This piece is from an Urban Planner Blog I read. Below I have posted the link to the full piece and snipped a paragraph in hopes of getting your attention, interest.
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Since too much inequality can foment revolt and instability, the CIA regularly updates statistics on income distribution for countries around the world, including the U.S. Between 1997 and 2007, inequality in the U.S. grew by almost 10 percent, making it more unequal than Russia, infamous for its powerful oligarchs. The U.S. is not faring well historically, either. Even the Roman Empire, a society built on conquest and slave labor, had a more equitable income distribution.
http://http://persquaremile.com/2011/12/16/income-inequality-in-the-roman-empire/