TRAIL TRANSLATOR: A look at income inequality (and a quiz)

FILE - In this May 6, 2015, file photo, Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington. Of all the buzzwords and phrases popping up early in the presidential campaign, “income inequality” must be close to the top of the list. "While the average person is working longer hours for lower wages, we have seen a huge increase in income and wealth inequality, which is now reaching obscene levels," says Sanders. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File) FILE - In this May 6, 2015, file photo, Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington. Of all the buzzwords and phrases popping up early in the presidential campaign, “income inequality” must be close to the top of the list. "While the average person is working longer hours for lower wages, we have seen a huge increase in income and wealth inequality, which is now reaching obscene levels," says Sanders. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

By Associated Press May 12, 2015 5 min read

WASHINGTON (AP) – Of all the buzzwords and phrases popping up early in the presidential campaign, “income inequality” must be close to the top of the list. And it’s not just Democrats insisting that the nation must deal with it firmly and fast.

While Hillary Rodham Clinton and new primary opponent Sen. Bernie Sanders are hitting the idea hard, Republican candidates, too, are playing up the notion that people at the bottom of the economic ladder are getting a raw deal while the rich get richer.

Since you’re sure to hear a lot more about income inequality over the next 18 months, here’s a closer look at what it means, where it came from and what the candidates want to do about it.

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DEFINITION, PLEASE