Neither Professor Stiglitz (Inequality is Holding Back the Recovery, Week In Review, January 20, 2013:A1, A6,A7) nor Mr. Davidson (The Great Divergence, Magazine, January 20, 2013: 17-18) focus on the ongoing effects of inequality in our society.
In their book, The Spirit Level, Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett document thourghly the dysfuntional effects of inequality across nations and even between states in the United States.
In unequal societies rich people are sicker than rich people in more egalitarian societies and, of course, poor people in unequal societies are less healthy than poor people in egalitarian societies. The same is true of mental illness. The same is true in terms of people's happiness, and so on.
Unequal societies are less well off in the things that matter than unequal societies.
We need to put this right.
Sent to New York Times
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