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0. INTRODUCTION The twin themes of inequality and economic justice continually arise in political arenas and public forums. Consider the body of legislation having a most visible impact on US citizens, the laws pertaining to the personal income tax. In 1912 the Democratic party sought to replace the regressive system of tariffs on sugar and other necessities with a flat 1 percent tax on income above $5000. The bill eventually passed through the House of Representatives by an 8 to 1 margin, amidst speeches that drew stark contrasts in the positions of rich and poor (Rockefeller was mentioned some 30 times) and warned ominously of social unrest. A final speaker on behalf of the bill cited the 1890 distributions of wealth and income as evidence:

... seven-eighths of the families held but one-eighth of the national wealth, while one-eighth of the families held the remaining seven-eighths... one-eighth of the families in America receive more than half of the aggregate income and the richest 1 per cent receives a larger income than the poorest 50 per cent...