How do you square the fact that the left says the rich are getting richer while the poor are getting poorer?

Question

with Census Bureau data taken over the last 40 years that shows ALL income groups getting richer over time?

http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/income/histinc/h01ar.html

Please look at table 2 that shows inflation adjusted real income. All housholds are richer then they were 30, 20, even 10 years ago.

Wouldn't it be more accurate to say the rich are getting richer, and so are the poor?

Oohbother - the report says more hours have been worked? Where was that in there? I couldn't find it.

Michael - The poorest 20% of households gained 6% above and beyond inflation over the last 10 years.

To all: Are the rich getting richer faster? Yes, they are. What I'm showing you is that the poor are also getting richer, just not as fast. The politicians on the left are lying to you when they say "....while the poor are getting poorer."

Answer 1

That same report says the reason that HOUSEHOLDS are richer is that more hours are being worked - and actually, wages have decreased.
So no - it would say that the poor are working harder to stand still.

By same report - I mean same data collection. See link for actual document.
"Earnings represent the largest component
of income. Earnings trends and
income trends are not perfectly correlated.
While median household
income in 2006 rose by 0.7 percent,
the real median earnings of both men
and women who worked full-time,
year-round declined between 2005
and 2006 (Table 1 and Figure 2). The
median earnings of men declined 1.1
percent to $42,261. The median earnings
of women declined 1.2 percent
to $32,515.20 This is the third consecutive
year that men and women experienced
a decline in earnings.""

Answer 2

The gap between the very rich and the rest of America is widening. That is indisputable. The Census Bureau's reports support that assertion. Countries like Japan, which is also a “wealthy” nation, have less income inequality.

Record numbers of Americans are living in poverty. The percentage of poor Americans who are living in severe poverty has reached a 32-year high.

Answer 3

By the very numbers in your link


Since 2000 the lowest 5% of wage owners have seen an increase of 12% over the 7 yr span

While at the same time the top 5% have seen an increase of 20%

Answer 4

inflation is a funny figure... it only takes certain things into account...

you have things like healthcare, fuel/energy, housing and education costs that have gone up many times the amount "inflation"... but they have a huge effect on how much wealth people have...

for example, the number of people with health insurance should be going up according to your numbers, but it seems to be going down?

but looking at your numbers... perhaps a better explanation is the poor have gotten very slightly richer... while the rich have increased their income by a tremendous amount

EDIT: your numbers also don't take into account how many people are in each group... as a percentage of the population... for example if a larger percentage of people are in group 1 now than they were in 1960... that's going to have a tremendous effect on "who's getting richer vs. poorer"... WAIT, is it by fifths? if it is... nevermind...

Answer 5

Only older Americans realize what being really poor is like. They remember the depression and afterward. Since then it has improved for most classes. I don't understand why the left doesn't know that. I believe it's true that overall the poor are better off. Maybe these photographs of the Great Depression will help.

http://history1900s.about.com/library/photos/blyindexdepression.htm

Answer 6

The fact of the matter is that there is a great disparity between the financial growth of the poorest Americans and the wealthiest Americans.

Answer 7

The left of this country has preyed on the poor for going on 70 years.
Social security- why privatize and keep principle like every intelligent investor would do when the left can keep you dependent on pennies.

Welfare - father must be out of the house thus making poor women and children solely dependent on the government and their piss poor handouts.

Death taxes - they steal the last little bit that people who are about to break out of poverty for generations have accumulated.

They call them DIMocrats for reason.

Answer 8

Funny - then can you explain this?;

Over the last 20 years, the net worth of the top two percentile of American families nearly doubled, from $1,071,000 in 1984 to $2,100,500 in 2005. But the poorest quarter of American families lost ground over the same period, with their 2005 net worth below their 1984 net worth, measured in constant 2005 dollars.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070807171936.htm

You're busted.

Answer 9

its the gap between rich and poor, the poor are just keeping up with inflation, while the gap between rick and poor has leaped.
If you are rich, you can laugh and say who cares, but if you are poor, or have morals, its a big problem

Answer 10

Of course it would be more accurate, but liberalism isn't about accuracy, it's about "feelings"--If they can make Joe Schmuckatello "feel" angry about "rich bastards living at his expense", even if they don't exist, they believe they can get Joe's vote...especially if Joe's union is telling him the same thing.