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> Oh, but we do have an anger problem these days. People are not angry because they carefully examined their situation and decided it's caused by deep wealth in

> Oh, but we do have an anger problem these days. People are not angry because they carefully examined their situation and decided it's caused by deep wealth inequality. It isn't about my personal situation. Wealth inequality doesn't affect the people on HN in any real, substantial way if they work for a tech company because we (mostly) are in the 6 figure household income bracket where you can live a good life in America without being bothered by things. I'm still angry about it because I see its effects in larger political campaign spends and a constant push for lower taxes on the rich rather than the poor. https://www.cbpp.org/research/federal-tax/tax-cuts-for-the-rich-arent-an-economic-panacea-and-could-hurt-growth https://www.cbpp.org/research/federal-tax/tax-cuts-for-the-r... > A growing body of research suggests that investments in children in low-income families not only reduce poverty and hardship in the near term, but can have long-lasting positive effects on their health, education, and earnings as adults. Cutting programs that support low-income families to fund tax cuts for the rich could therefore also have negative long-run economic impacts. Tax cuts for the poor, not the rich. :p

TeMPOraL 9y ago
> Wealth inequality doesn't affect the people on HN in any real, substantial way if they work for a tech company because we (mostly) are in the 6 figure household income bracket where you can live a good life in America without being bothered by things. Maybe in some cases. But not in others. Some of us are "secondhand smokers" of wealth inequality. Myself, I'm the only techie in the family. My parents were not in tech. My siblings are not in tech. My SO is not in tech. Many of my friends aren't either. Supporting them in hardships caused by the income situation does affect me personally, and so does looking at the problems of people I know.
- AFNobody 9y ago
  I don't think you fully understand my point. Your SO not being in tech + your income probably is $100k or more. Once you reach that point in the US, you are not materially impacted personally. We all have friends/family/etc that are not in tech and we float them money sometimes when they are in a bind. That isn't the same thing as wealth inequality materially impacting you personally. You see the larger impact it has on other people. And that bothers you, which is perfectly understandable. But that is a political problem rather than a personal thing at that point.
  - Tannic 9y ago
    Does it have to be so binary? It's well short of the kind of problem someone suffering directly in poverty feels,and should not be conflated with that experience, but certainly is personal. Also, the personal and the political are not somehow exclusive of each other in the slightest.

TeMPOraL 9y ago

> Wealth inequality doesn't affect the people on HN in any real, substantial way if they work for a tech company because we (mostly) are in the 6 figure household income bracket where you can live a good life in America without being bothered by things. Maybe in some cases. But not in others. Some of us are "secondhand smokers" of wealth inequality. Myself, I'm the only techie in the family. My parents were not in tech. My siblings are not in tech. My SO is not in tech. Many of my friends aren't either. Supporting them in hardships caused by the income situation does affect me personally, and so does looking at the problems of people I know.

AFNobody 9y ago
I don't think you fully understand my point. Your SO not being in tech + your income probably is $100k or more. Once you reach that point in the US, you are not materially impacted personally. We all have friends/family/etc that are not in tech and we float them money sometimes when they are in a bind. That isn't the same thing as wealth inequality materially impacting you personally. You see the larger impact it has on other people. And that bothers you, which is perfectly understandable. But that is a political problem rather than a personal thing at that point.
- Tannic 9y ago
  Does it have to be so binary? It's well short of the kind of problem someone suffering directly in poverty feels,and should not be conflated with that experience, but certainly is personal. Also, the personal and the political are not somehow exclusive of each other in the slightest.