as Middle class falls behind, opposition to social programs grows, evn though they benefit from them

[Bill USA]

http://caivn.org/article/2011/07/25/us-has-room-improvement-world-income-equality-scale


...the fact that India ranks well above us in wealth equality among its citizens seems to hint at a problem within our society. After all, India is a culture that thrives on inequality, whereas we have always been proud of our large and powerful middle class and its participation in the American dream.

The statistics on worldwide inequality do not come from some social action network – they are part of the 2009 CIA World Factbook. If India were an outlier in the group that betters the U.S. in financial equality then I could easily be charged with using misleading statistics, but the list goes on with some of the least enviable nations on the planet -- Bangladesh, Yemen, Senegal and Pakistan among them. Of course, there are the expected winners such as Sweden (top in the world), the U.K. and, yes, China, that score better than the U.S. among the 136 countries ranked by the CIA for their population’s financial equality.

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“For the most part,” Thoma http://www.thefiscaltimes.com/Columns/2011/07/20/Why-Taxpayers-Are-So-Angry-and-So-Wrong-About-Spending.aspx#page1">wrote in last week’s edition, "those who receive these benefits don’t see them as government aid, and instead believe their taxes go to support other people. This wrongheaded perception helps explain the strong support for spending cuts. However, not just any spending cuts will do. What irate citizens object to is being forced to pay for ‘undeserving’ recipients of government services.”

Thoma went on to point out this misperception of what others are receiving has set up a political environment that has increased opposition to social programs. As middle class incomes leveled off beginning in the 70’s, falling farther and farther behind upper class earnings – the response to a seemingly helpless situation has been anger and frustration.
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[Quantess]

1. That is a surprise.

I would have thought India had more extreme financial divide that the USA.

[saras]

2. India has the same financial divide it always has had - we're worse now, that's all

[ATLdemocrat]

3. I know folks who want to live like serfs

And I know people who talk about "living off the land and having to hunt for their food" as if it's some sort of adventure. They all listen to Rush too.

[Doctor_J]

4. Hate Radio

AS soon as we take a few hundred of those stations/hosts off the air, things will begin to turn around.