due to a society including the rich people can id reduce inequality. how do you pinpoint it will be picked up the most points me to mac to take a quick break stay with us to watch in the halls and cats. because i knew i should just treat it was an everyday. because breaking new skull plates. so much. in all situations. so too. just that. use the schools. close the gap keeps you up to date with all the latest from the world of sport. all the action. all the results of all the emotion chilling done anything for his all round muslims like and don't know the business into view. one on one discussions with the people of less about the issue is that much. this week chief executive denise and talks to false the business entity it all falls like that. that outcome do you want from me when he swims. don't tell. you can use to access to information asked for unique experience capital call the international news web sites. the our eye. welcome back welcome if you just joining us for this and the false been shipped today so will the stories we're following for you

which is time inequality. a lot of choices. skills and things that we forego in order to have more wealth and to work more. my husband and i are both workaholics, sometimes up to 7 days a week, but we've cho shen to do that together and we have a great partnership. and i think that that's what works. both partners being on the same page. but we've made that choice. you can make the choice or you don't have, to but it's not just about money. it's also about making the right choices that work for you. >> i know you've written a lot about morals and culture. how do you get the lower 20%, let's start there, how do you get them to stay married? >> it's very hard. it has to be getting married before having kids. and that's what leads to the economic stability. one of the things is that our view of marriage has changed so that marriage is now considered like a prize, that you get at the end of once you've gotten your whole life together, once you have your education, your down payment on a house, oh, then we can have

her nobody unless the inequality came about through something like that.n: is a nominal gross that some people have so much more? and every year, over and over again. and so you get people out there that just set things right and manage everything. it is what we called the fatal conceit. and it is fatal and they talk a good game. but they do not deliver anything nearly as good as they sound. john: you cite an example in england. there is a guy that is going to stop the rich from enjoying their privilege. >> i jumped in the water when this was going on. he thought there was an elitist contest. >> the poor are now poorer. >> the smell that? >> fresh-baked pie from the oven. you like it? john: in a zero-sum game, the rest of us have less. >> it is not a zero-sum game. they get rich. >> i don't think a lot of people understand that. >> they don't get it. adam smith made himself famous by showing that the economy is not a zero-sum game. but that both sides believe they gayness or exchange. >> these people tend to think that they know better. >> tnk you. if you'

economic inequality.nd the international monetary fund came out with a study last year, indicating that high levels of economic inequality can stunt long-term growth, and we should care about it from an economic perspective but also from a societal perspective as ox-fam knows from its years working in developing countries, we mow that high levels of economic inequality can stunt the rate of poverty reduction -- >> is the principal that the wealthy -- there are so many goods and services that wealthy individuals can purchase whereas if you spread it out that stimulates economic growth? >> that's part of it, right? we want to ensure that working class people can contribute to grodenning the economy and be full participants in terms of economic growth. >> what are some of the making? >> well, first off this is not just an economic issue but a political issue. we targeted the participants because these are the real movers and shakers of the global economy that can really push change forward, so some of the th

inequality. look at this video on fire on the internet viewed 13 million times. >> here's the actual distribution of wealth in america. the poorest americans don't even register. they are down to pocket change. the top 2-5 percent are actually off the chart at this scale. and the top 1 hers this guy, well his stack of money stretches 10 times higher than we can show. the average worker needs to work more than a month to earn what the ceo makes in one hour. >> that level of inequality is wrong say many people especially people on the left like bob beckel. >> you said the free market handles it all. the free market has been in place and equality has gotten worse and worse. you thie ceo makes 400 times wht the average worker at the plant makes. if he wasn't making 400 times that would be more money to distribute in wages. >> maybe the workers wouldn't have a job if the ceo wasn't -- >> the ceo is worth 400 times more than the guy on the line. >> that's what the market says. >> that's a problem with

