By Phil Gramm and John Early

Opposite to standard knowledge, essentially the most dramatic and consequential change within the distribution of revenue in America prior to now half-century isn’t rising revenue inequality however the extraordinary progress in revenue equality among the many backside 60% of family earners.

Actual authorities switch funds to the underside 20% of family earners surged by 269% between 1967 and 2017, whereas middle-income households noticed their actual earnings after taxes rise by solely 154% throughout the identical interval. That has largely equalized the revenue of the underside 60% of Individuals. This government-created equality has triggered the labor-force participation fee to break down amongst working-age individuals in low-income households and unleashed a populist realignment that’s unraveling the coalition that has dominated American politics because the Thirties.