Economic Freedom & Income Equality

What if we had an "opportunity society" where poor people could become middle-income and rich, and even own their own businesses?

Watch as Professor Robert Lawson discusses the connection between economic freedom and income inequality and why what we should really be concerned about is income mobility.

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Produced by Sean W. Malone
http://www.economicfreedom.org

Additional media from:
http://www.sxc.hu
Wikimedia Commons
Isaac Reese

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• Economic Freedom
• Income Equality
• Egalitarianism
• Economics
• Income Mobility
• Free Market
• Robert Lawson
• Economy
• Glenn

[rascalrabbyt]

@c0h3n03 If you look at the countries that suffer income inequality and lack of free market, those countries tend to be also far less democratic in their government forms. I cannot think of a single country with a powerful autocrat and a healthy economy. Freedom of any sort is lack of government, thus the comparison holds that more government yields less freedom. The benevolence of Sweden is, over the long run, costing exorbitantly, while the economy does not progress significantly.

[c0h3n03]

Funny how the only mechanism they gave for income inequality in states with lower economic freedom is totalitarianism. Control for totalitarian leaders making themselves and their friends rich and you are left with the Sweden/USA contrast. Then instead you have two subpopulations of states where income inequality is decreased with benevolent government regulation of markets but increased by totalitarian regimes. Now, given those options, I'll take Sweden.

[drkevincampbell]

@freesk8 What are you talking about. Postcard mailing scam? We have nothing to do with postcards or mailing anything. We have an auction business. With postage rates sky high, it's not a good idea to use postcards for anything these days. Where did you get your information?

[freesk8]

When liberals complain to me of income inequality, I usually just admit that free markets increase income inequality, but then I point out that they also provide a higher average income and higher income mobility than do systems with more govt control. Then they are faced with cutting off their noses to spite their faces in opposing free markets. Want the poor to be better off? Then you want free markets. But I like the data in this video that shows that FM's aren't correlated with inc ineq!

[freesk8]

@drkevincampbell Don't call the above number. It is a postcard mailing get rich quick MLM scam.

[kerrywsmyth]

People that don't suffer feelings of ENVY don't give a shit about any gap, no matter how big between rich and poor.

[kerrywsmyth]

Anyone that ever simply CARES about any gap between rich and poor are guilty of the sin of ENVY, or at the very least are encouraging others to recognize, embrace and express their emotion of envy.

[furyofbongos]

"We" don't bail rich people out, the people who call themselves government and who rob us daily bail rich people out.

[jesseboyd7]

Is it dangerous for a Central Bank to control the issue of currency? I think so. Making the cost of living more expensive creates a bigger gap between rich and poor.

/watch?v=hx16a72j__8

[62636263c]

@62636263c Project that out several years and we find that the gap grows, until there are two classes. There are those at the top, comprised of people who climbed from the middle or who where already there, and those at the bottom who fell from the middle, or who where already there. Then we have a two tier, tyrannical controlled economy with the majority trapped at the bottom. If nothing changes, in time this will be the future of USA.