Last week we saw a video detailing the incredible inequality of wealth in America. This video described the differences between what most Americans think should be the distribution, what they think it actually is, and the real income inequality. The results were startling and need to be discussed further. However, there are some important things that the video leaves out, most notably the concept of income mobility (just skim the main ideas), which we also discussed briefly last week.
When thinking about class it is important to look at issues from multiple perspectives as much as possible, which is not always easy to do. Take a few minutes to play this web "game" spent, which places you in a position of one of the millions of Americans who are unemployed and are down to their last bit of savings. The goal is simple: survive one month. Good luck: http://playspent.org/playspent.html. Feel free to share your experiences in your comments below.
One of our readings for the week is about inequality in America and it's potential threat to democracy and as something that may contradict the American political ideal of equality of opportunity. I would like you to address the issue of inequality using any of the following questions as a starting point. Please start a discussion with one another and refer to each other's comments when possible.
Is income inequality and/or wealth inequality a problem for America politically or socially? Does it contradict fundamental American political ideals, or does it reinforce the American Dream by supporting a meritocracy where one can succeed if they work hard? Finally, what should the role of government be in terms of providing assistance to the poor or helping to reduce the income or wealth inequality in America (or should the government stay out of issues such as these)?
I think that income inequality and wealth inequality are not necessarily problems themselves. I think that the scale of both and how great the gap between the poor and the wealthy has grown are the real problems. After all, don’t we all want to be rich one day? We can hardly be mad at others for being where we want to be. This makes the income and wealth gaps a political problem. The American Dream is to create a livelihood and home where we are safe, comfortable, and free of prosecution. I think that taxing the rich more would both lower the wealth and income gaps (but still leave the rich a lot of money, which is fine in my opinion) without disturbing their American Dream. I know that not all rich people worked for what they have, but I also know that some of them did. I think that the government should provide assistance to the poor, but first they need to plan out a way to do this that would not lead to inflating costs and a large increase in the national debt and deficit. Perhaps expand aid programs with the taxes on the rich?
ReplyDeleteIncome/ wealth inequality is a problem both politically and socially. The purpose of government is to provide security for its people. Our government's progress from "by the people, for the people" to "by and for those who can pay for it" will inevitably lead to political instability. No one could or should support a political environment in which they are not adequately represented.
ReplyDeleteAs far as socially, we already have an environment in which the rich-poor dynamic instills a superior-inferior mindset. The poor are portrayed as lazy and incompetent and the rich are portrayed as hardworking job-creators. I personally think a single mom on the southside working two jobs and supporting three kids works much harder than the CEO of JP Morgan.
Considering mobility, I think it's irrelevant if people are indeed able to progress up the economic ladder. When one moves up, another moves down and we still have multitudes of impoverished people. Economic inequality is inevitable, but the massive gap we face today is not. The government should be there to step in and ensure every single person is provided the basic necessities for life - food, shelter, healthcare, etc. If that means increasing taxes for the 1% and preventing them from buying that fourth house or that tenth car, so what. They may have earned their money, but they have not earned the right to prevent schools from being built or hospitals from being funded.
On a side note, I love the Monopoly example you may have heard before. The game was in fact inspired by the situation we face today. When the money and properties are distributed among the players, the game goes on for forever. It only comes to an end once one player has all the wealth and everybody else has nothing left to pay.
Wealth inequality is the harsh reality of a functioning capitalistic system, where the few have much and the many wish they were the few. True, we may not like the fact that wealth inequality exists, but by accepting a capitalistic system we accept this consequence (and if we don’t, we should not have much beef against the economic distribution of socialism). That being said, the disparity of wealth distribution is startling, to the point of shameful considering that the trend is going further and further against the masses. While emptying the banks of the rich by being American Robin Hoods is not a viable solution, there should be some checks implemented by the government to prevent the balance from tilting so hard one way that it breaks the scale.
ReplyDeleteIn terms of income mobility, the U.S. Treasury study (though slightly outdated from 2007) shows that approximately 55.5% of income mobility occurred between 1996 and 2005 and that the lowest bracket experienced a high rate of positive income growth. While these numbers could be misleading based on the undefined buying power of the increased income, it does show that income mobility is possible. And the notion brought up in class that the lowest brackets almost never moved up to the highest should be expected rather than ridiculed. Think about it, not many people become millionaires over a short period of time. Rather, people move up the economic ladder, presumably generation after generation, until they reach a possible striking distance of being in or near the top brackets.
