The problem is that consumption inequality is not nearly as large as income inequality. If your desire is to soak the rich, you pick the statistic which gives you the broadest base for doing so - consumption is simply not that statistic. In the US, the rich have iPhones while the poor are stuck with iClones [1].
As for why we want to soak the rich, it's clearly not (a) - most poor people work very little (by choice).
[1] Note: this is not my opinion on Android (I hate Steve Job's walled garden, and am very happy with my N1), but it is the opinion of several lower class people I know.
As for why we want to soak the rich, it's clearly not (a) - most poor people work very little (by choice).
[1] Note: this is not my opinion on Android (I hate Steve Job's walled garden, and am very happy with my N1), but it is the opinion of several lower class people I know.