her nobody unless the inequality came about through fraud or something like that.n: is a nominal gross that some people have so much more? and every year, over and over again. and so you get people out there that just set things right and manage everything. it is what we called the fatal conceit. and it is fatal and they talk a good game. but they do not deliver anything nearly as good as they sound. john: you cit an example in england. ere is a guy thatis going to stop the rich from enjoying their privilege. >> i jumped in the water when this was going on. he thought there was an elitist contest. >> the poor are now poorer. >> the smell that? >> fresh-baked pie from the oven. you like it? john: in a zero-sum game, the rest of us have less. >> it is not a zero-sum game. they get rich. i don't think a lot of people understand that. >> they don't get it. adam smith made himself famous by showing that the economy is not a zero-sum game. but that both sides believe they gayness or exchange. >> these people tend to think that they know better. >> thank you. if you'd lik

the central theme in all of this is income inequality. the issues of income inequality are going to be the central theme moving forward in the 2014 midterm elections. you can't get away from it. nothing has changed and the focus, i believe, is only going to intensify. since the early 1980s, the income of the top 1% has gone through the roof. this is our favorite chart, we're going to update it soon to bring you the latest since the great recession. and, of course, workers' wages have flatlined. how can it not be an issue? well, here's the twist, the leader of the catholic church is now a central figure in the fight against income inequality and the fight for fairness globally. it is pope francis. he has had no problem calling out the wealthiest citizens of the world. the pope has denounced trickle down economics and warned of a new tyranny caused by the idolatry of money. some wealthy people, well, they're not too happy with the pope's comments. and they are on the attack. on monday, home depot founder and devout catholic ken langone told

tax inequality? we have intriguing information tonight. >> this increasing inequality and rising inequality when there's greater inequality. >> 26 times in a recent speech, president obama complained about a growing inequality in america. the question is, how much will he do about it? >> we have a tax system that could be more fair to the middle class. >> but does a close look at the tax code suggest it's unfair? the top 50%, those with incomes over $35,000, pay 97% of all federal income taxes. the top 10%, earning over $120,000, 68%. while the top 1%, those earning over $388,000, pay 35% of all federal income taxes. >> the more that politicians push to take from the top and give to the bottom, the slower our economic growth is. >> so say some critics, which is one reason why the president may focus more on equal opportunity than income. stressing universal preschool, job training, and as we saw this morning, a higher minimum wage. >> it's very popular to say to the people, i'm going to give you all

a central theme on this show is income inequality. we were talking about it before anybody else because i think the depression of wages in america and the development of the income gap, which has happened, can only be fixed if this country moves forward on several key fronts. since ronald reagan's tax breaks trickled down, income for the top 1 pefrs has gone through the roof, skyrocketed. middle class wages have flat lined and depressed. depressed wages is a key issue here. finally after years of being ignored the growing income gap is finally getting the attention it deserves. tonight the state of the union address will focus on what? income ine equality. congratulations, mr. president and your staff. it's about time. the president will touch on key issues like raising the minimum wage, should be an easy lift, but you've got republicans in mix. who knows. extending unemployment benefits. and college affordability. he'll also talk about move things through congress using executive orders. the fist in the step of addressing income ineq

of course inequality has worsened under his watch. but i don't care about inequality.t i care about is growth. i want a rising tide to lift all boats. i mean this. bill gates, okay, bill gates, steve jobs, zuckerberg, mark zuckerberg, great entrepreneurs, they created thousands and thousands of new millionaires, and those new millionaires in turn reinvested that money to create bases and get middle class jobs going. why do i care about inequality? i want to create as much wealth in this country as possible. i think the president is barking up the wrong tree. >> as a chief executive, which i was governor of the state of west virginia, when i first got elected, larry, they said you have to raise taxes, we need revenue. i said why don't you let me run this place for a year and see if i can do any better. not only did we not raise taxes, we lowered taxes, we had to fix broken worker's comp, insurance reform. once we took off, we never looked back. we had reserve, we had surpluses, we built a rainy day account. when of everything was falling off, we were still here. i know

income inequality. but i wanted to rise as i understand the farm bill is now prepared to go to the rules committee and now will be on the floor of the house this week. an associated press article of the new age or the new face of food stamps, working-age americans. now in 2013-2014, 50% of those receiving food stamps are working americans. such as the young lady pictured here, 25 years old, with a 3-year-old son who, yes, was in the united states army. when are we going to realize that even though the economy is churning, the jobs being created are low-wage jobs, the working and middle class need our help, it's not a handout, it is not a way to be able to close the deficit and the debt, which is closing, but breaking the backs of hardworking americans. what a shame that a farm bill would come forward as it has never come forward before and it takes away a lifeline for hardworking americans. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from

