Thomas Piketty turns down France's top honor

[NewDeal_Dem]

Economist Thomas Piketty has joined Jean-Paul Sartre and Marie Curie in turning down France's most prestigious award, the Legion d'Honneur.

"I don't think it's up to a government to say who is honorable," Piketty told AFP after he learned that he made the list of honorees this week.

Piketty is famous for his research on income inequality, which he argues is worsening.

"They would do better to focus on reviving growth in France and Europe." Piketty, a professor at the Paris School of Economics, said when he declined the award. Europe is on the verge of a recession.

One of Piketty's key findings is that wealth is being passed down from generation to generation. He believes the United States and other countries need more progressive tax systems.

His work has been controversial. Bill Gates, among others, said it has "flaws."

http://money.cnn.com/2015/01/01/news/economy/thomas-piketty-france-decline-legion-award/index.html

[cherokeeprogressive]

1. Maybe he's angry that France is rolling back the 75% tax on high earners.

I can't imagine he would be happy about that, OR the fact Hollande made Emmanuel Macron economy minister. Macron called the top tax-rate "Cuba without the Sun".