More Income Inequality

Via Instapundit, I see that Mickey Kaus wonders where and when the meeting was at which the MSM-Democratic Establishment decided that income inequality was the issue of issues going forward, and on which I commented here (oh, and here).

Does he sense that income inequality is the political loser that I do? I don't know because he chooses to go after a logical inconsistancy or, 'intellectual dishonesty' if you will. Intellectual dishonesty coming from establishment political party types? Really? Cue your best Claude Raines impersonation. Actually, the focus on income inequality is astoundingly good news. It means that we are really talking openly and honestly in our national political dialogue, because for too long our political dialogue has talked about addressing something called "poverty" when what it really meant was "income inequality." The truth is that we don't really have poverty in modern day America, we have income inequality. Poor by American standards is enormously comfortable by current standards in most places around the globe and by historical standards anywhere. Our biggest social problems seem to be how to make triple-bypass surgeries and miracle cancer-fighting drugs affordable for cops, teachers, welders and other middle class folks or how to make sure that teenagers learn to read, write and do math in the five hours a day they sit in large classrooms before they go off to play football, basketball, or the trombone. The world, quite rightly, wishes they could have such pressing problems. Not to say that we should not be addressing these issues, we should. If you are not moving forward you are falling behind. But let's have some perspective and communicate honestly. The focus on income inequality as opposed to poverty is a start.