Post by philunderwood on Feb 1, 2011 13:21:24 GMT -5
www.qando.net/?cat=60
Bubble-headed nonsense from the left about income inequality
January 31st, 2011 | Author: Bruce McQuain
I ¡¯m not sure what else to call it but it does indeed seem a fitting example of a discussion we recently had here about colleges failing to teach critical thinking.
Think Progress (of course) has a blog post headlined with ¡°Income inequality in US worse than Egypt¡±. Never let a crisis go to waste, huh?
First you are asked to believe that it is ¡°income inequality¡± which is leading the pack of reasons the country wants Mubarak gone. If not, what¡¯s the purpose of the headline?
Secondly, there¡¯s the equivalence this writer makes between the US and Egypt. My guess Pat Garafalo has never been to Egypt (or perhaps even out of the US to a nation in which ¡°poor¡± actually means poor) so he has no frame of reference in his comparison. Its all about income inequality, that¡¯s always "bad" and that is the leading reason for unrest, or so the reasoning, such that it is, seems to conclude.
Usually ¡°income inequality¡± isn¡¯t even on the radar screen when these sorts of things happen. The grievances are more focused more generally on ¡°freedom¡±, ¡°liberty¡±, ¡°oppression¡± and/or ¡°democracy¡±. You may, as you have in the case of Egypt, even hear ¡°economic opportunity¡± as a reason.
No, ¡°income inequality¡± is one of those terms the left likes to use as a sort of euphemism for ¡°capitalist exploiters¡± ¨C a part of their perpetual war on business. ¡°Capitalist exploiters¡± include any corporation and most business owners. Of course they can¡¯t use ¡°capitalist exploiters¡± without revealing their game (and being dismissed out of hand), so ¡°income inequality¡± has to do. The implication, of course, is if we just took the money from those capitalist exploiters and spread it around (because, you know, those folks collect it and bury it in a coffee can in the back yard or stuff their mattress with it), all would be lovely.
The fact remains that economic opportunity is lacking in Egypt not because of ¡°capitalist exploiters¡± but because of government oppression and favoritism.
Somehow though, and certainly there are problems with government intrusion here, what has gone on in Egypt is relevant to what is going on here and the proof is ¡°income inequality¡±. Make the connection for heaven sake ¨C what¡¯s wrong with you?
Garafalo takes a wave at trying to sound fair about his point, but remember, to swallow this whole you have to believe two things ¨C one, that economics is a zero-sum game, so if the rich are getting richer the poor must get poorer and two, there is no opportunity for the poor to better their condition. The rich are just making it worse and worse for the poor by earning taking more than their ¡°fair share¡±.
Anyway, Garafalo says:
The Gini coefficient is used to measure inequality: the lower a country¡¯s score, the more equal it is. Obviously, there are many things about the U.S. economy that make it far preferable to that in Egypt, including lower poverty rates, higher incomes, significantly better infrastructure, and a much higher standard of living overall. But income inequality in the U.S. is the worst it has been since the 1920¡äs, which is a real problem.
Using that, I¡¯d have to guess that the former Soviet Union and it¡¯s bloc of Eastern European satellites had very low Gini coefficient scores, wouldn¡¯t you?
See, this is ¡°equality¡± for equality¡¯s sake. It¡¯s nonsense. It is the turning of a concept from a positive to a negative. We have all been promised something very profound in the country ¨C equal protection under the law and equal opportunity to pursue ¡°happiness¡±. Yet it is something the left constantly and consistently pushes as a different message. It doesn¡¯t just want equality in opportunity ¨C it want¡¯s equality of outcome.
That¡¯s why you continue to see long boring posts written about the subject of ¡°income inequality¡±. It is how the left justifies further intrusion by government and taking from those who ¡°have¡± to give to those who ¡°don¡¯t have¡±. It¡¯s about time we made it clear that other than the leftist chorus, no one else is buying into their preaching.
Oh and the big finish to the Garafalo piece?
Yale economist Robert Shiller has said that income inequality ¡°is potentially the big problem, which is bigger than this whole financial crisis.¡± ¡°If these trends that we¡¯ve seen for 30 years now in inequality continue for another 30 years¡it¡¯s going to create resentment and hostility,¡± he said. But tax and spending policies that provide adequate services and allow for economic mobility ¡ª along with a robust social safety net ¡ª can head off trouble that may come down the road.
¡°Bigger than this whole financial crisis¡±. It will create ¡°resentment and hostility¡±. There may be ¡°trouble ¡ down the road¡±.
Really?
Have you freakin¡¯ people looked around you and figured out yet how well everyone ¨C in comparison with most of the rest of world ¨C live here? This constant refrain from the left is as tiresome as it is wrong. It¡¯s nonsense on a stick. But you will continue to hear them whine about it for the foreseeable future because it is a way for them to justify taking your money for their purposes and sounding noble about it.
