A Long Time Coming…

This has been a long time coming. 

Growing up in rural central Illinois many years ago I have to say that seeing Tim Walz on the stage in Chicago last night answers my life long question, will we ever see a salt of the earth small town person in the White House.

Go back and take a look at the front page of our website that was started in 2008 and posts that have continued with few interruptions for 16 years.  There is a theme, EQUALITY. We are finally seeing an election when the issues have a real possibility of being addressed.

1. First you can look at the contents of the HOME section.
2. Next you can look through the Pre-2008 Commentary
3. Then, take a look at Reframing Inequality section

Today with the assistance of tools like Microsoft’s Co-Pilot AI program you can gather a lot of facts in seconds. Like the following…

The scale of inequality between the income quintiles grows at the top. The top 20% group has over four times as much wealth as the fourth 20%, which has close to double the wealth of the third 20%. The second 20% has around 1.3 times as much wealth as the 

The top 20% of Americans owned 86% of the country’s wealth and the bottom 80% of the population owned 14%. In 2011, financial inequality was greater than inequality in total 

Comparing the income of the bottom 80% of the U.S. population to the stock market index since 1950 reveals significant disparities in growth rates and wealth distribution.

Income of the Bottom 80%

The income growth for the bottom 80% of the U.S. population has been relatively modest. Over the decades, income inequality has increased, with the top 20% and especially the top 1% seeing much larger gains. The bottom 80% have experienced slower income growth, and their share of total wealth has decreased¹².

Stock Market Index

In contrast, the stock market has seen substantial growth since 1950. Major indices like the S&P 500 have increased dramatically, reflecting the overall growth of the U.S. economy and corporate profits. This growth has significantly benefited those who have investments in the stock market, which tends to be wealthier individuals and households¹.

Key Points of Comparison

1. Growth Rate: The stock market has grown at a much faster rate compared to the income of the bottom 80%. For example, the S&P 500 has averaged an annual return of about 7-10% after inflation, while real wage growth for the bottom 80% has been much lower¹².
2. Wealth Distribution: Wealth inequality has increased, with a significant portion of stock market gains accruing to the top 20% of earners. The bottom 80% hold a smaller share of wealth, including stocks and mutual funds