I think one could argue on both sides that the income inequality is a problem for our country. On one side, the chart we studied in class showed that over time the percent of the nations wealth owned by the top 1% has stayed consistent through many decades, meaning that there is no looming problem with our current situation here in America. On the other hand, with the decision in Citizens United v. FEC which has allowed the super wealthy to continue to buy elections.Today you need to have an extraordinary amount of money to virtually have any influence in our political decisions. Yes everyone has a vote, but it's the donors who give money, many times to the incumbent, that influences the campaign and allows the reelection rate to stay in the 90% range, while Congress has been hovering at a pathetic 10% approval rating. The current economic (Im)mobility has left the majority of Americans mute.
ReplyDeleteSadly as long as the supreme court doesn’t reverse its decision on the United Citizens v FEC case, I do not think that our inequality will begin to shrink. Congress will continue to put the idea of campaign reform to the side and keep reaping the benefits of unlimited contributions. In my own opinion this contradicts the American dream concept we have. Yes we saw a little shift in each quantile, but I am sure there are plenty of hard working individuals in each section who are underpaid for their hard work and just because they do not have the right contacts will never have the ability to move up. The reverse is also true, as there is no possible way that a CEO deserves 380x as much pay than their average employee.
Income inequality is something that will always exist, even though it may not be right. Life isn’t fair. As much the average american may want equal opportunity for all, the top 1% will always hold the power in our nation because they can truly control who runs our government.
Bluntly put I truly believe that income inequality is one of the biggest issues that the US faces and will continue to face. When we look at the idea of meritocracy, I do believe that such a thing does exist still. For example, when we look at academia, we note that it is solely based, once you get into an institution, on your merits and what you are able to achieve. While this is a good thing, I believe that's as far as meritocracy goes. When we look at the work culture in the United States, we are still a very capitalist country. With a capitalist society we are told that if we do our best and work our hardest we can be rewarded in a free market society where private business won't be interrupted by federal governments. However while this seems great, it's been heavily diluted. I believe that the American dream is slowly starting to dwindle away because of capitalism. Those who are growing up in a wealthy area will automatically have a better chance of rising in capital because they are most likely in a stronger school foundation where college is more readily available. Like I noted before it's more so a cultural identity issue with regards to capitalism that we are struggling with and will continue to struggle with in the future.
ReplyDeleteBoth income inequality and wealth inequality threaten America politically and socially. There is very little possibility for income mobility when such a large amount of money is in so few peoples hands. It is almost impossible to expect a family or an individual to be able to improve their economic status when those who have the most wealth usually keep that wealth circulating through their small sphere. Sure, there are plenty of wealthy Americans that donate a substantial amount of money to charities, but most of that wealth is being passed down to their family members or their closest acquaintances, who are usually also already wealthy. On top of keeping the money within small parameters, those with monetary resources also have the ability to keep the politicians in power that will continue to support their wants and needs. By making large campaign or party contributions, the rich are the ones that have a megaphone attached to their concerns. I believe this incredibly lopsided distribution of wealth contradicts the American Dream. Of course many believe that they too could be apart of this superior class one day, but the actual chance of anyone achieving that status is very unlikely. Being extremely talented in one way or another won't guarantee you extreme wealth. There are examples of where meritocracy does exist in this country, but it is not as prevalent as many migrating here may think it is. Eventually those who settle here realize that they'll never be as wealthy as Brad Pitt or even their local white male doctor, so they begin to become comfortable with for low-paying jobs. Consequently these people and those who have been living here for generations don't attempt to work towards anything greater because there is no encouraging signs that it could get any better. Therefore, the rich remain rich and the poor remain poor. The only way any type of progress will be made towards solving this issue will be with heavy government intervention. Instead of taxing our incomes, maybe the government needs to take a greater look at taxing one's wealth. One may argue that this would discourage people from working hard to try to attain wealth, but in reality, it would place a check on those who clearly have too much wealth and redistribute it back into those who clearly need more. Republicans and democrats have bickered for years on how to redistribute wealth but it is obvious that this problem is no where near close to being solved. We need to take a different approach towards a resolution, no matter what it is, because these numbers are getting out of hand.
