Why Decry the Wealth Gap专题

第一篇：Why Decry the Wealth Gap专题

Why Decry the Wealth Gap?

Americans may have been distracted by two

reports reminding them of a widening gap

between the rich and poor.贫富差距，为什么要谴责它? 美国民众可能已被有关贫

富差距正在加大的两个报告转

移了注意力。The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities and

the Economic Policy Institute, two liberal

research groups, put out a state-by-state两个自由派研究团体--预

算与政策优先抉择中心以及经breakdown of Census Bureau data, which found

济政策研究所，发布了其对人nine states(led by New York)in which the

口统计局数据的各州细目分类richest 20 percent of households now earn at

分析报告，指出有9个州(以纽least 11 times the income of the poorest 20

约为首)最富有的20％家庭目percent.This indicated a much sharper

前的收入至少是最贫穷的disparity between the top and bottom than

20％的11倍。这表明社会上层existed two decades ago.与底层之间的差距比20年前

更为显著。

Then the Federal Reserve Bank released its然后，联邦储备银行也公布latest survey of consumer finances.It showed 了最新的消费者资金调查报that the average net worth of families earning 告，指出家庭收入少于每年1less than $ 10,000 a year had fallen by 万美元的，在过去3年里其平＄ 6,600 over the past three years, while 均净资产减少了6600美元，而households earning more than $100,000 a year 那些家庭收入超过每年10万had seen their wealth jump by more than

$300,000.对此我们的反映是：那又怎么

Our response is: So what?

Few of us should be surprised--or 样呢?我们大多数人都不应该为美元的却增长了30多万。threatened--by statistics on inequality.这些统计数字所体现出的不平Some Americans believe the more equality the 等而吃惊或恐慌。有些美国民better, but the fact is that the distribution 众认为社会越平等越好，但实of income and wealth isn't arbitrary.It 际情况却是收入与财富的分配emerges from broad trends in the economy and 并不是随心所欲的。它随经济is a byproduct of a decade that created 17 宏观发展趋势而出现，同时它million jobs and added 20 percent to median 也是这10年发展的副产品，这

期间经济的发展创造了1700

household net worth.The unstated implication of the 万个就业机会并使中等收入的家庭财产增加了20％。

state-by-state report was that the states 上述的各州分类分析报告没有where income disparities are lower are

disparities.But the truth is that among 明示但暗含的意思是那些收入公平些。但事实却是在各社区、somehow “ fairer” than the states with high 差异小的州要比差异大的州更communities, states and regions, income and 各州与各地区，收入与财富的wealth will vary for many reasons, several of 获得是随很多因素变化的，其them unavoidable and laudable.中有些因素还是不可避免并值

得赞许的。

Consider, for example, that income varies例如，收入会随教育而异。with education.According to census data, 人口调查数据表明，在劳动力high school dropouts in the work force earn 大军中，高中辍学者的平均收an average of ＄ 26,207, while workers with 入是26207美元，而有专业本a professional degree average ＄ 127,499.科学位的平均能挣127499美Census figures show that many of the states 元。从统计数据可以看出，在with the widest income gaps have greater 多数的收入相差极其悬殊的diversity in education levels than states 州，其教育程度上的差异要比with smaller income gaps.Twenty-six percent 那些收入差距不大的州大得of those over the age of 24 in New York--the 多。纽约是收入差距最大的州，state with the greatest income disparity--其24岁以上的民众中有26％have at least a bachelor's degree, whereas in 至少具有学士学位。而在收入Indiana, which was among the seven states with 差距最小的7个州之一--印地the lowest income disparity, only 16 percent 安那州，这个比例只有16％。do.Should we be lamenting that so many New 难道我们还要因为有那么多纽Yorkers went to college?

income disparity may be our ever-higher 约人受过大学教育而哀叹吗? 个不可指责的原因或许是攀升Another non-nefarious cause of increasing造成收入差距加大的另一immigration rates.Immigrants tend to cluster 的移民率。移民们趋于集中在in low-and high-income groups.Thus it is no 低收入和高收入的两个群体surprise that in the seven most unequal states 中。因此，人们对下面这种情--New York, Arizona, New Mexico, Louisiana, 况就不会感到奇怪了。在收入California, Rhode Island and Texas--about 最不平均的7个州--纽约、亚13 percent of the population is

foreign-born(in California, it's 25 利桑那、新墨西哥、路易斯安那、加利福尼亚、罗德岛和得percent).Among the seven states with the 克萨斯--移民约占总人口的smallest income disparities, the immigrant 13％(在加利福尼亚占25％)。population is only 3.8 percent.而在收入差距最小的7个州，移民只占3.8％。

The shift away from manufacturing is also a

factor.Service workers span the gamut from劳动力从制造领域的转出hotel maids to brain surgeons, while the pay 也是原因之一。服务领域的工range is generally narrower in the

manufacturing sector.States that are

industrial tend to have more equal 作者可既包括酒店服务生又包括脑科手术医生。而制造业中的工资差别可就小得多了，因distributions of income.Data from the Bureau 而工业州的收入分配更趋于平of Labor Statistics show that about 10 percent 均化。劳动统计局的数据表明，of workers in Arizona, Louisiana and New York 在亚利桑那州、路易斯安那州have manufacturing jobs, whereas in more

figure is 23 percent.和纽约州10％的劳动者从事的州，如印地安那州和威斯康

星州，这个数字是23％。

Also, in the seven states with the greatest另外，在收入差距大的7income inequality, more than 80 percent of the 个州80％的人口居住在大城population lives in or near metropolitan 市里或附近。而在收入最平均areas.In states with the most equality, only 的州，居住在城里的居民只占about half does.If we were to turn back the 约一半。如果时光倒流100年，clock 100 years and again become a largely 我们还是一个广大的农业国rural nation, we might not see such large 时，我们可能看不到这巨大的income disparities, but that's because

offer greater prospects for those who

succeed.Inequality is not inequity.Artificial收入的不平均并不代表不efforts to try to curb wealth gaps invariably平等。人为地控制贫富差距只do more harm than good.Heavier taxation might 会有害无益。加大税收力度也narrow the division between rich and poor, but 许会缩小贫富间的差距，但如it would be a hollow triumph if it stifled the 果它抑制了经济的发展，那也economy.What Americans ought to care most 只是毫无意义的成就。美国民about is maintaining our growth, not the red 众最该关心的应是保持经济的herring of gaps in income and wealth.增长，而不是将注意力转移到

收入与财富的差距上。By

W.Michael Cox and Richard 贫富差距。但正是美国的这些者提供了更美好的前程。America's cities are our engines of wealth and 城市才造就了财富，才为成功equal states like Indiana and Wisconsin the 制造业工作，而在收入较平均

Alm(高英 摘译 Dallas)