Economic Inequality In The United States

Depressions, wars, and other losses have contributed to the rising of inequality across America in the recent years. The middle and lower social classes have not recovered as quickly as the wealthier classes have. The rich continue to rise above the rest of the nation, continuing to increase the social gaps from the lower classes. Today inequality is what society is used to, and it will continue to get worse if this trend spreads, and is not

A major social problem in America today is its inequality of the distribution of income. "Income inequality refers to the gap between the rich and the poor. The United States has the most unequal income distribution in the industrialized world, and it is growing at a faster rate than any other industrialized country" (Eitzen & Leedham, pg. 37). The main reason as to why income is distributed so unequally is because of the gap between social classes.

Over the last several years the middle-class has continued to suffer a stall in incomes, while the upper class have had dramatic increases in their incomes. The middle-class have also had to bear more and more of the tax burden for social programs and struggle to make ends meet. Since Reconstruction, this disparity has been seen among those that are part of the upper class or top 1% in the country has had control of the majority of the wealth in the country. Capitalism continues to rule in US society and until some changes are made in balancing the wealth this will remain to be the rule rather than the

“Growing Apart: The Evolution of Income vs. Wealth Inequality” written by Michael Cragg and Rand Ghayad is an article about how wealth distribution in America has dramatically changed within the last three decades and how it has become one of the most political and economic trends in this nation. The main priority of the article is that it talked about how the wealth and financial statues in the United States has favored in the upper class and has opposed the middle and lower class within the last three decades. The first subdivision talked about how income inequality and wealth inequality are both different and how wealth inequality has a bigger negativity on the United States economic growth. The second subdivision talked about how if the

The last issue concerning wealth inequality is the health and well being of the lower class. The high rates of social problems: lower rates of performance in school, life expectancy, incarceration, teenage pregnancy along with health problems like obesity and heart disease are directly effected by the United States high inequality. The reason for poor school performance is that children of the lower class typically do not plan on going to college because they cannot afford it. If they do not plan on going to college, they don’t believe there is a reason to put a lot of effort and succeed in high school.

Amongst all of the presidential candidates of the 2016 race, one in particular stands above the rest. Bernie Sanders, running as a democrat, holds the highest capability to better the nation amongst all other candidates.

The problem of income inequality is one that is very prevalent in this time in America. The disparity of wealth in this country is very vast and a growing problem. These problems of income inequality are taking away peoples aspect human dignity, this is a major moral issue because everyone is entitled to human dignity and when it is taken away from them that is moral wrong. Additionally this is an issue in which the Church is very involved in. Additionally President Obama in his State of the Union Address back in January also made note of the problems in the nation with regards to income inequality and the minimum wage. The United States Catholic Conference

Social inequality exists in the United States through the Elite’s power to maintain their dominance in the United States capitalist system. The Elite Ruling class is made of the upper class and this class of individuals share similar ideology and are the members of the United State’s Superstructure. The Elite Ruling Class members of society are the decision and policy makers in the United States. Research and history has proven that many policies and decisions made by the Elite Ruling Class serve their own interest and promote their ideas. These decisions are the source of the inequality in the United States and it contributes to their ability to maintain their dominant status. The inequality is trickled down to the other classes through social policy and social institutions that affect our lives everyday citizens. A major example of this social inequality can be seen in the United States housing market or home ownership. A significant amount of studies, statics and data supports the evidence of social inequality within the US housing market or home ownership. The following passages will discuss social inequality in the United States as it is connected to Karl Marx’s theory of capitalism’s power and influence of the Elite Dominant i.e. the Ruling Class view as it relates to homeownership within the United States. Karl Marx’s theory however focuses mostly on economic s and the difference between upper and lower class not race. It is also important to point out that the Elite

