Equality of opportunity means that we are not a caste society. Who we
will become is not fixed by the circumstances of our births. Some
children will do better than others, but this should result from a fair
competition. Nearly every American politician espouses a commitment to
equality of opportunity. For example, Majority Leader Eric Cantor wrote yesterday that
But we don’t appreciate how deep inequality runs. The graph below is from a presentation by Angus Deaton which (I believe) reported data from the National Health Interview Survey. The horizontal axis is the logarithm of family income in 1982 dollars, running from about $3600 to over $80,000. The vertical axis is self-reported ill-health (higher numbers reflect worse health). The parallel lines represent different age groups of respondents.
http://theincidentaleconomist.com/wordpress/inequality-of-opportunity-begins-at-birth/
We must continue to fight for equal opportunity to a quality education for all children.I wouldn’t be surprised if many American politicians said the same thing yesterday.
But we don’t appreciate how deep inequality runs. The graph below is from a presentation by Angus Deaton which (I believe) reported data from the National Health Interview Survey. The horizontal axis is the logarithm of family income in 1982 dollars, running from about $3600 to over $80,000. The vertical axis is self-reported ill-health (higher numbers reflect worse health). The parallel lines represent different age groups of respondents.
http://theincidentaleconomist.com/wordpress/inequality-of-opportunity-begins-at-birth/
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