A focus on income inequality and the desire to equalize economic outcomes is an idea that has killed millions and kept millions more in poverty. Should the belief that ideas have consequences be doubted, one only needs to look at the differences this idea made in countries that were previously unified but were divided during the Cold War. The results between the populations who lived in East and West Germany or North and South Korea were, and in the case of Korea still are, significant. These were areas that had people who were similar in terms of race and culture. Further, their economic starting points were similar. And yet, the impact of one idea, the desire to equalize economic outcomes, crippled economies and ruined lives.
For statistics on the differences between East and West Germany as well as North and South Korea see The United States of Socialism by Dinesh D’Souza.
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