Bird’s Eye: If nothing else, one major success of the Occupy movement was to move the issue of income inequality to centre stage. It seems increasing likely that it will form the basis of the Democrats attack on the Republicans in this year’s election. We start with the view from the Guardian on this political shift, offer a 13 question quiz on economic inequality in the US (quiz hint: assume things are really bad), and end by examining Romney’s assertion that the very poor have a safety net. If they do, it’s too tattered to be any use.
* America Has The Opportunity To Usher In Radical New Political Era Michael Cohen The Observer
A year ago, American politics was abuzz with talk of out-of-control government spending and rising budget deficits. A year later, that has been replaced with discussions of inequality, declining middle-class income and even class warfare. David Axelrod, a key adviser to President Obama, has even gone so far as to say that these issues are the “central challenge of our time”. He’s not necessarily wrong, but perhaps just a bit late. Indeed, since the late 1970s, the disparity between rich and poor has exploded. Over the past three decades, the top 1% of families in the US has seen its income jump by a whopping 278%; for the middle 60% of Americans, its increase in income is less than 40%. Today, that top 1% earns 21% of all pre-tax income; 35 years ago, it was around 9%.
…For decades, Republicans have successfully portrayed the bogeyman of big government as the enemy of America’s middle class. The emerging focus on America’s glaring economic disparity – and its direct and deleterious impact on the middle class – suggests that Democrats are willing to use their own bogeyman of Wall Street greed in response. Indeed, it’s quite likely that the election will be a struggle between these two conflicting views. If Democrats are successful in such an endeavour, it has the potential to make 2012 more than just another election, but one that could shift the very narrative of American politics.
* A Social Justice Quiz Counterpunch (13 questions)
Q1. The combined pay of the 299 highest paid CEOs in the US is enough to support how many median salary jobs?
45,000? 83,000? 102,325?
Q2. The median net worth of black households in the US is $2,200. What is the median net worth of white households in the US?
$4,400? $44,000? $97,000?
* Romney: “I’m not concerned about the very poor.” Juan Cole Informed Comment
Romney says, “I’m not concerned about the very poor. We have a safety net there. If it needs a repair , I’ll fix it.”
•Nearly 47 million people were in poverty in the US in 2010, up from 37.3 million in 2007. That was the 4th year in a row in which the number of people in poverty increased. In the 52 years that poverty rates have been being published, this is the largest number ever.
•20.5 million Americans are in “extreme poverty.” That is, their family income is $10,000 or less a year for a family of 4, about half that of the poverty line.
• There were 17.2 million households or about 1 in 7 that were food insecure in the US in 2010, the highest number ever recorded. (“Food insecure” means “at risk of going hungry.”)


