2014 in two stunning charts

In my most recent column, I took the opportunity of the new year to talk about two broad and seemingly contradictory trends in this country.

You don’t need to read all that though, here’s the basic premise summed up in two charts:

(via Freedom to Marry)

What you might call “social inequality” has decreased recently, a trend seen most clearly in the advances in legal same-sex marriage over the last year (and, much more slowly and fractiously, in other areas as well). More than 60% of Americans now live in states where these unions are legal.

(via The Economist)

(via The Economist)

At the same time, economic disparity is rapidly increasing. The wealthiest top 0.1% now own as much wealth as the bottom 90%, circumstances not seen since the 1930s.

Mike Tipping

About Mike Tipping

Mike is Maine's longest-writing political blogger and explores state politics and policy with a focus on analysis and explanation. He works at the Maine People's Alliance and Maine People's Resource Center.