Jim Tankersley Summary

In “Confronting Inequality”, author Paul Krugman explains how bad income inequality is for the American economy while suggesting what to do to fix this growing problem. Krugman covers topics such as the cost of inequality, how the middle class is over extending themselves, education and health care all while appealing to all three rhetorical elements. Krugman’s article has an overall effective and persuasive argument because of the topics he covers and his appeal to the reader with pathos, logos and ethos.

In ”Why the Rich Are Getting Richer and the Poor, Poorer” Robert Reich talks about the growing gap of higher class and the lower class of today’s society. He states that the rich are getting richer because they are the ones trying to take over the lower paying jobs.Along with that, the poor are getting poorer because of many losing their jobs due to competition with other countries because they are willing to work for less money. With today’s society it is common to replace low paying jobs with machines that end up cheaper and more efficient. Reich uses a metaphor to describe how the economy is doing for the rich and poor. This essay is informational and mature. In choosing this topic, Reich was reaching out to the older audiences by using

Experiencing much greater income growth, wealthy Americans are much more able and willing to spend money. This has resulted in the collapse and struggle of many middle class businesses. Global competition, the recession, and increased dependency on technology have fueled the fire of economic inequality. In the past, the United States has approached the economic inequality issue in a multitude of ways, including implementation of welfare programs, the formation of labor unions, tax raises, and tax cuts. Many of these same premises and ideals are being echoed in today’s debate as politicians struggle with what to do about the current inequality crisis.

Specifically, mechanical workers are taking over the jobs that the middle class traditionally performed(Adam Davidson). The job brake down in America traditionally went upper, middle and lower class jobs. Highly educated and talented individuals normally perform the upper class jobs. Since they perform skilled jobs that most cannot do, they are paid the most. Next come the middle class jobs,

Ronald Bailey explains that technological progress has been affecting the employment level since mid-1950s and he defines it as a battle between human kind and the machine. This is more notably considering that unskilled workers are limited in the labor market either because those individuals do not possess the required set of skills or due to their education level. Moreover, Bailey also suggests different alternatives in order to overcome this problem. Methods such as taxation and the creation of new economic sectors can boost the economy and at the same time, provide aid to the unskilled laborer. Nevertheless, machines and technology are part of human’s life, so “instead of racing the machines, we should race with

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

Part One The documentary Inequality for All covers the decreasing wage, earning capability, and upward mobility of the American middle class. Presented by former Labor Secretary under President Clinton, American economist, author, and Professor Robert Reich; the documentary argues that a strong middle class is vital to an overall health of the United States economy. Reich explains that economic inequality is bad for everyone in the United States, and in spite of the fact the economy has doubled in the last 30 years the gap between the middle and upper classes has grown increasingly larger in that time. Giving way to the 2007-2008 economic crisis in America, bringing us to a point of where social and social change is desperately needed.

Recent economic policy has essentially relied on three approaches: a huge boost in government spending, which was supposed to create new jobs; a tax on the wealthy, which was supposed to address the growing inequality; and a reliance on the Federal Reserve zero-interest-rate policy, which hasn't increased median family income but instead fueled a record stock market and significantly added to the wealth of the already-wealthy, who have significant stock holdings and whose incomes are less reliant on wage levels than are the incomes of middle- and working-class people (Patrick, 2016). Transition: The value of minimum wage is decreasing every year which is making harder than ever to support a family or even oneself. ii.

For most middle class Americans, the dream of a stable, well-paying job is a fiction of a past long-departed. With the arrival of the modern system of flexible labor, working class America has waved goodbye to the economic prosperity championed by its forefathers—and begrudgingly welcomed an economy marked by stagnant income levels, dismal prospects of upward mobility, and a lowered seat at the workplace bargaining table. But as many prepare to bury the American Dream as a relic of days past, there endures a spirit of hope within some circles about the prospects of a brighter economic future for working class Americans. While the debate persists over the admirable goals of re-arming America’s unions and implementing a universal basic

I chose to write this draft because after reviewing each core reading and comparing its material, I realized my view of economic injustices was very clouded. I was so captured by Nick Hanauer’s TED conference I completely forgot about any other issues concerning problems in our economy. My target audience I am trying to reach is the struggling middle-class Americans who may be confused about what is putting the middle class in an unfavorable position economically. By writing this essay, I was hoping to sway the readers with facts and possibly open their minds to interpret and analyze different perspectives when it comes to the issues our middle class faces.

