Here is a challenge for the English language blogs here in Taiwan: Write something about economic inequality in Taiwan without getting sidetracked by the blue/green political sideshow.
What exactly does the bottom of Taiwanese society look like? According to the 2005 Survey of Family Income and Expenditure (九四年家庭收支調查報告) published in August by the Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics, last year the income of the poorest 20 percent of households had decreased by 9 percent since 1999, primarily because wages had plummeted 19.8 percent over that six-year period.
Fundamental changes are taking place in Taiwanese society, and while I support a vibrant Taiwanese democracy, it isn’t clear to me that either party has much to say about this topic. It is clear that the political bloggers here really love this country and care a lot about local politics, but politics isn’t always about what is happening on the front pages of the newspapers …