very few of them. >> i don't pay taxes willingly. >> income inequality hurt nobody unless the inequalitye about through theft or through fraud or something like that. >> is it not at all gross that some people have so much more than others. >> it's not any more gross than the fact that kobe bryant throws basketballs much better than some of the people down on the street. it's no worse than the fact that the kenyan marathon runners win every year over and over and over again. this is the way the world goes. and any time when you try to upset it with human meddling, you encounter what economists call the public choice problem, namely, you put the matter in the hands of people who are just as imer pect, just as venal as anybody else. this whole idea that you can just sort of get some people up there who set things right, manage everything, it's what haya called the fatal con seat and it is fatal. >> if the central planners can bring us all together, lift all the boats -- >> they talk a good game but do not deliver anything nearly as good as they sound. >> part of the talk is this moral outr

one of the major topics he'll be addressing, income inequality. we take a look the a the great divide betweens have and have-nots. >> when it comes to inequality, the numbers are stark. incomes from most everyone else barely budged between 1979 and 2010. but income from the top 1% surged by 201%, according to the congressional budget office. numbers that have economist, politicians, and average americans searching for causes and solutions. some researchers contend the multimillion dollar salaries of top ceos come at the expense of the poor and middle class. add on top of that the idea that in the new globalized economy if you have a good idea you profit globally. but if you're low skilled your wages compete globally as well. the right wants lower taxes and less income redistribution and less government. the left argues for a higher minimum wage, more unionization and higher taxes. but there are also key areas of agreement between the two sides. like expanding the earned income tax credit which provide a credit to the working poor. >> we're taking

of course it's going to be inequality. have a degree in rocket science and think you're going to have the same equality level as a guy who has nev gone to school. >> that's not what he's asking for. the difference between the person who works on the factory floor a and the ceos used to be about 60-1 now it's about 801. most of the money goes the haves of this country. i know you can't help yourself, i know you have a problem about being silent but give me one second and i'llhut up. the fact of the matter all this wealth is being concentrated in the hands of very wealthy people. it's not circulating in the economy. it's in bonds and stocks. >> it's not inequality. >> let me respond. bonds and stocks for one thing are part of economy. when the rich earn money they invest in the economy to create jobs. >> where? >> if the ceo is making $700 million someone is paying their salary and in a free economy shareholders, someone is actually paying that salary. if the government is not paying it, it's being earned in a fee market and

and income inequality is an issue and that's something that we will need to contribute to having said that if we push it too far and remove the incentive to work remove the incentive for entrepreneurship been going to hit in the you know in the. opposite direction so like everything in life there's a balance lost you you quite very good about tax evasion he said that the rules want to fit for purpose the has been some progress in the last year they still are not quite up to scratch but the difference between progress and i think many countries are focused on this and the important thing is countries are working together which i think is very very healthy but what we do continue to see is that countries compete to around turks. something i've heard many times over the last few days here at davos is come to our country interest in our country because the tax rates are lower and as long as that continues we will see companies organizing their affairs in a way that allows them to pay less in terms of where they set up their operations so supposing any else it is that is every single count

we're not dealing with income inequality. income inequality in terms of poverty, but it is a war on poor. they don't have a sense of those issues that are serious for america, like extending benefits for the unemployed, 1.3 million people who don't have benefits, if we have spending cuts on one side, we can restore some of those benefits. if you stimulate the economy by getting a higher minimum wage, that would help people. they want to keep on the negative ledger, so to speak. they want to sink the american economy and hurt the american people at the same time. >> what do you look to get anything done in this legislative session? >> not much. immigration is at a standstill there. they may do something on these 1.3 million people that are uninsured. they're trying to balance it out with the spending cuts. i don't have much faith in this congress. they'll continue to do what they've already done, which is nothing. >> nina, who is leading the republican party in ohio? i keep focusing on ohio because you can't win the white hous

