By most measures, and in many countries, income inequality has been increasing for a generation. Some people don’t care, so here’s another way to look at the problem: over the past 20 years, the pre-tax incomes of the poorest 99 per cent in the US grew by just 6.6 per cent after adjusting for inflation. That is a pathetic one-third of 1 per cent per year. Those who aren’t worried about increasing inequality should still be concerned at such widespread stagnation of living standards.
按照多數標準來看,在很多國家當中,收入分配不公問題在整整一代人的時間裏不斷加劇。一些人對此並不關心,那讓我們換一個角度來看這個問題:過去20年間,美國頂層1%人口以下的廣大民衆經通膨調整後的稅前收入僅成長了6.6%。這相當於年均收入增幅僅爲1%的三分之一,簡直低得可憐。那些不擔心收入分配不公加劇的人,還是應當爲這種普遍存在的生活水準上升停滯感到擔憂。