Why is all of this happening with so little policy response?
In Affluence and Influence: Economic Inequality and Political Power in America (2012), author Martin Gilens makes a data-driven case for the following proposition: The responsiveness of government policies in America is strongly tilted towards the most affluent Americans. Indeed,”under most circumstances, the preferences of the vast majority of Americans [including the middle class as well as poorer Americans] appear to have essentially no impact on which policies the government does or doesn’t adopt.”
Who’s affluent? The top ten percent – including all members of Congress and most policymakers.
via scrawford.net
Universal service, still a good idea.
Hamish MacEwan 