The US economy relies heavily on the middle class, and the lower class, to keep the economy growing, and to create jobs (Reich 2014a). When gains from economic growth disproportionately advantage the top one percent, the purchasing power of rest of society, especially the middle class, is diminished and they struggle to perform their necessary function. This situation disproportionately disadvantages the poor. As largely unskilled and less educated laborers, they are the first to be fired and the last to be hired. They bear the burden of declining wages and benefits. The middle class is also shrinking, and can no longer generate enough tax revenue to provide adequate education, safety nets, and family/social services for themselves and the poor. While wages, job accessibility, educational quality, and social services decline, and while income inequality grows to favor the wealthy, the income ladder gets longer and harder to climb. Upward mobility is increasingly daunting, and the shackles of poverty are growing tighter.

Within the United States, a multitude of Americans live in poverty, actually, according to the Census Bureau in 2010, “there were 42 million poor people in the United States,” and a large portion of those who reside in the middle class are approaching the poverty line, thus, augmenting the amount of people who live in the lower class. As a result of this occurrence, income inequality has become a paramount topic in recent times, especially in the 2016 election. In addition of politicians and other government members discussing this gargantuan issue, professors, journalists, and others have written about this topic to inform the populace about income inequality, and provided ways to fix the issue. The authors Robert B. Reich, Gregory Mantsios, Alan Ajas, Daniel Bustillo, William Darity Jr., and Darrick Hamilton are experts within the field of economics and labor; however, all of these writers are people from different backgrounds, such as Robert B. Reich, who was the Secretary of Labor under President William J. Clinton, and Alan Ajas, who is a professor at Brooklyn College. Although these authors write about income inequality and its causes in the United States, each of the three essays written have a unique focus to each of them, a unique style they are written, and unique solutions to the problem plaguing the U.S.

The United States has long been a world leader in many areas such as industry, agriculture, science, education and health care. From rural communities to the largest cities, prosperity abounded in these fields. The middle class enjoyed much of the success as families were able to fulfill many of the aspirations that made up the American dream. Unfortunately growth in many of these areas has slowed along with the income families used to earn. The reliable and dependent income of the middle class has long been fading and along with its social norms. The effects of the economic inequality described in the article “Income Inequality is Costing the U.S. on Social Issues” by Eduardo Porter, are now becoming clear that society can longer hold itself

There was a period of time in the 1960s when the middle class was thriving so much that plumbers made as much as college professors (Davidson, 2013). Through the 1960s, the middle class in America was alive the thriving. Labor Unions were the leaders of this financial success of the middle class. That changed in the late 1970s under President Carter and early 80s with the introduction of Reaganomics, the social and economic plan of former President Ronald Reagan. While the decline began in the 70s, the true end began when President Reagan fired the striking air traffic controllers. After the air traffic controller’s strike, union bargaining power eroded and was one of many factors that reduced the bargaining power of the middle class

The declining employment rate of American graduates is a prime example, as occupations are being taken away by individuals who are unqualified for the position. Biased networking is to blame, as it is what obtains 80% of individuals their occupations (Fortenbury). Connections are more important than proper schooling and training, consequently causing individuals to squander what little resources individuals have on education (Swanson). Consequently, the wealth gap in America increases, as hard-working individuals. who have invest so much in college, settle for a lesser, menial job, causing one to struggle with saving and investing, as they continue to purchase products until they go into debt, where they then loan from the rich, creating a lopsided economy with the rich on top, as both the middle and lower class’s income are being transferred into the pockets of the upper class, or the top 1%, who owned over 20% of America’s wealth since 2012 (Matthews). This allows the upper class to preserve and even extend their power over the nation, while the middle and lower class struggle with keeping their families healthy and happy. The economic inequality in America is restricting its hard working citizens and forces them to further contribute to the rising inequality, eliminating any hope of opportunity in