Income Inequality: Massive Individual and Societal Stress.

No matter what party is in power, this graph hasn't changed in 50 years

Ah, yes. Income inequality. The graph you see here is less "economic trend" and more "crime scene photo." This one graph is at the core of 80% of the problems that afflict individuals, neighborhoods, communities, states and the nation. Stress, mental health, income insecurity, inability to build wealth, much less save anything, reduced opportunity, reduced home ownership, etc.

Look at it. That bright, cheerful blue line represents the top quintile—the wealthiest 20% of income earners—rising steadily over the past 75 years in lockstep with the yellow line, our GDP.  The yellow line represents how much wealth your labor creates for our nation each year. It goes up each year because working Americans are more productive each year. That space between the blue line and the yellow? That’s how much the bottom 80% of us get to split among 121 million workers. 

Meanwhile the space between the yellow and blue lines is charted by the green line, representing the bottom 80%, is basically flat, like the heartbeat of someone who just saw their fifty cent annual raise. This isn’t just a graph; it’s a story. A story about how the rich have spent the past five decades taking an ever-bigger slice of an ever bigger pie that we the people bake for them, leaving everyone else squabbling over crumbs. And those crumbs? Yeah, they’re stale.

Like Starving the Dogs

Imagine a pack of dogs. Now starve them for a few days and throw them a single scrap of meat. What happens? Chaos. They fight each other. They grow anxious, desperate, maybe even violent. That, my friends, is what this graph represents. The bottom 80%—the people who actually build things, make things, and keep society functioning—have been starved for decades while the top 20% hoard all the wealth like dragons sitting on a pile of gold coins.

This isn’t just bad economics; it’s outright toxic. When people are stressed about paying rent, affording healthcare, or feeding their kids, their mental and physical health suffer. And when that stress is constant—year after year, decade after decade—it starts to feel normal. But it’s not normal. It’s a system designed to squeeze every ounce of productivity out of workers without giving them anything back. It promotes setting ethics and integrity aside to step on and then over coworkers to get ahead, to get that tiny raise of copium in your paycheck. 

Stress, Anxiety, and the Mental Health Epidemic

It’s no surprise that income inequality contributes to mental health issues. According to studies, financial stress is one of the biggest contributors to anxiety and depression. And guess who’s stressed? The bottom 80%. The people working two, sometimes three jobs just to stay afloat. The people who can’t afford therapy because they don’t have health insurance. The people whose entire financial "safety net" is a credit card with a maxed-out balance.

And here’s the kicker: While you folks are drowning, the wealthy are out here talking about "mindfulness retreats" and "wellness apps." Oh, you’re stressed? Just meditate! Meanwhile, the rest of us are trying to figure out how to make spaghetti last for three meals.

Fracturing Communities and National Unity

Here’s another fun side effect of income inequality: It makes us hate each other. When resources are scarce, people fight. They look for someone to blame. And instead of pointing the finger at the billionaires building rocket-shaped phallic symbols, the media and our political theater convince you to turn on each other, crippling our ability to identify and fix the problem. 

That’s not an accident. It’s by design. Politicians and the ultra-wealthy love to distract us with cultural battles and tribalism while they continue hoarding wealth. They give you small little cultural wins on LGBTQ or gun issues, creating just enough illusion that the party is in your corner and is fighting for you, while they pick your pocket of the profit your hands create, before you even get it. You’ve been Jedi mind fucked into thinking your neighbor is your enemy and the powerless took all your shit. 

And the result? Communities fracture. National unity crumbles. We end up arguing over things like "Should teachers have to buy their own supplies?" (Hint: no) instead of asking, "Why does the richest country in the world have teachers buying their own supplies?"

Economic Stress and Violence

Oh, and here’s a cheery thought: Income inequality is strongly correlated with higher rates of violence. When people are stressed, desperate, and hopeless, society becomes less safe. Think about it: If you can’t pay your bills, can’t access healthcare, and don’t see a way out, what do you have to lose? That’s not an excuse for violence—it’s an indictment of the system that creates the conditions for it.

Other Side Effects of Five Decades of Looting

The looting of the working class doesn’t just affect mental health and community cohesion. It impacts everything.

• Wages Stagnate: Despite record productivity, real wages for most Americans have barely budged. Meanwhile, CEOs now make 399 times what the average worker earns. That’s not a typo.

• Generational Wealth Disappears: Millennials and Gen Z are saddled with student debt, stagnant wages, and skyrocketing housing costs. At this rate, the only thing they’ll inherit is the recipe for Ramen.

• Public Services Crumble: Schools are underfunded. Infrastructure is crumbling. Healthcare is unaffordable. And yet, we’re told there’s no money to fix these things—because apparently, it’s all tied up in yacht maintenance.

So, What Do We Do About It?

Look, we’re not going to fix this overnight. But we can start by demanding policies that actually benefit the majority of Americans:

• Raise Taxes on the Wealthy: Billionaires shouldn’t pay a lower tax rate than teachers. That’s just common sense.

• Strengthen Worker Protections: Unions, living wages, and paid leave aren’t luxuries—they’re basic rights.

• Invest in Public Services: Healthcare, education, and infrastructure are the backbone of a functioning society.

And most importantly, we need to stop letting the rich pit us against each other. Because while we’re fighting over crumbs, they’re laughing—and eating steak.

So, the next time you see a billionaire in a private jet telling you to work harder, remember this graph. Remember that their wealth didn’t come from hard work—it came from your hard work. And it’s time to take it back.

And now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to start a GoFundMe to fix literally everything.