Progress for Me But Not for Thee

Two Americas? That’s on purpose:

In cities around the world, two-tier societies are becoming increasingly common. While much ink has been spilled over widening income inequality in cities such as New York, where Bill de Blasio rode his “tale of two cities” theme all the way to City Hall, most attempts to solve the problem have focused on the poor, not the middle class. Liberal mayors across the country are proposing an array of policies intended to address income inequality, including minimum-wage hikes—Seattle’s mayor wants to raise it to $15 per hour—affordable-housing mandates, and tax increases on the wealthy. At the same time, they’ve made massive investments in upscale neighborhoods and business districts. But no one is championing the middle class, even rhetorically.

High taxes and big government are the price the progressive rich happily pay to avoid competition from the rising middle class. The welfare crumbs thrown at the poor buy them the “social harmony” they require to keep winning elections and avoid being tarred and feathered.