the problem with this massive gap between the rich and poor in the US is that it creates two separate classes. The rich look down on the poor as being lazy and stupid. Other countries with a much smaller gap in income don't have the same prejudices against the poor from the rich because there's not as big a difference between the two.

__________________
WARNING: In the unlikely event of an accidental agreement with any or all points made in the above post, contact a clinical psychologist immediately.

The views expressed in the above post are not necessarily those of Joker and/or any of his affiliates.

"You have found the secret message. Do you have too much time on your hands? ...Let it go."

caffeine, you made a very astute observation. My gut reaction upon reading the report was that the increase in poverty was due to an increase in the hispanic population, who tend to have less education and minimal skills. That probably holds up in the southwest, but a different set of factors made be at work nationwide. You know, the dot com bust had a huge impact on white professionals. That may be a factor.

that a growing gap between rich and poor is a problem for a democracy. We have in fact seen a growing gap between the rich and poor in the last 30 years. There are many possible reasons why it is so, but it is so. So many things that were attainable 20-30 years are so much harder for families now, like getting a college education. Public schools have serious problems. We keep bringing in scores of immigrants who offer little in the way of skills to bring to the table. The gap grows, and it makes the "American Dream" more and more of a dream for many. I don't have an answer - it sure isn't socialism - but we need to remember that we are in this together. I see these gated communities popping up where I live and it reminds me of Latin America or South Africa.

Again...so what? The Rich dont have any more political power than the poor. Everyone gets one vote.

Since the poor outnumber the Rich by a wide margin, it could be argued that ion a lot of ways, the poor have more power.

The "classes" in America are very fluid though...a person who is dirt poor today could be filthy rich a year from now (and vice versa). So long as the rules are the same for everyone, who cares about personal prejudices?

Why? The Rich do not get any more power politically.

We've also seen a steady rise in the standard of living across the board. Who on this forum would rather be living in the 70s right now?

College education doesnt mean what it used to, especially in the technical fields. How many people on here have friends or family that got tech jobs with little or no formal education?

Even among the people I know, few have gotten jobs in the field that their degree is in.

when it comes to politics. Sure, rich and poor have the same "vote", but money is the driving force in politics. That's why the rich have an inordinate amount of pull on the political machinery. That has been so for a very long time. That is why we have had at least 4 attempts at campaign finance reform since 1900. That is why so many Americans are alienated from politics and from BOTH political parties.

You ARE being facetious, aren't you?

__________________
"Illegal aliens have always been a problem in the Unites States. Ask any Indian." ~Robert Orben

This is odd... I have questioned this belief as well, and have also been told I was being naive. Yet when I ask for examples or proof, they are few and far between.

Consider who the most powerful lobbies in the country are: the AARP, the NRA, unions, farmers, etc... Not the money-hungry big corporations. Take the example of Microsoft. They are one of the richest corporations in the U.S., yet they repeatedly get slammed with penalties year-after-year. If they are paying for "pull", then they better ask for their money back.

Thanks, bktx. I thought that might be most people's gut reaction, which was why I posted it... In addition to the .com bust, which I agree may be a factor, the Midwest was the only area where poverty got worse. And for those living in a vacuum, the Midwest is REALLY White. That had to have some effect as well.

From the article:
"Concentrating on differences between regions in the U.S. shows that median household income declined from the year before in only one region, the Midwest, where it fell 2.8 percent. This was also the only region to experience an increase in poverty, from 10.7 percent in 2003 to 11.6 percent in 2004."

Between the manufacturing jobs going belly up and family farmers having to sell off their land for development, we've had a really rough go the last few years. In fact, my state (Ohio) is the only state in the US that is still in a recession. Can't find the article now where I read that, but this article gives a pretty good picture of how bleak it is here... hell, even our rich got poorer...

__________________
"Illegal aliens have always been a problem in the Unites States. Ask any Indian." ~Robert Orben

business-related.

Merlin wrote:
They certainly carry some weight, but bear in mind that most lobbyists (something on the order of 75-90%) have corporate ties. Their PACs collectively carry a lot of weight in Congress and especially in state legislatures. They employ classic insider tactics (personal relationships, behind the scenes negotiating) in contrast to other groups who need exposure and publicity to gain traction. Interests groups carry a lot of weight, and such groups are more powerful when they have financial resources. Any govt. textbook should discuss this in the chapter on Money and Politics.

Microsoft's situation was other corporations sueing or pushing the govt to investigate mononpoly power. Most of the fines came from the EU.

[quote]

Okay, as for your first comment, none of my posts made any references to political power, so I'm not sure why you mention that here. The poor have more power because there are more poor people? Interesting argument. I suppose you would also agree that sheep control New Zealand since there are far more of them in the country than people.

As for the class system in the US, yes it is very fluid, which is good, but the prejudices still exist. Who cares about personal prejudices? Uhh, poor people probably do. The poor are treated terribly in this country by their fellow countrymen. Try walking into a supermarket with food stamps and you'll begin to understand the problem.

__________________
WARNING: In the unlikely event of an accidental agreement with any or all points made in the above post, contact a clinical psychologist immediately.

The views expressed in the above post are not necessarily those of Joker and/or any of his affiliates.

"You have found the secret message. Do you have too much time on your hands? ...Let it go."