Ray Dalio, billionaire and founder of Bridgewater Associates, the world's largest hedge fund company, assessed that the gap between rich and poor in the United States (US) is widening amid economic pressure due to the corona virus pandemic. This includes the increasing debt problem.

The worry is economic disparities and increasing debtwill trigger conflict in the midst of society if the government does not take immediate action.

"There must be a system resolution to regulate the majority of people who have productivity," said Dalio, quoting CNN Business, Sunday (27/12).

According to Dalio, the Covid-19 pandemic has shown a huge gap among US citizens. When Wall Street businessmen feast on soaring share prices, ordinary citizens are living in crisis. This is in line with research results from the University of Chicago and the University of Notre Dame that the Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in the number of poor people in the US increasing by 8 million people since June 2020.

Meanwhile, the US census agency said 27 million adults said there were "sometimes even According to Dalio, this problem is getting worse with political polarization after the US presidential election some time ago. Therefore, he urged the leaders to find a middle way to overcome the problem of inequality so that it does not drag on.

"To unite the country and not cause civil war there must be efforts to unify it but in a smart way," he explained.

Dalio urged the United States government to immediately tackle the problem of inequality by investing in long-term sectors, such as improving health care, infrastructure and especially education.

If we don't have broad productivity and jobs, namely from educational programs or otherwise, then the polarity that occurs will continue and worsen, and I think that will be a problem, "said Dalio.

Sources : CNN Indonesia