Is Democratic Socialism a Better Form of Government?

“The One Percent” is a documentary that addressed wealth and social inequalities among the American population (Johnson, 2006). The film was created and narrated by Jamie Johnson. Jamie’s great grandfather was the founder of Johnson & Johnson pharmaceutical company. Therefore, Jamie’s father inherited a fortune that has given Jamie many privileges that are uncommon throughout the rest of the American population. Although Jamie has lived his entire life by reaping the benefits of his family’s inheritance, he has come to realize just how privileged he and his family truly is.

Every form of government is bound to have some shortfalls. Different people have different views about the various political systems. But in today's world, democracy is considered to be the best form of government, reason being that people are treated equally and have full rights to live a life of their liking. Unlike a Oligarchy government is not considered to be a

2 Hope Forpeace. ”20% of Americans own 93% of American Wealth and They Should All Get Tax Cuts,” Newsvine. 2010. Accessed January 14, 2013. http://salemsage.newsvine.com/_news/2010/06/06/4471117-20-of-americans-own-93-of-american-wealth-and-they-should-all-get-tax-cuts

In a research of Harvard professor 5000 people in America have opinion in how they think about the actual distribution of wealth in the U.S. and the 92 percent choose the ideal would be 20 percent and 20 percent the middle class. However, the reality is very far from it. “The poorest are not even registered, they are on the package change and the middle class is barely distinguished from the poor, even the rich between the 10 % and 20 % are worst off, only the top 10 % are better off. Only the one percent gets ten time higher and 40 % all the nation wealth. The bottom 80 % 8 out 10 people only has 7 % between them.1 % makes a quarter of the national income today”(you tube, 2015). All of this data reflex one of the truly perspectives in economy of the U.S. Not only people with low wages are the most affected, but also those who have good jobs and

Wealth inequality has become a hot-topic in recent years, this is because the return rate on capital, such as stocks or real estate, outruns that of economic growth which resulted in the wealthiest grasping a growing share of wealth, leading to increasing inequality. The unequal distribution of wealth has been a major hallmark of the U.S economy, and among its most notable and lasting results, but until it was brought to the awareness of the public by the Occupy movement’s catch phrase referring to “the 1%” of the populace who control half of the nation’s wealth, this issue had not been brought to the limelight of public economic and political discourse since the Great Depression of the 1930s, and almost every American is basically unaware of the true magnitude and character of the unequal distribution of wealth in our country. Inequality in wealth i.e. the sum of household savings, home equity, investments, and debts is

Democracy, as defined in American Government: Power and Purpose, is “a system of rule that permits citizens to play a significant part in the governmental process, usually through the selection of key public officials.” In the centuries before and since its founding, the United States has indubitably had undemocratic elements. In colonial times, the thirteen colonies’ government derived most of its authority from the elites, depriving many of those residing in lower socioeconomic classes from a voice in government. During the time of the American Revolution,

Wealth in america is only reserved for the top 1%. Even out of those who live in the

It is a fact that in the US, 50 percent of the wealth is controlled by 1% of the population. But is it really such an unfortunate reality that we would need a system other capitalism to stem the tide of upward movement of wealth distribution. In my view, what is wrong is not the 1 percent's hold on 50 percent of wealth but the resulting decline in middle class that is now a major problem for the US.

As we move closer to the 2016 national elections in the United States, claims of a growing wealth gap between the supposed “haves” and “have-nots” becomes more pronounced. Democratic Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton even went so far as to caution us that we are advancing towards a repeat of the “Gilded Age of the robber barons”. The insinuation in this claim creates a perception that there are a growing number of individuals within American society using questionable methods to increase their wealth, all at the expense of the not so fortunate. So-called culprits of these activities are often referred to as the “top 1 percent”; a term gaining a strong foothold in our current vernacular. Although the existence of an income inequality gap is evident, subjectively misinterpreted data is the primary culprit driving the perception that the income inequality gap is expanding.

Capitalism has been the central force behind the growth of the United States’ progressive economy. Within such advanced economic system the chances of economic disparity are significantly high. In fact, over the past three decades there has being a steady increase in unequal wealth distribution among the economic classes. To sustain the current unequal wealth distribution among the classes of the American population, there are numerous factors that influence and shape this trend. For some members of the population it is alarmingly disturbing to know that recent statistics have shown that, “In the US [alone] the wealthiest 1% of its population owns more than the bottom 95 %” (Gutman). As for the difference in economic wealth, it resulted

Democratic: Being Democratic is a system that believes in equality, meaning, and purpose for everyone in that society. For a person living in a Democratic system, whether they are women or men they get the rights to vote, have the same jobs based on educational experience, and they get to grow and expand their knowledge based on the willingness of that person and the money to which they can spend.

Democracy is a form of government in which all eligible citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Democracy allows eligible citizens to participate equally—either directly or through elected representatives—in the proposal, development, and creation of laws. It encompasses social, economic and cultural conditions that enable the free and equal practice of political self-determination.

What makes these numbers seem so dreadful is the fact that the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. In the United States, it’s estimated that 20% of the population holds 80% of the wealth. We can break these figures down further, and note that the bottom 40% of all households have only 1% of all the

The wealthiest one percent of our nation owns half the financial assets and 38 percent of the total wealth. They have more money than the bottom 90 percent combined. The next richest nine percent also have more money than the bottom 90 percent combined. These people are so filthy rich they can literally burn hundred dollar bills and

The number of billionaires has risen to a record 1,645 billionaires with an aggregate net worth of $6.4 trillion according to Forbes Magazine (“Forbes Billionaires”). The year the United States is back at the top with Bill Gates as the richest man in the world, worth about $76 billion (“Forbes Billionaires”). It seems that even though the amount of billionaires has increased, there are people who still live in poverty. As reported by Forbes (2014), America’s wealth is shrinking because of falling home prices. Rises in home prices help the middle class; while the rise in stock prices help the rich.