rich. let's say we become french and tax the rich at 75%. don't we still have a problem with the i.t. revolution, that just basically has got this economy to a point where machines are making machines? you know, the average wage of male income earners has been on the decline since 1973. how do we reverse that? >> well, you know, inequality is a global issue. in my book, what i try to do is look at the question of why is it so much worse in the united states than it is everywhere else. >> is it worse in the united states? >> it's at a higher level, it's accelerating faster. yes. income inequality is growing faster in the united states, and is at a much higher level than anywhere else. >> than western europe? >> countries around the world have dealt with globalization. we have dealt with a lot worse. in terms of tax policy, we might be like france, but also like the united states before ronald reagan was elected president. chris will remember when he was working in the white house, the top marginal rate was 70%. a few years before that, the top