Gap Between Rich and Poor Widening in Troubled Economy

WASHINGTON — Over two decades, the income gap has steadily increased between the richest Americans, who own homes and stocks and got big tax breaks, and those at the middle and bottom of the pay scale, whose paychecks buy less.
New government data also show that Bush's tax cuts have shifted the overall tax burden to the middle class from the wealthiest Americans.
The growing disparity is even more pronounced in this recovering economy. Wages are stagnant, and the middle class is shouldering a larger tax burden. Prices for health care, housing, tuition, gas and food have soared.
The wealthiest 20 percent of households in 1973 accounted for 44 percent of total U.S. income, according to the Census Bureau. Their share jumped to 50 percent in 2002, while everyone else's fell. For the bottom fifth, the share dropped from 4.2 percent to 3.5 percent.


Growing inequity in society... but really a plutocracy is waaayyy better than democracy. As long as the ultra-rich are getting theirs, then everything will be ok