Letter to NY Times Editor: 9/14/2010

Re: "A Recovery's Long Odds" by Bob Herbert

Mr Herbert refers to concentration of American income - 23% of income to 1% of the population, 11% of income to 0.1% of population - but does not mention concentration of wealth, surely much higher numbers. Wealth has a natural tendency to accumulate - the poor can't save; the rich can and do. The resulting concentration, unrestrained, leads to explosions - eg the French revolution.

A most important function of government is to promote stability. I believe that restraining concentration of a society's income and wealth is a necessary component of that function.