and it's-- judy, the ret that he talked about, the income inequality, the economic inequality of thery in little over a generation we've gone from the top 1%-- 1% having 11% of the national income to 25%. and the bottom 90% nash, is 90% of the people instead of sharing 67%, down to less than 50. so that widening income in economic inequality is real. and it has consequences that are social that are political. and that are generational. and i was just blown away by the interview with jeff, i mean, it was to me, it was so riveting what he says and how he says it. >> david, what effect does this have? or should have it on our public debate? >> well, i'm frankly a little concerned about the way it is going to effect our public debate. inequality is certainly widening, mobility is what we have toy about as americans it is the person dream. but as a frame it is a very broad frame. what mark talked about, the concentration of welfare at the top. -- -- what is happening in the lower 20 to or 40% caused by a different set of problems so we have a whole bunch of problems all intermingled and m

and if we are free, there will be inequality. and the important thing is the quality.ple born poor don't necessarily stay poor. most gradually move up and here is part of a video made by the institute for humane studies. >> when you look at households in the bottom quintile, we see about 45% of them have moved up to higher quintile. about 42% in 1987 had fallen to a lower quintile by 1993. >> there's a lot of truth to that in a good economy if you look at the most robust economic history and if you look worldwide, a lot of countries rose out of poverty. and we are talking about gross inequality between those at the top who have rigged the system to make more money than those that work for them and that is the problem. that is not free-market capitalism. that is cronyism at its worst. john: crony capitalism is wrong and we agree on that. >>. we agree on that. >> we're surging to an even greater ip equality. >> he became u.s. skret of labor and made this movie. >> i had protect people from the people who would beat them up economically. i turn to libertarian teebor mccan

bizarre that's incredible now i want to ask you on the subject of income inequality do you think that we're going to see any measurable amount of change come out a vision. economic world summit or that it's more just chatter what do you say that but the thing devil's gets a lot of chris is criticism for the fact that it is a lot of chatter a bit of champagne a bit of kind of hail to they say that they set the agenda but we know that we've devils no policies. and really. is that everything happens behind closed doors once david cameron is up on those skis chatting with the likes of jamie diamond that's when all the really interesting stuff comes so i would actually say no however i want to mention the fact that we had quite a breakthrough this wait because has son rouhani the leader of iran he made an appearance the most anticipated appearance of the wait that's a big deal considering it's the first time in ten years that an iranian leader has come here why did he come well he wanted money he. drumming up investment we know the six month interim deal that was cracked out last year it's

not in my lifetime now as well as income inequality gender inequality was one of the themes a shia was just sixteen percent of the patisserie buttons being women and so i caught up with the vice president of manpower mara swan and i asked her why so few women part of it is the structure because what you the level the people the need to turn so intent until businesses improve the number of people in the c. suite it's very difficult for davos so they're actually just representing what's happening in the c. suite today so that's part of the problem and you know you know we can we can change that so we see business changes now one woman that helped make up this sixteen percent was the finance minister of nigeria and one thing that comes up year after year is the breaks and the question of whether or not they still have the dynamism that they want happen they were put together so i questioned her whether the mint countries which is mexico in tunisia nigeria and turkey all of those countries are ready to take over from the brakes i absolutely hate to describe it as the new bric but it's its

second is inequality. third is quality of our public school systems. fourth is social and civic engagement. and fifth is family structure. and for decades, low-income workers have seen their wages frozen while the profits of the nation's wealthiest americans have continued to explode. now i have nothing against successful people. people who go out and put their ingenuity to work and entrepreneurship to work and become successful. but i also believe that it's important for this congress to also focus on the needs of those who are part of the middle class d those who have fallen into poverty who want to be part of that middle class. it is time that congress acted to address the minimum wage crisis in our country. $7.25, which is the federal minimum wage, is not a living wage in today's america. and we need to recognize that. we need to recognize that the fair minimum wage act of 2013, the bill that's been introduced by the house democratic colleagues, representative george miller of california and in the senate by senator tom harkin of iowa, is the type

