Megan McArdle, Columnist

Piketty's Tax Hikes Won't Help the Middle Class

Writing checks to the bottom 70 percent won't end social breakdowns, stop factories from moving to China, or end the psychological pain of being out of work.
The days of the 40-hour workweek in retail are fast slipping away. Photographer: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
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I apologize in advance, because I am going to talk about a book that I have not yet read. To be clear, I intend to read Thomas Piketty's "Capital in the Twenty-First Century." It is sitting on my (virtual) bedside with a big stack of other (digital) books that I intend to read. But it's far down in the queue, and I'm afraid that I can't wait to weigh in -- not on the book itself, but on its topic. How much does inequality actually matter?

QuickTake Income Inequality