NPR's Totenberg Mis-states Income Gap, As Bad As People 'Came to This Country to Avoid'
On Friday's Inside Washington on PBS, regular panel member Nina Totenberg of NPR incorrectly claimed that the "top tenth of one percent" of income earners in America "controls something like 20 or 30 percent" of the nation's income, and went on to characterize the economic situation as being worse than it has been in "hundreds of years," as she suggested income gaps were at a level that "people came to this country to avoid."
In reality, it is the top one percent - not the top "tenth of one percent" - that earns about a quarter of the nation's income.
As the group discussed the Occupy Wall Street protests, Totenberg made the following observations:
NINA TOTENBERG, NPR: I am actually surprised that the current polling - it won't necessarily continue this way - seems to sort of like these folks. They get decent approval ratings, even though, even though nobody quite knows quite what they're for. Everybody does know-
MARK SHIELDS, COLUMNIS: Even they don't.
TOTENBERG: Even they don't. And what people do know - (UNINTELLIBLE) the statistics - but when the top tenth of one percent controls something like 20 or 30 percent of the income in this country, that, the income gap has grown to what, the kind of thing that existed hundreds of years ago that people came to this country to avoid.
- Brad Wilmouth's blog
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People came to this country
Submitted by robert108 on Sat, 10/15/2011 - 4:05pm.
People came to this country to avoid religious persecution, which the present Dem Party supports with its attacks on Christian politicians. Millionaire Totenberg couldn't be more wrong.
Typical Hyperbole on the part of the Left.
Submitted by ThePickle on Sat, 10/15/2011 - 4:19pm.
"The top tenth of one percent" of income earners in America "controls something like 20 or 30 percent" of the nation's income,"
Even if this was not a complete misrepresentation of the facts, the point would still be that the two operative words in this sentence are "earners" and "control".
It is obvious that Ms. Totenberg has an issue with people being "allowed" to actually "control" that which they have "earned".
But of course that only applies to "certain" evil rich people.....ultra rich "Liberal" earners would of course be exempt from the Government seizing "control" of their millions.
Blinding Irony for Mrs. Seinfeld:
Submitted by djwolf12 on Sat, 10/15/2011 - 4:23pm.
Totenberg rails against the "Rich" from a network that is subsidized by the taxpayers against their will and excludes (or fires) others from speaking that offer a different viewpoint to counter the Liberal/Marxist/Progessive agenda.
It is time to take this country back from the idiots and idealogues.
This Honkey is for Herman Cain 2012.
They never show you the other side of the coin do they....?
Submitted by NeoKong on Sat, 10/15/2011 - 4:29pm.
What do most of those top earners do for that income....?
I have never met anyone on food stamps putting 2,000 people to work.
I have never met anyone in a housing project that has a large restaurant chain.
I have never met anyone on welfare whose donation pays for a new medical center at a hospital.
I have however met many of those sorts of people who do not work.
Nasty Termagant puts her foot in her mouth again.
Submitted by drsamherman on Sat, 10/15/2011 - 4:41pm.
One wonders how she walks with only one foot on the ground and the other stuffed in her mouth.
I knew that was you, Sam
Submitted by Blonde on Sat, 10/15/2011 - 4:55pm.
Thee & me are the only ones here to "termagant".
LOL.
Did you see your new "pal" Rupe is a psychiatrist, too? LOLOLOL.
Handy Reference Guide to Obama's Gaffes and Goofs ~ Currently Numbering 200 (and Counting)
GMTA! I did not see that Rupie is a psychiatrist.
Submitted by drsamherman on Sat, 10/15/2011 - 5:00pm.
Where did he say that?
Iz fergivenz
Submitted by The Vet on Sat, 10/15/2011 - 5:21pm.
Doctor Sam is busy. Iz here. Is givinz psychokiotrizts bad name. Doctor Sam fills out the subject line thus respecting anyone that reads his postinz. Yeah, dat udder psychokiotrizt, iz no fill out.
