality and think it's being obfuscated by the language used (whereby it's discussed in terms of rich vs poor instead of US poor vs foreign poor).

Ie - how are the wages for the top 1% (lawyers, doctors, bankers, etc) affecting the wages for the bottom 50%? If anything I think that immigration has been a much larger factor (for the low skilled / paid sector of the economy).