Hi there,
 

Economic journalist Peter Martin here.
 

I present The Economy, Stupid on ABC Radio National, and report on business and economics for Radio National Breakfast with Sally Sara.
 

This week, our latest episode is all about the ordinary Australians — these days, entire generations — who are getting left behind.
 

The rich are getting richer and younger Australians, renters, and low-income workers are falling behind. And, perhaps unbelievably in a country as rich as ours, more than 3 million Australians are living below the poverty line.
 

We know that inequality is bad news for social cohesion, prosperity, and the health of our democracy.
 

So what exactly is behind this widening gulf between the richest of us and the rest of us?
 

In this program, we ask why it is that economists have paid extraordinarily little attention to what ought to be a pretty important topic: who gets what.
 

Which brings me to the name of the show, The Economy, Stupid.
 

When I invite a guest onto the program, they invariably ask what the title means. Is it calling the economy stupid? Is it calling economists stupid? Is it calling whoever is listening stupid?
 

It's none of those, really. The term was coined by James Carville, an advisor to Bill Clinton back when the Arkansas governor was running for President.
 

Carlisle had three messages written on a whiteboard in the room that housed Clinton's call centre.
 

One said: "Change vs. more of the same".
 

The other said:" "Don't forget healthcare".
 

And the third read: "It's the economy, stupid".
 

Clinton won the election. Focusing on the economy helped him do it.
 

That's what we do every week, and our latest show is a cracker.
 

I think you'll enjoy it.
 

Peter

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