In Robert Reich documentary “Inequality for All” he makes a compelling discussion about the serious crises that the United States faces due the widening economic gap. He looks to raise awareness of the U.S. economic gap between the rich and poor. According to Reich the widening divide in America is real and growing. Income levels at the middle and labor class is stagnant and are at it’s lowest levels compared to upper class incomes since the beginning of WWII and is growing wider each year. Reich suggests that the economy runs more smoothly when the middle class has jobs with fair wages, when unions are strong, and when middle class workers have some extra money to spend if possible when the government uses the tax policy properly and when it raises the minimum wage regularly to control the income gap between labor and management. In other words Reich argues that economically healthy middle and labor class equality is the foundation of a thriving economy and is necessary to maintaining a sound national infrastructure and educational system within

The average cost of living for any family or single adult is far less than what minimum wage can cover (Imbert). Wealth inequality signifies moral issues, economic issues, and political issues of the 21st century. Laissez faire capitalism encourages a separation between businesses and government. Ironically, the government of a capitalist run country is closely tied to the nation’s economy. Millions of families within the United States suffer due to the consequences of capitalism. Many Americans today own personal property; however, the value of their assets is based upon their income. Wealthy elites do not work for others and have access to political power. An uneven distribution of income measures the uneven distribution of political power in society (Mankiller). The government favors wealthy elites by enforcing tax policies that pardon the rich from paying taxes proportionate to those that middle and low class citizens pay (Morris). Economic inequality in the United States contradicts American values by depriving justice from all and permitting justice to those who can afford

Every year, college admission prices go up, increasing numbers of people go into debt, and billionaire CEOs get yet another pay raise while the wages of middle class workers remain stagnant. This is part of the growing economic inequality between rich and poor in the United States. American inequality is a result of the gap in income between the rich and poor, and would best be addressed by reducing tuition costs, raise minimum wage, and reforming the tax system. Inequality in the United States today is greater than any other period of U.S. history, but it is not blatantly evident when looking at the average standard of living. Electricity is standard in every home, and the average family has a car and one or more TVs, making life far more comfortable than in the 1800s.

The United States is the richest country on Earth. Free-market advocates promise this prosperity to span over all socio-economic classes, but it simply has not. The American middle class prosperity is a fantasy. Like my family, many middle-class Americans are facing massive inequality, jobs losses, and a continuous increase in the amount of debt accrued. While the United States is home to the most billionaires and millionaires in the world, the wealth of our middle class is ranked 27th globally. For decades their have been a series of economic and societal transformations leading up to the development of the middle class and the turmoil it has left families in, such as my own.

Over the past few decades, the “American Dream” vision has been quickly vanishing as a result of the increasing troubles and weakening of the middle class. It has lost the view of being the most successful and wealthy middle class in the world, while the middle classes in other countries are excelling in earning higher middle and lower class incomes. The issue of the declining wealth of the middle class explains a huge problem in the United States’ future prosperity and well being for the citizens and the country. There are many issues that affect the success of the middle and lower classes, such as structural differences in the economy, culture, and government. The gap between the middle and high classes is increasing specifically. The United States has the image of giving people life and prosperity, but inequality is increasing significantly due to issues in education, decrease in taxation among the upper class, and decrease of middle class power in the democracy, while other ideas and mechanisms can be take from other nations.

Income inequality has affected American citizens ever since the American Dream came to existence. The American Dream is centered around the concept of working hard and earning enough money to support a family, own a home, send children to college, and invest for retirement. Economic gains in income are one of the only possible ways to achieve enough wealth to fulfill the dream. Unfortunately, many people cannot achieve this dream due to low income. Income inequality refers to the uneven distribution of income and wealth between the social classes of American citizens. The United States has often experienced a rise in inequality as the rich become richer and the poor become poorer, increasing the unstable gap between the two classes. The

In other words, America has a widening gap between its wealthy and poor. As the rich get richer and the poor get poorer, there is a problem emerging: the disappearance of the middle class. Low-wage workers continue to fall behind those who make higher wages, and this only widens the gap between the two. There has been an economic boom in the United States, which has made the country more prosperous than it has ever been. That prosperity does not reach all people; it seems to only favor the rich. Rising economic segregation has taken away many opportunities for the poor to rise in America today. The poor may find that the economic boom has increased their income; however, as their income increase so does the prices they must for their living expenses (Dreier, Mollenkopf, & Swanstrom 19).