Another Liberal Fallacy Exposed

“The rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer” It’s a phrase you hear often, usually from the left as a means to push through a government redistribution program. But is it true? Do the rich get richer just because they’re rich? Are the poor staying poor just because of their poverty? It’s a very misleading statement. Let me ask you, do you think the rich are more educated than the poor? Oh, I’m sure there are some very wealthy high school drop outs out there, and there are probably a few starving souls with Masters degrees, BUT generally speaking, I would bet that college graduates as a whole are wealthier than high school drop outs. So why isn’t the saying “The educated are getting richer while the uneducated are getting poorer. Doesn’t that actually make it more of a positive statement, touting the benefits of an education?

Well, it doesn’t really matter, because it’s not true. Oh, it’s true the rich are getting richer, but so are the poor, says Walter E. Williams, John M. Olin Distinguished Professor of Economics at George Mason University.

Consider:
n In 1971, only about 32 percent of ALL Americans enjoyed air conditioning in their homes; by 2001, 76 percent of poor people had air conditioning.

n Some 46 percent of poor households OWN their homes; only about 6 percent of poor households are overcrowded.

n Nearly 75 percent of poor households own a car; 30 percent own two or more cars.

n Meanwhile, 78 percent of the poor have a VCR or DVD player; 62 percent have cable or satellite TV reception; and one-third have an automatic dishwasher.

Further, poverty is not static for people willing to work. According to a University of Michigan study:

n Only 5 percent of those in the bottom fifth of the income distribution in 1975 remained there in 1991.

n Moreover, 3 out of 10 of the lowest income earners in 1975 moved all the way into the top fifth of income earners by 1991.

Poverty in the United States, in an absolute sense, has virtually disappeared, says Williams. Today, there's nothing remotely resembling poverty of yesteryear. However, if poverty is defined in the relative sense, the lowest fifth of income-earners, "poverty" will always be with us, no matter how poverty is defined. But overall, our poor must be the envy of the world's poor.