The new Democratic Party
The typical Dem used to be a blue-color worker in someplace like Youngstown, Ohio. Now the party gets more votes from well-educated coastal cities. From that perspective, the following graph doesn’t seem all that “weird”, at least no more weird than the Dem’s current obsession with repealing the SALT cap.
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25. March 2022 at 11:15
This has been disappointing. In principle Democrats should oppose this. In reality they are catering to the voters in the states they control. To be fair, the only reason the GOP wanted this was because it would hurt wealthier people in the states they dont control. It’s not like the GOP doesnt usually cut taxes for richer people. (As long as they are favoring MDs I wonder if they can do it by specialty? Maybe I can come out even further ahead!)
Steve
25. March 2022 at 15:14
Wonder how this chart looks income-adjusted
25. March 2022 at 16:55
no more weird than the Dem’s current obsession with repealing the SALT cap.
What’s weird about that? The cap applies big time in NY, CA, MA, CT… They’re just trying to collect for themselves. (Yes, to the point where even Bernie Sanders was embarrassed by the hypocrisy.) It’s politics not-even-101, politics pre-K.
Back in the 1990s “income inequality” was a huge issue (as always) but the argument was in terms of “quintiles”. Which really is the most meaningful measure at to societal health. I have lots of articles and books in my files to prove it. (I’m getting old.)
So how did “the rich” suddenly morph from being the top 20% to the “top 1%”?
Because a host of studies came in showing the top 20% worked longer hours, had more education, and – as women entered professions – married each other to double household incomes. Also had lower divorce rates, stronger family structures, etc. Who can damn those traits? AND, these people also were the exact same upper class liberals in NY, CA, MA, CT, etc. who Dems were trying to scare with ‘income inequality’ tales.
“The problem with growing income inequality is … YOU!” That doesn’t sell so well. So the top 20% became the top 1%.
Now the same sworn enemies of income inequality also want to most regressively forgive student debt for themselves? Go figure!
26. March 2022 at 15:38
Re student debt, notice the less schooling you need, the less debt you have to forgive. It’s not really about helping ‘the rich’ more, but a doctor is obviously going to have more student loan debt than a bachelors or associate degree holder.
27. March 2022 at 01:01
“Wonder how this chart looks income-adjusted”
Slightly compressed, but otherwise not much different. Doctors make more than bachelor’s degree holders, but 2-3 times as much, not 10 times as much. Here are earnings by educational attainment:
https://www.bls.gov/emp/chart-unemployment-earnings-education.htm
Median earnings for those with professional degrees are probably held down by less lucrative degrees and doctors in residency—practicing doctors make a median of $200k.
Keep in mind, though, that ability to save or pay down debt doesn’t scale linearly with income. If you’re making $50,000 per year, maybe you can only afford to save $10,000 per year. If your income doubles and you don’t increase other expenses, you can probably save an extra $35,000 per year. With an income of $200,000 you can probably save at least $100,000 per year.
27. March 2022 at 06:28
Do you consider it weird that Mitch McConnell rails against federal spending while federal aid equals about 40% of his state’s budget?
27. March 2022 at 23:10
I would say the “uneducated coastal elites”.
You are equating education to a degree. They are not the same thing.
And what your profession calls skilled labor is not really skilled labor. For example, nobody needs a four year degree to code. An attorney doesn’t need a four year degree to pass the bar exam, nor does a stock trader, or a widget salesman. And if you want the bar to encompass more than just law, which it should, then you might require that an attorney pass history and philosophy exams as well!
But again, you don’t need a “degree” to succeed at that. You only need books!
Furthermore, based on standardized test scores, the average American college graduate is the equivalent of a Singaporean and Estonian high school graduate.
In New York, for example, the education board claims tests are “racist”. They continually lower their standards, so that aspiring teachers can realize their dream.
And this is the type of cultural shift that conservatives and libertarians worry about, because decadent societies who refuse to face the truth don’t survive long. Inauthenticity will lead to ruin.