and that's, in my view, is what the inequality.hink the solution is less interference, lower taxes, let the rit to do what the rich do, which is get richer but along the way they bring everybody else with them, when the system is working. are a multimillionaire. >> i am not a billionaire. >> i said multimillionaire. >> i have created billionaires but i am not one. >> you have owned fancy yachts, cars, and underwater submersibles. >> underwater airplane. >> it is an airplane that flies underwater. do you worry that you are divorced from reality? are you divorced from reality? >> i don't know if anybody can answer that. i don't think so. i given have given and will give millions of dollars to a long list of charities. sharesin mind some more - to give. i want to leave my children something they can have, even though the government will take about 45% upon my death. so i think i'm connected to reality. i have a lot of friends that are and this whole web- based, twitter-based world. i know what they are talking about. >> what about sil

inequality, charles, are we a nation that embraces inequality, which is what those gentlemen want usience to say we are a rotten system and they are going to fix it. >> no, in fact, i think among the western nations, the prosperous nations, developed nations, we are the least interested in inequality, because that implies that in addition to empowering the poor, your objective is to impoverish the rich. americans, generally speaking, don't envy the rich, they want to be rich. they do believe we have an obligation to help the poor, to help those who are trying to get up the social ladder, and that's where the emphasis wants to be. but this class resentment abo n inequality implies this is a war of the rich on the poor. that just isn't true. >> in new york city now, the minorities are the most populated groups. they have passed whites. i think there are 3 million -- i want to get the stat right. 38 fortunate of new york city residents are foreign-born. this city doesn't really reflect the rest of the country democrat graphically. however deblasio won by class resentment. here is a ques

inequality. the president is going to complain and whine and moan with inequality.further punish achievement, to stigmatize it, to stigmatize the rich. >> the president isn't trying to stigmatize the rich. he's trying to make this country more fair. that's why tomorrow night income inequality will be a major focus of the state of the union. he is re-igniting a conversation that this country needs to have, whether or not the right wants to have it. joining me now are mark hannah and krystal ball. thank you both for coming on the show tonight. >> thanks for having us, rev. >> thanks, rev. >> krystal, since when did a focus on income inequality become akin to nazi germany? >> it's absolutely insane. this guy is way out there in terms of what he is saying, and he has gotten a lot of criticism from across the board. but the mentality that they are being persecuted, that it's the rich who are being treated unfairly and getting the short end of the stick is quite pervasive, and it's absolutely insane. the people who are doing the best in this economy far and away are the r

inequities we see in our society. say little more about your personal story, how long were you on government assistance in the various forms? >> three years. >> in that time, that helped you go from where you were to where you are now yucca >> there is no way i could've survived during that time had it not been for that. it was a really hard time. often times, looking for someplace to live. fortunately, i had a great family who helped me out with my kids. i ended up going back to college. that is what i wanted to do. go to school. not necessarily run for public office, but so i could take care of my two little boys. i had been through traumas and difficult days. i do not know what would've happened to me had i not been able to go to the welfare office and say, i need help to get through this. the american people were there for me. >> what made you think you would go there? or was it a person that influence you? was, how i get to the next day and try to do research to figure out how to survive during that time. i wante

interesting discussion points on inequality.lan murray of you research talking the one percent as fiction. much more like seven percent. how do you respond as an academic when we go simplistic for one percent in 99%? what i think is it is not wrong for anybody to say what we ultimately need to do is grow, what is the secret or what are the secrets to getting the growth rate higher in the country? i guess i disagree with the espouses, i dohe not think there is a revolutionary vanguard of the few people that if you make sure they get tons of money to cut taxes as much as they have ever been cut, that that leads to growth. >> well said. this is the heart of the matter. this goes to argentina. beliefief is, there is that tech crew have their own playbook. do the elite's of technology feel they are separate and apart from other capitalist creating jobs? .> perhaps they do i would say the one percent represents a successful people and a large group of people failed trying to be the one percent. so we cannot look backwards to say we wa

