Saturday, February 18, 2006

The Rich Get Richer...



The gap between rich and poor has been growing since 1980, growing considerably according to U.S. Census data. The chart above tells the tale for North Carolina. Remember, this is not the gap, this is the change in the gap over twenty years.

With nothing to indicate that this trend will change I suggest we look towards our neighbors to the south, i.e. Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, etc., if we want to the glimpse what the future may well be for our country. Do we really want to structure our society like theirs, with a vast gap between the haves and have nots? We are headed that way, fast. At one time we offered our strong middle class as a model for the rest of the world. What will we have left to show them in the future - besides smart bombs and Wal-Mart - our shrinking Bill of Rights?

The full state-by-state report can be found here.

By the way, if you are viewing this from above the Dividing Line, here is the chart for Virginia. I wonder what the chart might look like without NOVA.

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