Matthew Klein (Barrons) and Michael Pettis (Peking University) have authored the book, Trade Wars are Class Wars. In it, they argue that countries like Germany, Ireland, and Switzerland run trade surpluses because their domestic policies leave consumers with less disposable income, forcing their manufacturers to seek consumers elsewhere. With Germany specifically they contend that through tax increases on workers, spending cuts on public investment, and social welfare programs, consumers get squeezed and import demand gets suppressed. Looking at the Gini index for income distribution in countries and their trade surplus/deficit, this assertion does not hold up. The U.S. has the largest trade deficit but ranks worse for income distribution...