when you think about the trends of inequality. the policies of inequality. the things happening to push us toward this very unequal economy you have. do you think it's hard to be able to go and tell voters we're going to change things when the distance between what you want and what ends up in their paycheck is so far? >> yeah, i mean, so much of what the president's tried to do has been blocked just almost doesn't matter what it is. as you point out. appointments, minimum wage, extending unemployment benefits. immigration. all the things that will help this economy grow, we haven't been able to do infrastructure. the kind of -- we haven't invested this little in years in our country. it's time we do. >> senator sherrod brown of ohio. always a pleasure. thank you, sir. >> thank you. >> all right. >>> joining me now, congresswoman barbara lee, democrat from california. co-chair of the out of poverty congress. there was a long time in the 1990s and early 2000s, a vigorous debate inside the democratic party about economic populism, what kind of economic message

i think when you talk about the income inequality, that's a broad subject. so you have to chop it up into discrete initiatives. the first thing obviously since those extended benefits have run out is getting those renewed from the president's point of view, and i think he'll push on that. and he has already been talking about the minimum wage, which has lagged behind for years and years now. and i think there is a desperate need to increase that. and so you kind of have to pick these things off virtually one by one. there is not going to be some sort of big omnibus piece of legislation to deal with all the issues of income inequality. you've got to start hammering at this one and then the next one and then the next one. >> howard, allow me to be a bit of a cynic on this. to those that are employed and those that do not require unemployment benefits are making in excess of the minimum wage, is this at the top of their priority list as well? how does this play in terms of a turnout measure for 2014 i guess with is what i'm asking? >> well, i think you're on to

it's not about inequality.hat need the help. >> carol, thank you for joining us. people who are voting for the top 25, can meanwhile share their thoughts on her piece on cnbc.com. send ugh your tweets at cn twe. [ male announcer ] once it's earned, usaa auto insurance is often handed down from generation to generation. because it offers a superior level of protection. and because usaa's commitment to serve current and former military members and their families is without equal. begin your legacy. get an auto insurance quote. usaa. we know what it means to serve. cozy or cool? "meow" or "woof"? everything the way you want it ... until boom, it's bedtime! and your mattress a battleground of thwarted desire. enter the sleep number bed. designed to let couples sleep together in individualized comfort. he's a softy. his sleep number setting is 35. you're the rock, at 60. and as your needs change over time you can adjust your bed to sleep better together. 48-month financing available through february 2 only at your l

the other is the inequality.he venn diagram between these two issues seems to have quite significant overlap. when you look at how policy is going to evolve and you look at the inequality issue, how much crossover is there in your mind? >> it is a big issue. is part of thert normalization process. we can't keep on putting money in. you have to go back to a state ofre the end of the 30 years interest rates -- we are in a transition there. the other side of it is the globalization story. whole issue that obama is talking about and the theme distribution, it is result of the fact that the americans and europeans have not adjusted properly to globalization. globalization is bringing chinese cheap labor into the world labor market. those who are less fortunate in our societies with less education have been squeezed out. politicalcoming a issue. in america you have the tea party. in europe, you have other people who are becoming more nationalist and last -- >> is that the case? then what you should do is take the focus

inequality is not the problem as long as everybody is moving up. who cares that north has a billion dollars and you and i may not. >> you go too far pat. >> don't understate the man's wealth. >> inequality is not the issue. jobs are the issue, and education is the issue. those are the kinds of issues we have to deal with. >> the fact that jobs and income are not working the way they're supposed to. we've created this huge gap and we're now looking like a banana republic which is not what this country is about. the president is n that new yorker article, meeting with academics and asking how can i talk about this growing inequality without everybody screaming class warfare. i think now republicans agree it's a problem too. now the debate is about what do you do about it. and democrats, you have progressives who want to raise taxes on people who make over $500,000. i think it's a great idea but that's not enough, and you've got the old hillary clinton bill clinton, you know, sen tryst who feel it's all about job growth. this president has put these j

two, exactly as you said, income inequality. three, i think this is the year we could see meaningful progress on climate change. four, this is a year where we could see meaningful gains following on the heels of last year's other forms of inequality issues, like issues of civil rights, or example. -- for example. on income inequality, i think that the broader context here is really clear. there are too many americans really struggling to make ends meet, while a very small number of people are doing more than fine. a statistic i like to pull out that is one of many that i think is -- illustrates the problem, the average ceo in this country now makes something like 340 times what the average employee makes. not the janitor, but the average employee. it is the symptom of a broader problem where people are working hard. many people are working two or three jobs just to make ends meet and pay down their student loans, putting food on the table for their family, yet they still cannot make ends meet. something is wrong and something is

