Income equality has jack-all to do with absolute income levels. The richest getting richer at a pace greater than others doesn&#x27;t mean that others aren&#x27;t making money. Real income is up for all quintiles since the 1970s, as are consumption expenditures. Real income is up quite a lot <i>more</i> for the upper quintiles, but since we don&#x27;t operate in a zero-sum economy, that doesn&#x27;t require that it be <i>down</i> for other people.