ReplyDeleteIncome inequality is indeed an issue facing the United States but it is not the only issue in terms of addressing the much larger issue of social mobility. Wealth and income inequality are only pieces to a much larger puzzle.
ReplyDeleteSocial mobility is the real issue facing the United States. For a society to encourage upward mobility there must be no radical income gap (which there is) but there must also be good schools, functioning families and community support for those who have lost the ovarian lottery.
In areas of the country that have these things there is plenty of social mobility, to the point where they are comparable to Europe. There are also many areas that do not have these things; here we find the income gap to be far more salient of an issue and the lowest social mobility in the rich world.
While the idea of a meritocratic society has not necessarily been disproved, it would appear that the American idea of “pulling yourself up by your boot straps” isn’t always true. Americans work longer hours than Europeans and take home less income; we’re also far less happy.
Government has a role to play in correcting this. While market forces are best for managing capital and labor allocation in an economy, there must be a social safety net with which to ensure a vibrant community with excellent public services can exist in the first place. If people are too busy working multiple jobs and surviving, how can they find time to inform themselves politically or volunteer time to their community?
Our $15.68 trillion economy can surely furnish the resources to produce this. The mega-wealthy should pay more of their fair share, while the middle and working classes should cease to be taxed as “rich” and helped by earned-income tax credits as well as government-funded schools, community centers focusing on work needed where they live (road building, etc.) and educational opportunities (either vocational or university-level).
I think some income/wealth inequality is needed, especially to have a capitalist economy. It gives people an incentive to work hard to make it to the top class, thus reinforcing the American Dream. However, the income/wealth inequality we have today is far too prominent. It is past the tipping point between it being a necessary evil and it hindering our democracy. It is both a problem socially and politically. Not only do we have people working multiple jobs and still living below the poverty line, but our economy also suffers because the middle and lower class have less money to spend.
ReplyDeleteWith income/wealth inequality so high today, I believe it contradicts fundamental American political ideals. When looking at mobility I believe there are many aspects you have to look at. For example, absolute and relative mobility (http://www.pewstates.org/news-room/video-library/economic-mobility-and-the-american-dream-85899378857). Americans are receiving greater income than their parents in general, however, generation after generation they are also getting stuck in the quintile they were born in. This is because the ladder of inequality is growing longer and longer. The rich are richer than they used to be and the distance from the top and bottom is growing. Therefore, those moving at the same speed of mobility as past generations will not make it as far up the ladder.
(One thing I do find confusing is the amount of contradicting studies done about economic mobility).
I believe it’s the government’s role to provide people with the necessities to live a comfortable life that, in turn, provides equal opportunity. I think a huge part of this is education reform (especially in underprivileged areas) and other vocational training. I also believe it is the government’s job to raise minimum wage, to tax the rich (as most people have stated, in order to fund these reforms) and to get big money out of politics. I know some people might see all of these things as an overreach of the government, but who else is going to protect the poor and working class from being taken advantage of by the wealthy and big corporations.
I think that income inequality is a huge problem for America both politically and socially. The extreme disparity between the upper and lower class seems to be astronomical according to the video that we watched in class. Clearly it is a social issue because it does affect how Americans interact with each other and it is a political issue because depending on what "class" you fall into it usually weighs heavily on what party or candidates you support in elections and in the government.
ReplyDeleteI don't think that it reinforces the American Dream by supporting the idea of meritocracy at all. A lot of the times the people who work the hardest are the poorest. Being poor does not mean that someone is lazy. Not all people are afforded the same opportunities in their lives in regards to careers, education, etc. and that can severely hinder a person's socio-economic status in society.
-Katelyn Schweitzer
I think that income inequality and wealth inequality are both large problems in America, politically and socially. I don’t necessarily think that it contradicts American ideals, however, I also don’t think that it reinforces the American Dream by supporting a meritocracy. The poor don’t choose to be poor some people are just born into their class structure. There comes a time where the government does need to get involved and establish public works for citizens in order to reduce the disparity between wealth and income during times of recession. However, outside of economic downturn, I don’t believe that the government should have any regulation towards income and wealth, especially in dealing with the free markert.
