***. “..the single most powerful and least-understood threat to democracy today: the attempt by..billionaire-backed radical right to undo democratic governance.. a stealth bid to reverse-engineer all of America..back to the political economy of oligarchic governance of mid-century Virginia..” [Nancy MacLean: “Democracy in Chains”]
This post presents excerpts from economist Edward Lotterman from. “Our leaders are out of touch on income inequality”. [St. Paul Pioneer Press; 3/22/26]:
7]. “..it seems clear that we are at the most unequal levels since the Gilded Age of ostentatious spending ended prior to World War I.”
3] “Navarro’s boneheaded assumption is that goods affected by tariffs make up the same fraction of total spending fro rich people as they do for lower income ones. You don’t need a Ph.D. in econ to know that isn’t true. A far greater fraction of the incomes of poor people go for basic necessities than for rich people.”
4] “..items on which import tariffs are levied make up a far higher fraction of household spending for low-and middle-income people than for higher-income ones. Rich people may pay more for tariffs in absolute number of dollars, but much less relative to income. Tariffs really are ‘regressive”. in the strict public-finance definition of taxing a higher percentage of total income for the poor than for the rich.”
*** “The modern conservative is engaged in one of man’s oldest exercises in moral philosophy, that is the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness.” [ John Kenneth Galbraith ]
1]. “International studies of educational outcomes often show that U.S. students’ critical thinking skills lag those of their peers in many European and Asian countries. It is not just kids; when administration officials open their mouths, it is clear that the problem goes right to the top, especially in dealing with income distribution. Start with President Donald Trump’s trade whisperer, Peter Navarro.”
2] “Responding to assertions that working-class U.S. households would bare the brunt of the administration’s tariffs, Navarro argued that was wrong. The reason? Well, the highest-earning 10% of U.S. households account for 50% of all consumer spending. Therefore, that small group also would pay 50% of all tariffs according to Navarro..”
5] “.. Navarro’s camp..miss a loophole the size of a bypass tunnel at Hoover Dam. The top income tier of U. S. households travel abroad many. times more frequently. They can buy their luxury goods…and wear them on the plane back or pack in their luggage…what U.S. customs agent will demand they open their suitcases and explain the provenance of every item?”
***. “Wooden-headedness consists of assessing a situation in terms of perceived, fixed notions while ignoring or rejecting any contrary signs. It is acting to wish while not allowing oneself to be confused by the facts.”
[ Barbara Tuchman ]
6] “The other facet of Navarro’s sad song about the plight of the rich is his acknowledgement that 10 percent of households do make half of all household spending. The distribution of income in the U.S., which had gotten slowly more equal for four decades after World War II, reversed as the 20th century ended. it is now getting steadily more unequal, especially over the last 20 years.”
8] “Similar tone deafness was evident in statements made by U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright and by Trump himself about the effects of oil prices. These are being pushed sharply higher by Trump’s “war of choice, not of necessity” against Iran.”
*** “Being ignorant is not so much Shame, as being unwilling to learn.” [ Benjamin Franklin ]
9] “If you want to see those hit hard by high gas prices, think of a single parent who drives a clapped-out F-150 pickup to their job at the Dollar General store in some rust-belt town. Or the beginning farmer…Or consider the over-the-road owner-operator who still has a monthly truck payment…When oil prices go up, such Americans do not “make a lot of money.”
10] ‘..for a final example of willful blindness about financial realities, consider the situation of National Guard or other reservists who once again face having their lives turned upside down by a call to active duty.”
11] “The ways in which both government taxing and spending policies contribute to shamefully increasing income inequality between Americans should” be one of the top issues of our age. Numbskull thinking on the part of officials who should know better makes the problem worse, not better.”
***. “We Americans live in the most unequal advanced country…When compared with similar societies, ours has the greatest inequities in the distribution of income and wealth, the provision of basic health care, the relationship between CEO salaries and average wages…This didn’t happen overnight. It’s the direct result of twenty-five years of public policy that has favored wealth, rewarded property, and encouraged the concentration of both.”
[ John Ehrenberg: “Servants Of Wealth. The Right’s Assault On Economic Justice” ]
*** {NOTE: if in doubt, consider: “The typical CEO compensation package rose nearly 6% in 2025 to $17.7 million….at Coca-Cola, its CEO earned nearly. 1,739 times the median pay of $17,947 for its workers.” [“Median CEO pay up nearly 6% in ’25”; Associated Press; 5/28/26]. Read “The Spirit Level.” ]
With Justice For All 