~McQ
Bubble-headed nonsense from the left about income inequality
January 31st, 2011 | Author: Bruce McQuain
I ¡¯m not sure what else to call it but it does indeed seem a fitting example of a discussion we recently had here about colleges failing to teach critical thinking.
Think Progress (of course) has a blog post headlined with ¡°Income inequality in US worse than Egypt¡±. Never let a crisis go to waste, huh?
First you are asked to believe that it is ¡°income inequality¡± which is leading the pack of reasons the country wants Mubarak gone. If not, what¡¯s the purpose of the headline?
Secondly, there¡¯s the equivalence this writer makes between the US and Egypt. My guess Pat Garafalo has never been to Egypt (or perhaps even out of the US to a nation in which ¡°poor¡± actually means poor) so he has no frame of reference in his comparison. Its all about income inequality, that¡¯s always "bad" and that is the leading reason for unrest, or so the reasoning, such that it is, seems to conclude.
Usually ¡°income inequality¡± isn¡¯t even on the radar screen when these sorts of things happen. The grievances are more focused more generally on ¡°freedom¡±, ¡°liberty¡±, ¡°oppression¡± and/or ¡°democracy¡±. You may, as you have in the case of Egypt, even hear ¡°economic opportunity¡± as a reason.
No, ¡°income inequality¡± is one of those terms the left likes to use as a sort of euphemism for ¡°capitalist exploiters¡± ¨C a part of their perpetual war on business. ¡°Capitalist exploiters¡± include any corporation and most business owners. Of course they can¡¯t use ¡°capitalist exploiters¡± without revealing their game (and being dismissed out of hand), so ¡°income inequality¡± has to do. The implication, of course, is if we just took the money from those capitalist exploiters and spread it around (because, you know, those folks collect it and bury it in a coffee can in the back yard or stuff their mattress with it), all would be lovely.
The fact remains that economic opportunity is lacking in Egypt not because of ¡°capitalist exploiters¡± but because of government oppression and favoritism.
Somehow though, and certainly there are problems with government intrusion here, what has gone on in Egypt is relevant to what is going on here and the proof is ¡°income inequality¡±. Make the connection for heaven sake ¨C what¡¯s wrong with you?
Garafalo takes a wave at trying to sound fair about his point, but remember, to swallow this whole you have to believe two things ¨C one, that economics is a zero-sum game, so if the rich are getting richer the poor must get poorer and two, there is no opportunity for the poor to better their condition. The rich are just making it worse and worse for the poor by earning taking more than their ¡°fair share¡±.
Anyway, Garafalo says:
The Gini coefficient is used to measure inequality: the lower a country¡¯s score, the more equal it is. Obviously, there are many things about the U.S. economy that make it far preferable to that in Egypt, including lower poverty rates, higher incomes, significantly better infrastructure, and a much higher standard of living overall. But income inequality in the U.S. is the worst it has been since the 1920¡äs, which is a real problem.
Using that, I¡¯d have to guess that the former Soviet Union and it¡¯s bloc of Eastern European satellites had very low Gini coefficient scores, wouldn¡¯t you?
See, this is ¡°equality¡± for equality¡¯s sake. It¡¯s nonsense. It is the turning of a concept from a positive to a negative. We have all been promised something very profound in the country ¨C equal protection under the law and equal opportunity to pursue ¡°happiness¡±. Yet it is something the left constantly and consistently pushes as a different message. It doesn¡¯t just want equality in opportunity ¨C it want¡¯s equality of outcome.
That¡¯s why you continue to see long boring posts written about the subject of ¡°income inequality¡±. It is how the left justifies further intrusion by government and taking from those who ¡°have¡± to give to those who ¡°don¡¯t have¡±. It¡¯s about time we made it clear that other than the leftist chorus, no one else is buying into their preaching.
Oh and the big finish to the Garafalo piece?
Yale economist Robert Shiller has said that income inequality ¡°is potentially the big problem, which is bigger than this whole financial crisis.¡± ¡°If these trends that we¡¯ve seen for 30 years now in inequality continue for another 30 years¡it¡¯s going to create resentment and hostility,¡± he said. But tax and spending policies that provide adequate services and allow for economic mobility ¡ª along with a robust social safety net ¡ª can head off trouble that may come down the road.
¡°Bigger than this whole financial crisis¡±. It will create ¡°resentment and hostility¡±. There may be ¡°trouble ¡ down the road¡±.
Really?
Have you freakin¡¯ people looked around you and figured out yet how well everyone ¨C in comparison with most of the rest of world ¨C live here? This constant refrain from the left is as tiresome as it is wrong. It¡¯s nonsense on a stick. But you will continue to hear them whine about it for the foreseeable future because it is a way for them to justify taking your money for their purposes and sounding noble about it.
~McQ