[SfN] Census Bureau Stats on Econ. Inequality

[Jim Buell]

Thanks Steven. That's very useful information. I was aware of the general 
shift in quintile percentages but hadn't heard of the Gini index. And as 
you point out, any slight gains in household income over the past couple 
decades are most readily attributed to the high percentage of two-income 
households; the low minimum wage is a scandal of course.

I think your analysis is right on the mark - the so called economic boom is 
a boon for the wealthiest, and a sham for the rest of us. One thing I'd add 
- the structural shift from manufacturing toward low-skill service-sector 
jobs in this country has been accompanied by a de-unionization on a massive 
scale; without unions to use as a lever, workers lose ground in wages, 
benefits and conditions. That's why Nader's making the overturning of the 
1947 Taft-Hartley anti-labor act a central issue in his campaign.

Jim