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Separate but unequal: Charts show growing rich-poor gap

By Zachary Roth | The Lookout – Wed, Feb 23, 2011

The Great Recession and the slump that followed have triggered a jobs crisis that's been making headlines since before President Obama was in office, and that will likely be with us for years. But the American economy is also plagued by a less-noted, but just as serious, problem: Simply put, over the last 30 years, the gap between rich and poor has widened into a chasm.

Gradual developments like this don't typically lend themselves to news coverage. But Mother Jones magazine has crunched the data on inequality, and put together a group of stunning new charts. Taken together, they offer a dramatic visual illustration of who's doing well and who's doing badly in modern America.

Here are three samples:

• This chart shows that the poorest 90 percent of Americans make an average of $31,244 a year, while the top 1 percent make over $1.1 million:

• According to this chart, most income groups have barely grown richer since 1979. But the top 1 percent has seen its income nearly quadruple:

• And this chart suggests most Americans have little idea of just how unequal income distribution is. And that they'd like things to be divvied up a lot more equitably:

Chart showing US attitudes on wealth inequality

To see the rest of these fascinating charts, click on over to Mother Jones.

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7 comments

A Yahoo! User • Newport, Minnesota • 4 mths ago
Democrats must be paying Zachary Roth a handsome sum to print these lies on Facebook instead of working an honest to goodness job. When Obama his thug class morons lose in November 2012 and the U.S. returns to its founding principles, I wouldn't want to be someone like Roth. I guess the Chinese might hire him after that.
Rick • Jacksonville, United States • 7 mths ago
Ever wonder how these reports always start in 1979? The reason is because that's the year it became cheaper to file a small business on individual tax returns.

Have you ever heard it argued that those uppermost individual taxpayers are actually small businesses? Well, 1979 is when that began. Individual incomes didn't really change as much as small business revenue started to be reported as individual income -- beginning, oddly enough, in 1979. Coincidence? I think not. I think it's a ploy to manipulate readers. This is called cherry picking. Quite frankly, it's evil.

Alan Reynolds at Cato points out that if you simply used 1988 and 2003 you'd find almost NO growth of individual incomes of the top percent. But they didn't pick those two years, did they? And, of course, they never would. This is biased propaganda.
Steven • 7 mths ago
The more government we have the poorer our society will become. More government programs more taxes. There are way for the "poor" to have more. There have be ways offered to some and they choose, it is not my thing, then complain have not money. Stop spending beyond your means. Become debt free. it is possible.
- RodeoGolf 7 mths ago
  Wow...sounds like your quoting one the millionaire front groups...The wealthy have the money to hire lobbyists and indirectly (?) politicians to increase and maintain their part of the pie...and they create front groups to convince the general population that it's good for everybody* (*if you make over $1,000,000 per year)...sorry you're really just one of the plebes...Why hire someone to take care of your car that doesn't believe gas engines work and then "proves" they don't? Same with the Repugs...Busy proving that government doesn't work
- James 7 mths ago
  even if you are debt free and poor it make it impossible to get ahead. not saying everyone doesn't stay debt free but if your poor you still can't save money if you have a family and only make 25,000 annu. think of this rent way rent is about 600 a month that 7,200 a year. ins. on your car 1,800 a year, long with utilities 2,760
  with food cost 6240. so just think that leave 7000 for the whole seems to be alot but when you don't figure in car payment or gas. plus you have a lot of unseen cost you just scrapping by
SteliosT • Los Angeles, United States • 7 mths ago
"What they would like it to be" is worse than communism. Capable people would cease trying harder. "What they think it is" is quite reasonable. The actual, however, is indeed shocking.
Sam • Dallas, United States • 7 mths ago
The republicans has pimped Us for two long , One word IRAQ
Blubber • 7 mths ago
The policies of Obama and the dems have increased poverty dramatically. As they say, the road to hell is paved with good intentions.
Mongo • 9 mths ago
It's simple, vote out all republicans and anyone who voted for free trade and unfunded wars.
- Steven 7 mths ago
  and become a socialist society

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