@MattBruenig@RuckerCulpepper@mattyglesias Prices (the price of labor) are the signaling mechanism that intermediate the supply of and demand for labor. Our capital markets channel capital to providers of goods and services as well as entrepreneurs, inventors and other suppliers of intellectual capital.
@mattyglesias@marienewhouse@MattBruenig looks like pretty low dispersion across DM countries for the 10th percentile of income earners.would imagine the 90th %ile/mean/median for U.S. is higher, consistent with a highly innovative/disruptive economy that generates wider dispersion of outcomes but higher median wealth.
@MattBruenig@mattyglesias Relative to our peers, I think that is the case. Setting aside the PPP or nominal measurement debate , our poorest state has the same average income as the EU average.
@MattBruenig@mattyglesias Wouldn’t we rather have an economy with a wide spread between high and low income earners with a high average income level than one with a narrow spread and a lower average?
@MattBruenig not sure I would describe our federal tax system as regressive because some zero income earners don’t receive transfer payments and pay sales tax (with mystery income). Generally, our federal tax system is quite progressive. Some states have regressive structures though.
@xriskology It’s honestly hard to believe that an educated adult human living in the year 2026 can have this mindset and be trying to make this kind of point.
@bencasselman@MarcGoldwein Without the switch, Core PCE would’ve been .44%. instead of .36%. both .4’s on a rounded basis.Especially in the context of the .2% Core CPI release two days prior, it seems like an utterly bizarre way to juke the stats to end up at the same .4 it would’ve been anyway.
@bencasselman@MarcGoldwein So did the BLS conduct a price survey for legal services in Feb and not publish it? If it’s impacting the broader miscellaneous personal services category, than they have price data on it.