Letters: Helping the have-nots

Re “The battle of the coalitions,” Opinion, Nov. 13

Ronald Brownstein describes the sharp differences between the Democratic “Coalition of Transformation” and the Republican “Coalition of Restoration.” It seems to me this is a re-characterization of the age-old struggle between the haves and the have-nots: The haves want to keep what they have, and the have-nots want a more equitable sharing of wealth and income.

Economist Joseph Stiglitz, in his book “The Price of Inequality,” argues that growing inequality inhibits economic growth and blocks wealth and income mobility. So if the two coalitions got together to grow the economy by dismantling the structures that perpetuate inequality, we might be able to grow a bigger pie rather than fighting over the existing one.

Lee R. Petillon

Palos Verdes Estates

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