Introducing “The Fat-Cat Quotient.” How Many Poor Families Can Mitt Romney Afford On His 2011 Speaking Fee Income Alone?

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Mitt’s definitely winning the class war.  Based on the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) 2011 Poverty Guidelines, last year, for example, he could have financed as many as 34 families of eight with his 2011 speaking fees income alone.  These HHS poverty guidelines are used in variuous ways by the feds to determine eligibility for certain federal programs – important ones, like Head Start;  Migrant Health Services;  the National School Lunch Program;  and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).  Although many federal programs do not use the HHS poverty guidelines to establish eligibility – for example, TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families), and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) – the HHS poverty guidelines serve well as a standard of measurement of the national income inequality gap.  

And that’s what The Fat-Cat Quotient (FCQ) is all about!  It’s a new way to measure income inequality. The FCQ uses the official HHS poverty guidelines to visualize the income gap in our nation.  No econometrics needed;  the math is simple.  I hope the FCQ gets around.  It gives us yet  another answer to those who ask, “Why do you envious haters use the term ‘class warfare'”? . . . . . .

(For a larger version of the chart, go here and click on the image.)
I’ll be working more on the FCQ and in a day or two will publish a chart examining Newt Gingrich’s income and speaking fees. I’ll also estimate the virtual nation of families that his main benefactor Sheldon Adelson can afford to “own” on his income and net worth. Finally, I’ll be publishing an FCQ Calculator that you can play with for different individuals in the wealthy universe. The calculator will have some fun features. For instance, it’ll let you find out how many of you or your family that Mitt Romney, or Gingo, or Donald Trump can afford to sustain at your personal income level(s). . .

So now, if someone challenges you on the “class warfare” front, you can say, with all sincerity and not a bit of belligerence, “FCQ you!!”

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Michael Matheron

From Presidents Ronald Reagan through George W. Bush, I was a senior legislative research and policy staff of the nonpartisan Library of Congress Congressional Research Service (CRS). I'm partisan here, an "aggressive progressive." I'm a contributor to The Fold and Nation of Change. Welcome to They Will Say ANYTHING! Come back often! . . . . . Michael Matheron, contact me at mjmmoose@gmail.com

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1 Response

  1. Booktender says:

    Can't wait to see the FCQ calculator in action. I think this will be a great eye-opener for many people

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