ReplyDeleteI played the game to see if I could survive a month with my last savings. As I was playing the game over and over again to try to accomplish my goal of surviving, I felt like I had the worst luck ever and I was running out of options. In the beginning I did what was morally correct in the situations I was in. As the game went on I started to become desperate for money and made choices that were not so great like not paying all my bills or taking that $10 the person dropped. At a point on the game I was offered to apply for food stamps, and I feel like it’s great that the government can assist those who need help especially if you have children. I know that there are people who abuse of these programs but I do not think that’s the case for everyone, and there are many people who really need help. The feeling of not having money to pay for your basic needs is the worst feeling ever. Who can you turn to when you really need help? Sure you can ask friends for help but your friends can not always help you so then what Maybe a second job? My main take away is that life is very expensive and when you need help it is nice to know that the government can help you.
ReplyDeleteI know providing help to people is not cheap for the government but I think it is necessary because what other options do these people have? I think if the government did not provide this help then people would become so desperate for money they would feel pressured into making bad decisions, for example steeling food because they cannot afford to pay for it. What if they get caught then they can go to jail because they were hungry. ]
I believe that providing assistance to the poor supports the idea of the “American Dream” they are helping people get on their feet and accomplish the goal of providing opportunities for their children and helping these people not having to worry they won’t have their necessities and focus in finding a job or find an opportunity to move up. But I also feel like it is very hard to move up in the spectrum of class. It might take years before maybe you can be offered a promotion or your pay can increase. I do think though that the children of these people have a greater chance of moving up.
In my opinion, income inequality is a major problem in America. I very much agree with Elizabeth when she comments that it is both a political problem and a social problem. Income ineqality is very much a social problem. Growing up in somewhat affluant circumstances, I have seen what having lots of money can do to people, in terms of their perception of others. People having massive amounts of money are often times, though not always, snobish. Many people with lots of money feel that they are above other people and can "buy their way" out of any circumstance that arises in life. This notion that one can be above another person by means of money is very troublesome to me. I fear that people who continue to have large amounts of money will still feel empowered over other people. Politically, wealth inequality is also a major problem in the U.S. as seen with Mitt Romney's 47% comments in the 2012 election. Although many politicans claim they understand America's problems, the sad reality is they do not, since most of them are rich. I doubt that we will ever fully solve the problem of income inequality in America.
ReplyDeleteI played the game Spent three times, each time working for a different sector of employment, and I failed miserably. The first time I worked for a warehouse, where I would be taking in a higher pay than the other two, but I made the mistake of getting insurance which brought down my cash on hand significantly; I was out after 4-5 questions. The second job I took was at a temp agency and to my surprise I wasn’t even hired because I couldn’t type fast enough for their liking. I was surprised due to the fact that I type pretty fast (I average at 75 wpm) yet I still wasn’t hired. So it made me realize how difficult it is for these people coming from low economic statuses to find jobs. Lastly, I chose the final employment opportunity: waitress. I opted out of getting insurance and my “children” had to suffer socially by not going to field trips, birthday parties, etc. And just when I thought I had made it with 700+ dollars at the end of the month, my landlord raised the rent and I was S.O.L.
ReplyDeleteI had taken a Money in Politics class here at DePaul a few quarters ago, and our recent study of income inequality reminded me of an article we read stating that the majority of the wealth belongs to 0.01% of the enriched population; what’s more frightening is the large gap between the 1% to those sitting at 0.01%. Clearly that is an issue; both socially and politically.
America may be based on meritocracy, which we collectively decided in class a few days ago that it is a complete hoax, but there are plenty of people living in this country who do not get a chance to work to the top; they aren’t given the right to live out the infamous American Dream. Considering we are a free market, I don’t believe the government is going to get involved by making income/wealth regulations. Do I think they should? I’m still uncertain. I believe that every American should have the opportunity to work and bring home a steady income to support themselves as well as a family, but then again where is the government going to get the money to fund all these new jobs? This is a vicious cycle that I think the government has let get out of control and now it is impossible to tame.
