I thought the following summed up the often perverse Jewish sense of humour, which we should appreciate especially on these High Holidays. All the best, Dudley
If the rich could hire someone else to die for them, the poor would make a wonderful living. --Jewish Proverb -----Original Message----- From: Selma Singer [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Friday, September 26, 2003 4:07 PM To: Ray Evans Harrell; Cordell, Arthur: ECOM; [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: [Futurework] gap between rich and poor in United States more than doubled And it is also the Jewish New Year so I would like to add my good wishes to Ray's for a healthy and rewarding year. Selma ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ray Evans Harrell" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Friday, September 26, 2003 3:55 PM Subject: Re: [Futurework] gap between rich and poor in United States more than doubled > To the list, > This is the ancient Cherokee Winter New Year called Nuwatiekwa. I would > like to wish all of you a Happy Winter New Year at this time no matter what > your traditions. May your Winter be a time of learning, prosperity and > enjoyment of friends and family. > > Ray Evans Harrell, (Nudvwiv Aninoquisi) > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Sent: Friday, September 26, 2003 1:39 PM > Subject: [Futurework] gap between rich and poor in United States more than > doubled > > > > This confirms what has been discussed on this list. > > =================================== > > > > U.S. income gap doubled during 1980's and 90's > > The New York Times > > 26 September 2003 > > > > The gap between rich and poor in the United States more than doubled from > > 1979 to 2000, an analysis of government data shows. The gulf was so wide > > that the richest 1 percent of Americans in 2000 had more money to spend > > after taxes than the bottom 40 percent did. In 1979, the wealthiest 1 > > percent had just under half as much after- tax income as the poorest 40 > > percent of Americans, analysis of new data from the Congressional Budget > > Office shows. The figures show 2000 as the year of the greatest economic > > disparity between rich and poor for any year since 1979, the year the > budget > > office began collecting this data, according to the Center on Budget and > > Policy Priorities, a nonprofit research group in Washington that advocates > > tax and federal spending policies that benefit the poor. The richest 2.8 > > million Americans had $950 billion after taxes, or 15.5 percent of the > $6.2 > > trillion economic pie in 2000, said Isaac Shapiro, a senior fellow at the > > center. > > The poorest 110 million Americans had less, sharing 14.4 percent of all > > after-tax money. Clearly, the higher incomes of the past decade did not > lift > > all people equally. In 2000, the top 1 percent of American taxpayers had > an > > average of $862,700 each after taxes, more than triple the $286,300 they > had > > in 1979, adjusted for inflation. The bottom 40 percent in 2000 had $21,118 > > each, up 13 percent from their inflation- adjusted average of $18,695 in > > 1979. Shapiro analyzed the budget office data together with a recently > > updated study on income by the National Bureau of Economic Research, a > > nonpartisan, nonprofit research group in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The > > bureau's study found that in 2000, the wealthiest 1 percent of Americans > had > > the largest share of before-tax income for any year since 1929. Shapiro > said > > findings from both studies suggested that in 2000, the top 1 percent had > the > > largest share of the total after-tax income since at least 1936 and > probably > > since 1929. Shapiro emphasized that his combined analysis had accounted > for > > the fact that his study used after-tax incomes while the bureau's study > used > > pretax incomes. Both low- income and middle-income people shared in the > boom > > of the 1990's, but in the 1980's, the bottom one-fifth of the population > saw > > a decline in after-tax income, according to the budget office data > analyzed > > by Shapiro and Robert Greenstein, director of the Center on Budget and > > Policy Priorities. The one-fifth in the middle had an average after-tax > > income of $41,900 in 2000, a rise of 15 percent since both 1979 and 1997, > > indicating a long period of no real economic gains for this group. > > You do have gains across the spectrum from 1997 to 2000, but they are much > > more dramatic at the top, Shapiro said. > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Futurework mailing list > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > http://scribe.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework > > > > > _______________________________________________ > Futurework mailing list > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > http://scribe.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework _______________________________________________ Futurework mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://scribe.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework
