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I think one needs to resist crude attacks that say that anything that makes someone wealthy is problematic.
On the other hand the degree of inequality of opportunity
that we're starting to see in the United states really troubles me.
For two hundred years a story of America was a story of more equality of
opportunity
But the data are telling us now that we are a country with more inequality than most others.
Inequality has risen very sharply.
In some ways that's because we are fortunate to have remarkable creators
here. If America had fifty more versions of Steve Jobs
it would be a place with more inequality but at least to my eyes, it would be a better place.
A richer place; a more interesting place as well.
I think we
can accept; I think we should accept
inequality of results
recognizing that those who
earn more are in a position to contribute more to support the society.
But if you look at the last generation
The gap in the life prospects of the child of a rich father and the child
of a poor father has widened.
These questions of equality of opportunity
are very fundamental for us over the next generation.
Now, our economy is doing better.
The general trend of the numbers is up but we're still well short of normal
levels of employment
and we need more demand for them to put people back to work
so we need more spending on infrastructure. We are shortchanging both
the present and the future by starving state and local governments to the point
where schools in some places only open four days a week
we've got investments that going unmade.
this is gonna be a century of biology like the twentieth century was a century of
physics and we're not even keeping the NIH budget where the number of grants
to young scientists can remain constant let alone increase
what I worry about is this could be too long a slog, but in Washington the
transition from inconceivable to inevitable
can on occasion be rapid.
I think what we get past this election
you're gonna see a recognition that on the part of people in Washington that there's
no election soon to posture for
That everybody's going to be fed up with everybody in Washington and nothing happens.
I think there's a good chance you're gonna see
more cooperation
both on the crucial issue of getting the economy going
and all the longer term issue of deficit-reduction. I obviously have a preference as
to who wins the uh...
election but actually I think whoever wins
you're likely see considerable pressure to bring people together.