I think that income inequality and wealth inequality are both problems for America in mostly a political sense. The reason I say this is because I think that these forms of inequality can lead to problems in elections, specifically in the area of campaign funding. I understand the point that it should be free speech to donate as much as one wants to a particular candidate or campaign, but there is still a limitation of free speech in this situation. Those with limited free speech are the poor because if they cannot fund the candidate they want for office (and we all know that money in elections does make a difference) then their voices are going unheard which I would argue is inherently unfair. Anything dealing with the political process should be the aspect that we as a country strive to keep equal even if we do not strive for any other equality because political equality is inherent to democracy and with the campaign finance we have now it is not.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, I also think the government should take a role in providing assistance to poor and when I say take a role, I mean to not be ignorant about the issue. I think that at the current time there is a lot of ignorance and stubborn feelings coming from the government, particularly one party that demonizes poor people in general. I think that those on the far right need to get over themselves when it comes to taxes and drop the argument that those with more will donate on their own terms. I know this sounds harsh and is probably a bias opinion from myself, but I just do not see how else we can at least help the people at the bottom survive without something like progressive taxes and elimination about tax loopholes.
An additional reason that I think the government is being ignorant of income and wealth inequality is that they have neglected to adjust the poverty line. I understand the controversy that would arise if the nation was to adjust the poverty line appropriately, but at the same time I do not see the modern world getting any cheaper to live in and thus I think it is inappropriate to pretend that the current poverty line is still the “real” poverty line in the modern America.
I played the game, and I survived the whole month with $300+ on the first try. Even though I made it to the end with some money left, I had to sacrifice a lot of important things, and I had to make some decisions that I wouldn't be proud of in the real world out of desperation. I was not able to afford insurance, I couldn't afford to use sick days for work, I had to put off paying bills on time, and I had to borrow money from a friend. One of the questions asked if I broke something, would I hide it or pay to get it fixed? I said I would hide it and in a later question, a coworker was fired because of it. I chose not to take the blame for my actions because I had to keep my job. To make it worse, the object was only $25, but money was to tight to even afford it.
ReplyDeleteBased on how I did on the game, the assistance of the government is crucial. They definitely need to continue with welfare and providing food stamps for the poor because they cannot survive out here on their own. I had to make desperate decisions in a hypothetical situation. For a lot of people, it is reality. Without government assistance, a majority of poor people would turn to illegal acts in order to make ends meet and survive. Even if it is only a little help, it is doing enough to help people get their lives together.
Income inequality and wealth inequality are definitely a problem for America politically and socially. Politically, as we all know, campaigns and running for office are big budget things and people without resources would have trouble competing. People who have ran and now hold office support the ideals of those who support them, i.e. who financially backed their campaign. Although this is not always the case it happens a majority of the time and if people without resources want something on the political agenda they really have to seek publicity for their arguments and ideas. Socially wealth plays apart in where we can afford to go to schools and live which affects our opportunities. We cannot say this is a country of equal opportunity completely because those who can afford a better education are able to give themselves a boost in the competition for jobs and resources. Honestly, I don’t know what I think the role of the government should be for assisting the poor. I played the online game and made it through the month with $60 but I had to take an IOU from a friend for $150 for bills and deny my mother help buying medication, those decisions are horrible ones to have to make. I guess my main concern is that people shouldn’t suffer because they can’t afford health care or food, but I honestly have no ideas on how these issues could be addressed because they are so overwhelming.
ReplyDeleteAs the video showed, income inequality is continuing to grow creating a bigger divide between the bottom quintiles and the top. I think that income inequality is natural and necessary in a capitalist government. The growing inequality coupled with the decreasing social mobility in the county is problematic.
ReplyDeleteThe lack of low skilled jobs as there are so many young people who drop out of college or do not attend college. This becomes a financial detriment in the long as they are sanctioned to low skill and low paying jobs (for the most part, not considering the few who break through). With the high cost of living low paying jobs at the minimum wage make many individuals unable to afford the cost of living. If one is lucky enough to have a job they can qualify for welfare if they are below the criteria. However if one cannot find a job two years I was shocked to find out they were cut off from financial assistance. With out proper welfare support many are unable to provide housing, food and other resources to themselves and family.
