RICH MAN, POOR MAN

The poor we have always with us but experts disagree about why and what to do about it--if there is anything to be done. The central lesson of this book is that the gap between rich and poor has not narrowed in the last twenty years, despite occasional reports to the contrary. All income levels have risen sharply in the U.S., but there are now more goods and services available to tantalize and make miserable--and exploit--the poor. Thus, poverty is a relative term. Mr. Miller documents just who of us are in which group, our characteristics, assets, liabilities, and probable expectations for the future. The prevalence of racial discrimination as an income determinant is once again emphasized, and there is a lengthy section on the importance of education. A lot of useful information has been packed into this small book, but while it is highly suitable for a student of economics, it is too dry, too succinct, and too unoriginal in concept and detail to be of great value to anyone else.