Is Bill Gates or (was) Steve Jobs in this supposed 1/10 of 1%?
Submitted by krendler on Sat, 10/15/2011 - 4:47pm.
...and if so 1) what did they do to get there and 2) why don't the people who want to have income equality simply do the same thing that Jobs and Gates did?
Also, I have a big issue with those who make 50% more than I do. Gimme some of that!!!! Why? Because we should have fairness and income equality!!! My threshold is +50%. Someone else's might be +500%. And someone else's might be +25% (my co-worker).
Income equality across the board. Now!!!!!! That's why people came to this country.
On a more serious note, politics aside, liberals are simply idiots.
Who controls the country's wealth?
Submitted by MidAmerica on Sat, 10/15/2011 - 4:55pm.
It isn't the top one per cent.
It's a bloated and growing government.
The assault on the wealthy is the effort to remove the power of a possible foe to government control. it happens whenever a dictatorship emerges.
From the 'woman?'
Submitted by BBallleaper on Sat, 10/15/2011 - 5:23pm.
who brought you a pubic hair on a coke can! Who would believe anything this android would say?
They've Got One Move Left After This One
Submitted by rammingspeed on Sat, 10/15/2011 - 5:29pm.
They're on a roll with their insane lying. It's always been totally off the hook, but now it's Dr. Demento time. And they're doing it because they both see their prize in their grasp, as they believe they've never before seen it in this country, and they also see it slipping away. They believe they have the latitude to actually say that capitalism is bad and must be done away with, so they think they can win hearts and minds through their words. They don't get it. The silent majority, which as always is center/right, is strongly dominant, sitting back quietly, watching this whacko circus, laughing, and waiting for the elections. The left dreads it. Their only next move is violence, if they choose to push it all the way.
Actually Brad . . last #'s I saw suggested 20% for top 1%
Submitted by Gary Hall on Sat, 10/15/2011 - 6:06pm.
The Tax Foundation usually puts out it's annual "Summary of Latest Federal Individual Income Tax Data," at about this time of year. It seems to be the standard source for the analysis.
Last years report analyzed IRS data thru 2008, which put the top 1% of income earners, pulling in 20.00% of all income earned - AGI.
The number had dropped a bit since 2007 - the peak - when it topped out at 22.83%; effects of the recession.
I've never seen the 25% claim substantiated before.
Interestingly, the largest jump in this share of income by the top 1% of income earners, occurred during the Clinton era, when it soared from 13.79% in 1993 to 20.81% at the conclusion of the 2000 tax year.
The national media - the OWS sort of crowd, etc - never complained until Bush was president.
Neither did the relationship between average CEO pay and average worker pay. Look at what happened during the Clinton era:
Yep - went ballistic under Clinton, and dropped every year that Bush was president. They can complain about the 20% number - but their anger should be directed at Clinton - that's when it got there.
(;~/ gary
Jeebus
Submitted by donabernathy on Sat, 10/15/2011 - 7:27pm.
They just make the chit up as they go along.
roflmmfao
Guess who aches to be in the top 1/10th of 1 percent?
Submitted by SeniorD on Sat, 10/15/2011 - 9:07pm.
Why, Nina Totenberg of course!
This is a woman who has made a name for herself as a True Believing Leftist with extremely strong capitalist tendencies. She works for NPR, makes appearances as an 'expert commentator' and dallies with some of the leading Leftist minds in New York City.
If anyone asked her to give up her Manhattan dwelling, her clothes, and money to show her support for the poor benighted OWS loyalists, they would likely discover her true nature in a most unflattering barrage of language that would make a sailor blush.
Really getting tired of
Submitted by Soldat44 on Sat, 10/15/2011 - 10:21pm.
Really getting tired of seeing Mr. Totenberg's face and hearing his jaws flap.
Mr. Totenberg?
Submitted by gailannr on Sun, 10/16/2011 - 11:37am.
Is he a woman in disguise? Did I miss something?
Well of course.....that's the answer for this foolishness!!! Another useless idiot!