I have some personal experience with unemployment and assistance from the government but through all the loopholes and such and due to the way my mom was let go during the recession we did not qualify for any government benefits. When playing the game spent I think that many of these financial decisions arise not just for low income or the bottom quintile. Due to the rising cost of living and other factors many of these financial burdens are extending to the middle class. It once used to be that if you were making six figures you were golden. It would be enough to support a family and a very comfortable lifestyle. However, six figures no longer seems to suit the needs for a middle class. Our failing public school system, incentivizes parents to save for private school which costs hundreds of thousands of dollars from K-12 and on to college.
Another problem I think we need to address is we have the ideals in practice: public education, welfare, food assistance. But we need to ask the question what is the scope the government should provide. And does the U.S have the capacity to do so?
I personally think we need to expand welfare assistance but also need to go to the second tiers beyond welfare. Examine the causations of welfare would provide more long term solutions. Assessment of education such as providing pre-school, more extra-circulars education on gun violence, vocational training all need to be assessed (sorry for the ramble). Relooking at our prison systems and recidivism rates would do the US some good. By investing and redesigning these systems we can create better social mobility rather then masking the problem with more welfare funding.
Just as my classmates have stated, income/wealth inequality is a political and social problem but in order to understand how and why the gap is steadily widening, it’s important to look at how the economy has changed in the past few decades. Briefly put, we went from a manufacturing economy to a service-led economy post-WWII. With the rise of globalization and free trade agreements, more and more U.S. corporations have found that the best way to increase their profits is by establishing their manufacturing facilities overseas and/or creating technology that gets rid of actual human physical work. With fewer jobs in our domestic arena, the more competition becomes a social problem. This is why many Americans have grown more hatred towards undocumented immigrants because they are making competition fiercer and decreasing wages.
ReplyDeleteMany of the underlying causes of the growing gap between rich and poor—fast technological change and the rapid globalization of the economy—are deep-seated and likely to persist. That is why I believe it’s important for the government to play a much bigger role in reducing wealth inequality because our current tax code system is filled with loopholes that favor the rich. Increasing the tax rate on the rich is a good start but it’s important for Congress to also create a comprehensive agenda that will describe what services this money will go towards. At the top of this agenda should be public education. As we have discussed in class, the gap between test scores of rich and poor students continues to grow wider. In order to attack income inequality, there has to be a stronger emphasis and attack education inequality. If more money and resources would go towards early education, especially in our inner-city public schools, the more likely this wealth gap will diminish.
Wealth and Income inequality are definitely both political and social issues. I think the major root to this issue is our cultures lack of emphasis on quality of living. We are known as the country of "the american dream" which is essentially based on the idea that one can move from being on bottom to on top financially. This is not healthy. We need to become a country known for looking out for the well being of all of its citizens, and not just those who can somehow beat the system. We as a country of people should care about the well being of our neighbors, friends, fellow citizens, but this "american dream" concept is a very selfish one. I truly believe if we became a nation of people who not only cared about the success of ourselves but the success of those around us our economy would begin to thrive again, the wealth and income gap would shrink, and less government intervention would be needed.
ReplyDeleteI do think at this point because of how horribly wide the gap between the poor and 1% is, the government should be involved. That being said, I also think we are currently being run by a "bought congress". The people who have control over making an actual difference through our government are in the hands of the major corporations and people who make up the 1%. In order for politicians to secure their spots in congress, and their funding while there, they will ignore doing whats right and do what is easy and best for themselves. Their wealth depends on the wealth of the corporations, who own most of this countries wealth. Where does that leave everyone else? Its a viscous cycle.
I certainly think that income inequality and wealth inequality are significant issues in America today. Now whether or not it contradicts fundamental American political ideals or whether it reinforces the American Dream is much harder to answer. I do believe that everyone should have a fair chance at living the American Dream but I also worry about people taking advantage of the government when they help them. I think Graham suggests a logical argument with being able to expand aid programs with taxes on the rich. I definitely agree that we should initially help lower income households but at what point must they be weaned off of government aid and be forced to push themselves to success. There have been way too many Americans that take advantage of the government in these situations. There needs to be a balance between providing financial aid to those in need but also providing job training, and raise minimum wage so that the government can also help in a non-financial way.
