Dear all, this is a promo, for which I receive no
commissions... The widening of income inequality is a global issue affecting
both rich and poor countries that has several connections with what we do,
right? Now Robert Reich, former Secretary of Labour under the Clinton’s
administration and now Professor here at Berkeley just came out with a great
movie: Inequality for All. It explains how during the last 30 years the
middle class has shrunken and inequalities have widened. It talks mainly about
US but there are clear connections with what is happening in several other
countries. Internal reasons (fiscal
policies, cutting down the tax rate on the highest incomes) and external
reasons (globalization, pushing down costs) are clearly shown. Not only the
causes are clearly explain, but the social and political consequences too.
There are already tangible signs that we are shifting from democracies to
plutocracies, where the political consensus is built thanks to economic resources
and where elected representatives report to the sponsors of their electoral
campaigns rather than to the voters. Nothing new
to the majority of us I guess. But extremely well packaged, with the
right mix of data, analysis, interviews with a touch of humour. Atsuko wrote
me: “I watched the movie, it was truly fantastic, I loved it, the sensitivity
of the man, the interesting comparative stats, the fact that wages of the
middle class have not increased and what have been the coping strategies, that
we need to continue to strive for social change. It was great, thank you so
much for pointing it out for me”. What else to say? This is not Occupy Wall Street. These are not the views of a
radical NGO. This is Robert Reich. As soon as it reaches Europe, hopefully
soon, don’t miss it! In the meantime you can see the trailer at: http://inequalityforall.com/
