In his recent essay, “What a Drag: Inequality and the Economy,” University of Utah history professor Derek S. Hoff argues that we as a nation should change the way we talk about inequality. Recently, the record gap between the haves and the have nots has received much attention across the political spectrum, and rightly so. But while many Americans promote reducing inequality for reasons of fairness or justice Hoff urges the new president to emphasize an accurate argument that has largely disappeared from the conversation in the past few decades: that less inequality would be good for the overall economy. Measures to increase the long-stagnant wages of American workers, reduce student debt or make the tax system more progressive, among other routes, would put more money into the hands of the people most likely to spend it, resulting in rejuvenated economic growth that benefits us all. In simplest terms, somebody has to buy all the goods.
Derek Hoff | 801-903-8977 | derekhoff@gmail.com