ReplyDeleteSo I played the game “spent”, which I believe is very realistic when examining a person living under the poverty line just struggling to get through the month. I was able to get through the month with well over five-hundred dollars. This “game” reinforced my thoughts on poverty of just how much stress these people go through. More importantly, the low social-mobility available to them.
ReplyDeleteWe saw the video detailing the incredible inequality of wealth in America last week, particularly startling was the top 1 % and the fact that MANY people are unaware and uneducated on this issue. The top 1% are the rich families like the Rockefellers’ and the Rothschild’s that are screwing us over from these corrupt banking systems by profiting from them. Simply put income inequality and wealth inequality is definitely a problem for America, both politically and socially. When are founded on ideals supporting the notion we are a democracy but living in conditions like this, it demonstrates we are living in a capitalist society feeding the public propaganda, and not caring at all what-so-ever for the honest American doing their best job to live up to country’s ideals of a “citizen”. Therefore, contradicting our American political ideals. But the more important issue we need to focus on is social-mobility. The government has to focus on eliminating institutional discrimination, essentially providing more resources to marginalized communities with low socio-economic statuses’. True, many people are unaware of the top 1 %. But we need to focus on the other end with eliminating poverty and proving resources. Due to the institutional discrimination and racism, and when there are things that exist such as white privilege– which we’ve discussed in class– there is no “American Dream” and a justified meritocracy. You can work as hard as you want but you want get far when there is racism and sufficient and proper resources needed to progress. The government must focus on enstricting racism rules, provide sufficient and proper resources, as mentioned earlier. Improving school conditions and providing the support needed missing from parents who can only do so much with the conditions they are in
Furthermore, when are working on eliminating racism and intuitional discrimination, we are only helping the new generation for the most part. We also absolutely need to boost the minimum wage. As demonstrated with “spent”, people living in poverty and certain conditions cannot even get through a month living in stable conditions. This will without a doubt reduce income and wealth inequality in the most needed areas.
I do think that income inequality is a problem in the United States, particularly to the current extent. It is arguably a source of political polarization and has undeniable social consequences in the US. I strongly believe, however, that one of the most important underlying causes of this is the opportunity gap that can be alleviated, at least in part, through education reform. I would argue that meritocracy is not a myth, but it becomes unrealistic when opportunities for education are so incredibly varied. For that reason, I think that the government’s role in lessening the income gap is to work toward equality of opportunity through education reform. I personally support doing so through school choice, but that’s another argument entirely. I think that income mobility is something that shouldn’t be ignored in the discussion about income inequality because the opportunity for people to change their own circumstances is a significant part of the argument. That said, I think that the best way to improve income mobility is to focus on providing more equal opportunity through education. Some people make the argument that the government should put their focus directly on closing the income gap as a prerequisite to building strong communities and improving education. Conversely, I think that the government should put an emphasis on education reform as a prerequisite to increasing income mobility and decreasing inequality. I realize that this is very simplified and there are a lot of other factors involved in the problem and that have to be addressed in a solution, but I think that equality of opportunity is the most fundamental aspect.
ReplyDeleteGrant Herrejon says:
ReplyDeleteFirst off, that game is a bit terrifying. Hardcore budgeting to SURVIVE is no joke. Income inequality is absolutely a problem. I am far from being the most well-versed in American policies, government activity, and the abilities of the government, but it seems like common sense to me... the excessively wealthy hold an insane percentage of the country's money, that wealth only increases for them as they bribe politicians and other greed mongers with ease... there is a recession, and it has grown worse just as the wealth gap has stretched. There is most definitely a connection. When is it ever reasonable for Johnny to have 836 candy bars while his other 24 classmates have 12 or less? Answer; Johnny is a beyond wonderful hero and miracle worker, and has slaved away his whole life to get those candy bars. Okay, cool. However, that is almost never the case. I understand that some super wealthy are also outrageously charitable, pointing to the examples of Billy Gates and Warren Buffett, but mega corporations and those that head them generally are far from benevolent. Perhaps I am in a bit of an angsty rage at this time, considering I work for a corporation and they are getting on my nerves like that one friend who throws the blue shell at you in Mario Kart even though you made a truce before the race. I'd just like to see this country as it is now, but with less ridiculous wealth distribution. Perhaps I am wrong, and our economic situation would be much worse. I find that extremely hard to believe. It shouldn't take a million years to set up cable because Comcast owns everything in the universe and really does not care about customer service at all (nor if they lose you as a cable customer), because you'll be constantly using their products anyway if you're subscribed to Netflix or Hulu. Maybe if we take a bit from them, and from some other maniac corporate jerks, and give them at least a small reason to care about humanity and give it to someone else, they won't use it to make people's lives miserable. Or maybe they will, but everything is expensive and crazy right now, so it's worth a shot. FDR the BasedGod, you're fine bro, just shake it off, come on back and president for a little more my man.
