Name me, Burger!
 

[your advertisement here]

You don't make more than 100K? I had you pegged at least at 150K. Call up some people you went to HS with who didn't go to law school or college- find out how they did last year.

Income distribution
 

Census data on income distribution over time, using the Gini Coefficient

http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/income/histinc/ie6.html

I couldn't find it, but it sounds potentially interesting. I'm just not clear how you could sort out "white-collar workers" as a class.

Aren't we all middle-class?

If ("if") government policies are being used to make the rich richer (e.g., extending copyright) rather than improving the lot of the middle class (e.g., education), that's something that's relevant to me. I'm not sure why looking at these things in the aggregate is dishonest. CEO pay (e.g.) doesn't magically happen. If CEOs are taking in increased share of the pie, it's because the various restraints on their conduct have been weakened.

Equality of Opportunity
 

By Burger

“Sure, but how do you measure equality of opportunity? For example, school spending in DC is higher per pupil than anywhere. On it's face, I'd say that's more than equal opportunity.”

Yes, liberals believe that more spending equals better schools. But you could double the spending of the D.C. school system and it would still suck. The truth is, school systems that are controlled by Republicans do more with less money. So true equality of opportunity would mean everyone would go to a school system run by Republicans.

Sebby:
Why not? I bet you make less than the captain and more than the dirt framer. Though the latter assumption depends on how complicated the framing is. It may be a union job?

I haven't quoted the NYT op ed page. That was Sebby, too. But thanks for playing.

Which Sebby? The one with the Reynolds article from the WSJ, or the one with all of the other people who say that inequality is increasing? My and President Bush are with the second Sebby.

You mean your ipso facto isn't worth much? OK.

If Sebby doesn't make 100K I'll have to revise the level of resentment I feel for him. If I can it will mean I have more left over for resenting the seven-figure types on the board. You know who you are.

Much, much better. I'd be at the lower middle end of that scale. In previous years, even closer to lower.

You know what it costs to buy a house outside Philly these days?

Equality of Opportunity
 

I know many liberals, and I don't know any who believe that. If I hung with the kind of stupid liberals you hang with, I'd be a Republican activist too.

100k is the new 50k.

If you want resentment, ask your buddies in sales how much they make, sans student loans.

yeah but 7 figures in Detroit is more like 8 figures in NYC. Wait. that just makes you hate me more:(

Income distribution
 

What are you trying to do, let facts get in the way of a good argument?

So, correct me if I'm wrong, but it appears there was a significant increase in inequality in the 80s, during Reagan and Bush I, and relative stability in the 70s (during Nixon, Ford and Carter) and the 90s (during Clinton and the first little bit of Bush II).

I would have expected the increase to have kept going during the Clinton years, on the theory that there were a healthy number of rapidly made wealth folks in the late nineties).

Sadly, though I agree with Spanky's agreement with me, I have to admit after reading my posts the structuring and delivery of my argument leaves much to be desired. Not what I'd call articulate...

I need to start hanging out with Barrack Obama more.

Equality of Opportunity
 

I know many liberals and most believe that. They are always complaining that California Schools don't get enough money. I think you have made the same complaint. The Democrats in the legislature here have argued that the schools don't get enough money. When Davis was governor, and the Dems controlled both branches of government, money was thrown at the schools and they didn't get any better. Now they wan't to throw more money but the Govenator won't let them unless the system is improved. They don't want to fix the system (well at least their Teacher Union overload won't let them). They won't allow any meaningful reform.