A NEW book entitled “The Price of Inequality” by Joseph E. Stiglitz directs the public debate from the models and views of the recent past. Usually the discussions center on one or two positions: either the Democratic Party position of more government regulation on the economy, or the ultra-conservative Tea Party position of no government involvement in the economy. Maybe the solutions to our current economic problems are found elsewhere.

A professor of economics at Columbia University, Joseph Stiglitz offers the country a better understanding of why we Americans are so divided, separate and unequal. I think Professor Stiglitz correctly points out our two-tier society (99 percent to 1 percent) and why there exists an Occupy Wall Street movement. He states in his book: “Politics have shaped the market, and shaped it in ways that advantage the top at the expense of the rest.” Further, he believes the exercise of political power by the highly financed special interests override the normal legislative and regulatory processes and have disproportionately shaped the present disparity.

The more affluent (Wall Street corporations and banks) gain the bulk of the resources by insulating themselves from normal market competitive forces. Congress has provided a skewed tax treatment for the top and huge corporate subsidies for them.

Stiglitz describes the economic capture of regulatory authorities by the special interests and the more subtle intellectual capture of the policy makers. He claims the shaping of public discussion allowed ultra-conservative analyses to dominate debate in the years before the collapse of 2008, and even in the years since then.

Backing up the author are other voices: Paul Krugman, Robert B. Reich, Lawrence Lessig, Jacob Hacker, Paul Pierson and Timothy Noah. These currently active experts also think these unjust politics threaten and explain the huge disparities in wealth and income. Also, they think that excessive inequality amounts to “sand in the gears of capitalism” which leads to undermining productivity and retarding growth.

Stiglitz stated his own position best in a recent online column: “Inequality leads to lower growth and less efficiency. Lack of opportunity means that the most valuable asset – its people – is not being fully used. Many at the bottom, or even in the middle, are not living up to their potential, because the rich, needing few public services and worried that a strong government might redistribute income, use their political influence to cut taxes and curtail government spending. This leads to underinvestment in infrastructure, education and technology, impeding the engines of growth. ... Most importantly, America’s inequality is undermining its values and identity. With inequality reaching such extremes, it is not surprising that its effects are manifest in every public decision, from the conduct of monetary policy to budgetary allocations. America has become a country not ‘with justice for all,’ but rather with favoritism for the rich and justice for those who can afford it – so evident in the foreclosure crisis, in which the big banks believed they were too big not only to fail, but also to be held accountable.”

To order a change in direction, to change the existing thinking in Congress, and to move forward for a proper economic balance and new holistic plans – how about our leaders reading this book?