Mastodawn

The Whore of Blahbylon Mar 19

No lies detected.

#TheEconomy #WallStreet #BlueCollarWorkers #MiddleClass #USPolitics #LaborRights #IncomeInequality

*|FNAME|*

Mar 17

Broadcast news this morning is full of breathless pieces frontloading us to expect the spiking costs-of-living as a result of the Iran war. I’m reminded of how, during the early pandemic and the lockdowns, the billionaires doubled their wealth while everyone else’s standard of living fell. I can’t help but connect the dots and see this new ‘crisis’ as being manufactured in order to recreate those conditions. 🫤

“Ten richest men double their fortunes in pandemic while incomes of 99 percent of humanity fall”

#IncomeInequality #Billionaires #GeoPol

https://www.oxfam.org/en/press-releases/ten-richest-men-double-their-fortunes-pandemic-while-incomes-99-percent-humanity

Ten richest men double their fortunes in pandemic while incomes of 99 percent of humanity fall | Oxfam International

Oxfam International

*|FNAME|*

Mar 12

RE: https://flipboard.com/@ctvnews/business-hbgr2piuz/-/a-eLYMiq_gQSuPXpPSd9yEJg%3Aa%3A2823982346-%2F0

Cheaper than Campbell’s soup. Let that sink in for a moment…

#AffordabilityCrisis #IncomeInequality

petersuber Mar 7

New from Oxford economist #OlivierSterck: "Measuring poverty on a spectrum instead of an arbitrary line conveys a more accurate picture of inequality."
https://theconversation.com/measuring-poverty-on-a-spectrum-instead-of-an-arbitrary-line-conveys-a-more-accurate-picture-of-inequality-271912

PS: I find this take on poverty very illuminating. Instead of measuring poverty by incomes (dollars per year), we should measure it by the time it takes to earn $1 (years per dollar). The classical measure allows a small number of very rich people to pull up the average income, and makes widespread poverty seem to be a minor problem. Sterck's new measure allows a large number of struggling people to pull up the average time needed to earn money, and makes a necessary correction to our understanding. The classical measure gives more voice or weight to the rich, when they're very rich, while Sterck's gives more to the poor, when they're very numerous. This helps us see two things otherwise invisible: widespread poverty hidden by average wealth, and the role of income inequality in hiding that poverty.

While the average income is higher or better in the US than in Europe, the average time needed to earn $1 is significantly longer or worse in the US. This kind of poverty exists alongside that high average income. We need to bring in severe income inequality to explain this, and of course income inequality is significantly higher in the US than Europe.

#Economics #Income #IncomeInequality #Poverty

Measuring poverty on a spectrum instead of an arbitrary line conveys a more accurate picture of inequality

An economist proposes a new method of estimating the scope of poverty in different countries.

The Conversation

The New York Times - Breaking News, US News, World News and Videos Mar 2

5 Takeaways on America’s Boom in Billionaires

https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/02/us/billionaire-boom-takeaways.html

The USA Potato Feb 28

Teaching Kids to Read: How One School District Gets It Right

The schools in Steubenville, Ohio, are doing something unusual—in fact, it’s almost unheard of. In a country where nearly 40 percent of fourth graders struggle to read at even a basic level, Steubenville has succeeded in teaching virtually all of its students to read well. According to data from the Educational Opportunity Project at Stanford […]

https://murica.website/2026/02/teaching-kids-to-read-how-one-school-district-gets-it-right/

Teaching Kids to Read: How One School District Gets It Right – The USA Potato

Mother Jones Magazine Feb 28

Teaching Kids to Read: How One School District Gets It Right

https://web.brid.gy/r/https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2026/02/sold-a-story-steubenville-ohio-reading-2026/

RevDrMatthewFox Feb 27

We can respond to #IncomeInequality by committing to #simplicity & supporting those who have less, becoming involved, according to our gifts & resources, in bringing forth a #NewEconomicSystem that works for everyone on the planet—not just all two-legged ones but #allbeings. #OrderOfTheSacredEarth bit.ly/4k1KUr6