[IliketoPuck]

The rate of wage increases for the lower and middle class has not kept pace with the affordability of items that define the class since the mid-1900s.

As a result, on aggregate, it is more difficult now for individuals in those socioeconomic brackets to climb out. Over a generational period of time, this results in more and more disparity, in perpetuity. Affording the "American Dream" of a house, car, college education for your kids, is just that.

The problem is that this is the logical manifestation of a primarily capitalistic society, focused on corporate profit and trickledown economics. If a publicly traded corporation or wealthy individual benefits from a change in tax law, it is the height of naivety to assume that they will use those funds to hire more workers (or increase wages) vs. upholding their fiduciary duty to maximize shareholder returns (in the case of corporations), or to increase their own wealth (in the case of individuals). It was inevitable that wealth concentration would accelerate on a grand scale under our current structure.

Tax reform is part of the solution. More efficient distribution of taxes focused on broader social supports for the lower/middle income brackets is also necessary.

At the end of the day it is going to be exceptionally challenging to undo a generation of government and economic policy that was designed to concentrate wealth.

But if we don’t figure this out, eventually the decision will be made for us.