http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/10/opinion/campaign-stops/the-great-american-stagnation.html 2016-10-11 15:45:53 The Great American Stagnation I think that the stagnation is the central political issue of our times. === This article is part of the Opinion Today newsletter. You can You’ve probably heard the notion that Americans are no longer confident their children will enjoy better living standards than they themselves do. It’s a favorite line among politicians. And it seems to be true. A How, then, are we supposed to make sense of this complicated picture — especially when we’re living through a presidential campaign that’s highlighted the country’s many problems? The answer lies in inequality, I think. For a large segment of the country — not just the infamous 1 percent — life has become substantially better over the last few decades. Education isn’t a perfect dividing line, but it’s a meaningful one: People with a four-year college degree have generally enjoyed rising living standards. They make more money and have a larger net worth on average than their parents. They live longer. They get divorced less often. They enjoy access to information, culture and entertainment that would have been unthinkable not so long ago. Unless they are a straight white Protestant man, they suffer less discrimination. Some of this same progress applies to less educated, lower-income families. But much of it does not. They are poorer than they were a few decades ago. They are less likely to be part of a family with two parents under one roof. They are far more likely to face criminal charges at some point. Several health problems, including drug use and obesity complications, have become more common. My first regular