. >> schieffer: president is talking about income inequality. we get word from hawaii that's what he's coming back to washington to talk about. what does that mean to you, peggy? >> what it means to me that he does not want to talk about obamacare. it is widely assumed that in 2014 the december locations, the lost coverage, the price hikes, the premium hikes, et cetera. that all of this will continue. it's not the website. the website is the old story. it is the program. it will unvail over the next two years and it's going to be problematic, the president does thought want to talk about it. the democrats do not want to talk about it. there for income equality, minimum wage, et cetera. then you need to change the -- >> schieffer: how did this go so wrong? when you stop and think about it, the fact that people ought to have health insurance, if poor people can't afford it they ought to be able to get some relief on that. that would she'll to be a universal truth. >> corporate america was -- >> schieffer: most tangled up. i've never seen anything

massive inequality, inequality, inequality, inequality. >> two years later during his 2013 state of the union president obama advanced the narrative when he added another word to clarify the consequences of inequality. >> poverty. >> poverty. poverty. poverty. >> president obama kept the issue of poverty squarely in the center of his agenda when he made this while addressing the issue in one of washington d.c.'s poorest neighborhoods. >> it's been the driving force between everything we've done these past five years and over the course of the next year and for the rest of my presidency that's where you should expect my administration to focus all our efforts. >> now the president may have the most visible platform for the push on inequality, but he isn't the only one staking a claim on the message because while our political parties can't come to a consensus on much, they do agree on this. according to a recent poll on "usa today" and pew research center, 61% of republicans, 68% of democrats and 67% of independence say inbe equality has been growing. the simmering palpable discontent of

>> we just talked about inequality.equality that has occurred has been caused by the fed over the last four years. the fat cats, record stock prices are enjoying the benefits of that. the rest of americans have record low interest rates and, therefore, do not have income coming as a result of fed policy. so i think it's increased income inequality by a significant amount. it hasn't helped the economy, in fact, i think it's been detrimental to the economy. i think he did a great job in 2008 getting the markets back and from then he's try todman up late the markets. it hasn't worked and it's been a negative for the economy and for income inequality. >> this is dick parsons. >> hi, dick. >> question. you said if we had the right agenda, if we were doing the right things policy wise, we'd be back on the growth curve. >> right. >> what is that agenda? what do you think we should be doing? >> there are some big picture things, dick, that have always worked. that is lower regulation, lower taxes. and lowering the cost of doing

we're seeing a strong pivot back to fairness and inequality in the country. >> this issue of inequalitytheir message. both parties look at the polls and the country and they see the defining issue is the median household income that goes from 2000 until today. the middle part of america is not improving and has not seen improvement for a decade. it's what everybody wants to address. obama feels that on the issues and on the politics, he will win this argument. it's what helped him win in 2012. as he pivoted to a more embat e embattled year, i expect it to be more combative speech to take this issue up a notch. he raised a lot of these points last year about issues of not getting fair pay for fair work and things like that. he did it in the context of now let's work together. this will be we're charging ahead. the american people should come with me. >> we're seeing a white house that is going to take no prisoners on the issue of income inequality. if you look at the polling, democrats 90%. 69% independent. republicans are at 45%. this is a winning political strategy. i want to ask you a

that's not inequality but life and opportunity. most people don't care if donald trump is rich as long as they're doing well. you have more trumps, you have more opportunities for people who aren't trumps. at the top of the ladder, trump is still building more ladders. sadly, we have a white house that mistakes dependence for help and class warfare as leadership. they suffer from outcome inequality, meaning everything they do fails. but until you figure out how to create more of the rich who then hire the young, you're just a demagogue tethering hopeless citizens to buckets of envy. now there's real inequality. obama cannot build weth, but if resentment were gold, he would be ft. nox. >> i want to go to this from rosa deloro. old friend of yours, bob. she likens income inequality to slavery in world war ii. >> whether it's an economic panic, great depression, slavery, jim crowe, severcivil cold war, there are times when our country is confronted with a crisis that poses an existential threat to our nation and our way of life, and c