Economy

Crewleader

(17,005 posts) Wed Feb 5, 2014, 02:50 PM Feb 2014

Why Widening Inequality is Hobbling Equal Opportunity by Robert Reich

Last edited Wed Feb 5, 2014, 04:08 PM - Edit history (1)

Why Widening Inequality is Hobbling Equal Opportunity

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

by Robert Reich

Is it to be inequality or equal opportunity?

Under a headline “Obama Moves to the Right in a Partisan War of Words,” The New York Times’ Jackie Calmes notes Democratic operatives have been hitting back hard against the President or any other Democratic politician talking about income inequality, preferring that the Democrats talk about equality of opportunity instead.

"However salient reducing inequality may be," writes Democratic pollster Mark Mellman, “it is demonstrably less important to voters than any other number of priorities, incudlng reducing poverty.”

The President may be listening. Wags noticed that in his State of the Union, Obama spoke ten times of increasing “opportunity” and only twice of income inequality, while in a December speech he spoke of income inequality two dozen times.

http://robertreich.org/post/75696787369

3 replies

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Why Widening Inequality is Hobbling Equal Opportunity by Robert Reich (Original Post) Crewleader Feb 2014 OP

It should be called Equal Resources, NOT Equal Opportunity Demeter Feb 2014 #1

Demeter Crewleader Feb 2014 #2

the Repubs and R-liberts always say they're for "equality of opportunity, not equality of outcome" MisterP Feb 2014 #3

Demeter

(85,373 posts)

1. It should be called Equal Resources, NOT Equal Opportunity

Reply to Crewleader (Original post)

Wed Feb 5, 2014, 03:03 PM

Feb 2014

too often "opportunity" comes with too much fine print, too many disqualifying conditions.

Equal resources means true equal opportunity...everyone starts with the same raw materials, to use, share, or sell. Synergy comes from combining the resources, the needs and the gifts each person has.

Crewleader

(17,005 posts)

2. Demeter

Reply to Demeter (Reply #1)

Wed Feb 5, 2014, 04:20 PM

Feb 2014

I do get what you say. Thanks!

This last line in Reich's article....

"Obama was correct in December when he called widening inequality “the defining challenge of our time.” He mustn’t back down now even if Democratic pollsters tell him to. If we’re ever to reverse this noxious trend, Americans have to hear the truth."

Yes, we want to hear the truth.

MisterP

(23,730 posts)

3. the Repubs and R-liberts always say they're for "equality of opportunity, not equality of outcome"

Reply to Demeter (Reply #1)

Wed Feb 5, 2014, 04:49 PM

Feb 2014

but I've never seen one of them insist that inheritance be restricted to one-310-millionth of the country's assets

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