The Christian Science Monitor reports that some federal government officials are increasingly worried about the gap between the rich and poor that’s been expanding and getting worse in the past several years. As the article notes, we would expect this kind of concern from liberals but the most prominent voice recently is that of Alan Greenspan, Chairman of the Federal Reserve Board:

America’s powerful central banker hasn’t suddenly lurched to the left of Democratic National Committee chief Howard Dean. His solution is better education today to create a flexible workforce for tomorrow - not confiscation of plutocrats’ yachts.

But the fact that Mr. Greenspan speaks about this topic at all may show how much the growing concentration of national wealth at the top, combined with the uncertainties of increased globalization, worries economic policymakers as they peer into the future. . .

The result of this, said Greenspan, is that the US now has a significant divergence in the fortunes of different groups in its labor market. “As I’ve often said, this is not the type of thing which a democratic society - a capitalist democratic society - can really accept without addressing,” Greenspan told the congressional hearing.

The article goes on to note that Greenspan blames the failures of American elementary and high schools to prepare students to enter the postindustrial economy for this growing gap. However, while many liberals welcome Greenspan’s concern about the rich-poor gap, they point out that education is only one of many causes and areas to be addressed.

It seems that although Greenspan still has a way to go in order to fully grasp the intricacies of the growing wealth gap in the U.S., at least he’s finally admitting that there is a problem -- the first step in addressing the issue.