Gov. Chris Christie attacked the notion of income equality at the Economic Club of Chicago and berated those who would like to earn more.
February 13, 2014

Chris Christie spoke at the Economic Club of Chicago while potential governors fled from him and he discussed the income inequality gap that is so apparent in America.

However, his thoughts seem to be only meant to reach the 1%-ers of this country because not only doesn't he understand what we're talking about on the subject of income equality, but he's bashing those who are frustrated by our current economic state. And those frustrated people make up most of America.

Christie: I don't think the American people want income equality . What they want is income opportunity. If i say to someone, I can guarantee you x dollars a year for the rest of your life, there may be some in America who would accept that, but most people in America would say, how do I get a little more than that? That's the spirit of this country. How do I get a little more?

I think the problem we have is an opportunity gap, not an income equality gap.

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. First of all he never named a price on a guaranteed salary, so let's say it was $150,000 a year. Then I think about 250 million people would sign up for that immediately.

Christie: I think one of the big discussions and conversations the next two years in national politics is gonna be do you want mediocrity or greatness? You want income equality, that's mediocrity. Everybody can have an equal mediocre salary. That's what we can afford or do you want the opportunity for greatness.

Who is saying that we all want the same pay? The complaint is that the wealthy have been receiving almost all of the economic growth in America for a very long time now, leaving behind hundreds of millions of hard working Americans.

But the main message is a grim one. Most of the growth is going to an extraordinarily small share of the population: 95% of the gains from the recovery have gone to the richest 1% of people, whose share of overall income is once again close to its highest level in a century. The most unequal country in the rich world is thus becoming even more so. You do not have to be an egalitarian to worry about this trend.

Most Americans want to house, feed and cloth their families with something left over, period.yes, there are some who reach for the stars, but most Americans don't have that opportunity, the word Christie loves to throw around. The opportunity for them is not there.

Greatness is going to be based on your intellect, your hard work your creativity and government can play a roll in helping to create that opportunity, but not in being the perpetual referee of what sounds like a fight between my thirteen year old son and my ten year old daughter. You did this for him, that's not fair,. Well that's not fair I want this to be fair. I grew up in America that says life isn't fair, but opportunity is.

These are Christie's true beliefs on the subject: Stop whining, you stupid little freaking kids. You pathetic ingrates. You lazy moochers, etc...

How can life not be fair, but opportunity is? His Republican propaganda is patently untrue and damaging to the middle class of this country.

Michael Lind writes a great wonk piece on what progressives want as a response to Christie's fraudulent take on income inequality: Chris Christie’s inequality nonsense: Why he has no clue what really promotes excellence

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