Cumberland Times-News

Opinion

November 21, 2012

Income ratio doesn’t pay the bills; income is what counts

The Associated Press article “Study shows West Virginia income gap widened in past few decades; Richest families’ incomes 8.4 times greater than poorest” (Nov. 17 Times-News, Page 1B) is another example of the liberal press and our president’s policy of promotion of class envy.

The article dwells on the change in the ratio of high incomes to low incomes with no mention of the changes in actual incomes.

The ratio has absolutely no meaning to the wage earner. The actual income is what is important. The increase in the ratio only shows that the higher incomes increased faster than the lower incomes (or decreased slower.

People can’t use the ratio to pay their bills, only the actual income. But this kind of manipulation of statistics apparently was very effective in getting our President re-elected.

The election is over, so can we dispense with the class envy rhetoric?

Leon Dillman

Cumberland

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