There is a tough decision between allowing inequality for the sake of capitalism and encouraging capitalism despite inequality. I do not believe that Obama could handle the firestorm that attempting to bring more equality to our country. There are already a significant amount of Republicans calling him a socialist. It is clear however that something needs to be done. The money that belongs to the richest 1% would be more than enough, if spread throughout the impoverished they would all be able to achieve their basic needs at least. It is absolutely astonishing how greedy our country is. The rich are born into opportunities that the poor could not even hope to attain working as hard as they possibly. Being poor often has nothing to do with being lazy. These kids can't focus on school because they need to find ways to put food on the table. Often their schools are also not to the standard of, say, suburban schools. It would be great to see something done to narrow this gap, but our country is run by the rich. They aren't going to vote to pay higher taxes or receive less tax breaks. I am truly stumped as to what can truly be done to assist with this issue.
ReplyDeleteThis game was a difficult and a scary experience but is the reality. Sometimes the decisions that we take are bad but often we do not have any choices. When I came to this country I worked in a factory and my body did not survive and was sick, fever body aches a lot of things. A lot of people working there had the same experience like me, but options do we have without health insurance. Going to work is a necessity and is bigger than the pains. Since then I respect the work that people do in the factories. I like to talk with people and listen to their stories and this game is the reality.
ReplyDeleteIncome inequality is both a social and political problem. Socially it impacts our communities and ultimately affects all of us from health care costs to every day expenses. Politically it is a problem because of the barriers to entry into the political realm. I'd wager to say the majority of politicians don't even know the cost of a gallon of milk or loaf of bread and those that do/aren't wealthy typically are marginalized by their peers because they are in the minority.
ReplyDeleteIt is near impossible for people in the lowest rungs of American society to move from one class to the next. Mobility between classes may still be possible but I wonder if factors like unemployment are factored into the black and white numbers used in many of the examples we've viewed in class. For example, divorce is more common place than it was in the past increasing the likelihood for single family income households of which the burden typically rests squarely with the mother. Females have marginally lower unemployment but only get paid on average 70% on the dollar of what their male counterparts make across the country. That fact alone certainly contradicts the idea of a meritocracy and fundamental American political ideals!
Government should regulate healthcare expenses ensure life as promised by the founding fathers. The US should have a single payer system that all people have access to regardless of class or income. It is absolutely disgusting and inhumane that some people are turned away because of the inability to pay for healthcare.
Like Catherine I too have experience with unemployment. When I started going back to school I was unemployed and received an unemployment check each week that didn't even cover all my expenses. I didn't feel bad and don't feel bad for drawing on unemployment as I faithfully paid into the system for 10 years before I went back to school. Its unemployment insurance meaning it is there if something should happen. The country doesn't do enough to support its poorest citizens because its too worried about the constructed crisis of entitlement fraud that has been perpetrated but the top 1%. The government is willing to bend over backwards to protect corporations but increasing social security payments or other entitlement programs to keep up with inflation is considered political sacrilege by most politicians. US citizens deserve better. We must do better.
I would totally agree that there is a income inequality and wealth inequality problem . The reasons why I think there is because we still have a problem where we think that the both are the same when they aren’t. I think that many people still think that wealth and income is the same thing even though they have two different meanings. When people think of that American dream of course they think of how wealthy they will become once they come here. So I would say that supporting a meritocracy would help succeed if people work hard. Although meritocracy still isn’t something I strongly believe in. The government should help the poor but I think that first have to come up with some type of plan to see how the poor and actually make some type of income.
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