Nina toothead
Submitted by gfrrman on Sat, 10/15/2011 - 10:35pm.
when you complain about those that make "x" amount of $$$, look in the mirror next time and then do your bitchin'. H Y P O C R I T E!!!!
g
The Top 100 Statistics About The Collapse Of The Economy
Submitted by Retired Geek on Sun, 10/16/2011 - 1:32am.
Did You Know?
A staggering 48.5% of all Americans live in a household that receives some form of government benefits. Back in 1983, that number was below 30 percent.
During the Obama administration, the U.S. government has accumulated more debt than it did from the time that George Washington took office to the time that Bill Clinton took office.
Since Barack Obama was sworn in, the share of the national debt per household has increased by $35,835.
The U.S. national debt has been increasing by an average of more than 4 billion dollars per day since the beginning of the Obama administration.
It is being projected that the U.S. national debt will hit 344% of GDP by the year 2050 if we continue on our current course.
http://thpatriots.blogspot.com/2011/10/top-100-statistics-about-collapse...
Controls?
Submitted by ant on Sun, 10/16/2011 - 3:59am.
She has the nerve to spout "controlling money" while being a typical libtarded, big government idiot. It is a bloated out of control government that is "controlling" (and renderring valueless) money. I, no exaggeration, make 1/2 of what I made 15 years ago, while working longer hours. I had one shop (small business) I worked for close down and another lay me off because I was 'new' within the past year and a half. Who do I blame for that, Nina? Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, or George Bush? Anybody else, maybe, I could think of?
God, how I would love to actually debate these people. Not to sound cocky, but I guarantee they would lose in a big, stuttering fool way.
Milton Friedman and Phil Donahue on "Greed" 32 yrs ago!!!!!
Submitted by gailannr on Sun, 10/16/2011 - 11:34am.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxfK9etKaIM
Other data
Submitted by alvin on Sun, 10/16/2011 - 12:22pm.
¶The 400 wealthiest Americans have a greater combined net worth than the bottom 150 million Americans
http://www.politifact.com/wisconsin/statements/2011/mar/10/michael-moore...
¶The top 1 percent of Americans possess more wealth than the entire bottom 90 percent.
http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/10/about-that-99-percent/
the United States is more unequal a society than either Tunisia or Egypt.
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/21...
I am confused.
Submitted by The Vet on Sun, 10/16/2011 - 2:45pm.
What is the point here?
Did the 400 wealthiest Americans take even a nickel of the combined net worth from others? Or did they earn it, inherit it, or otherwise get it from investing the money they already have? So tell us, did those 400 steal so much as a nickel from someone else?
Did you know those 400 people get to pass down a lot of the wealth to their progeny should they so choose when they pass on. Did you know the people that pay into social security and pensions their whole lives leave NOTHING to their children? So if you find the wealth of 400 people offensive, you surely must be against social security and pensions that deny people the chance to build wealth as well.
Again, did the top 1 percent of Americans take so much as a nickel from the bottom 90 percent unfairly? Again, if you feel this is unfair, then you must be against all the programs that take from the poor, social security, medicare/medicaid, that denies people a chance to save and become wealthy themselves.
I am confused by your last line most of all. A country that is chock full of equally poor people is better than the United States how again?
Good evening Alvin
Submitted by cocodrie on Sun, 10/16/2011 - 2:51pm.
Just goes to show you that anyone can become rich in America and that our poor are better off than the middle class in most other countries.
Jesus Loves You so much He died for you
Nina Totenberg
Submitted by AdrianVance on Mon, 10/17/2011 - 1:44pm.
Nina Totenberg could play Chewbaca without makeup. She convinced Anita Hill that Clarence Thomas had insulted her with a "pubic hair" comment, and more, but thank God for the testimony of John Doggett, Esq. who just shot Anita out-of-the-water. She was a nutcase and Totenberg put her up to it!
The Two Minute Conservative at http://adrianvance.blogspot.com has political analysis, science and humor. Now in the top 3% on Kindle.