The Inequality Of The United States

A deafening and persistent roar reverberates against the glass walls, around the stone columns and through the rows of American flags, which billow above the financial hub of the United States. A sea of tens of thousands of American citizens begins below the iconic black and white sign that reads “Wall St”, and extends beyond the end of the block, filling each and every square inch of space in-between. Over and over again, in unison, they chant “We are the ninety-nine percent!” and collectively form a voice that is heard not just throughout the stock exchange, or the city of New York, but throughout the entire country and the world. Occupy Wall Street was a movement that brought together members of the “99%” — the bottom ninety-nine

The United States is currently experiencing increased income inequality and a large gap between rich and poor that continues to grow. After the Wall Street meltdown in 2008 and the recession that followed, economic recovery has been extremely slow and the inequality of America’s income distribution seems to be intensifying. Since the recession, the top one percent of earners in the US has experienced notably higher percentages of income growth, while the incomes of the middle class have become frozen with little to no significant increases. This has led to a substantial concentration of wealth. Many Americans have become skeptical and concerned about the chance of upward mobility in such an unbalanced economy. Education inequality is

The United States of Inequality is an article that delves into the harsh realities we face in our country today, with regards to income inequality. Income inequality in the United States is at a rise. And the sobering factor is that so little is being done to address this issue. According to a new study by researchers at the Economic Policy Institute, forces of rising inequality are operating at an all-time high throughout the United States. The study, “which measures income inequality by state, metro area and county, shows that inequality has risen in every state since the 1970s.” It also shows that rising inequality is deep-rooted.  “Recessions in recent decades have temporarily slowed income growth among the top 1 percent, but they have not altered the basic pattern in which the rich have gotten much richer while nearly everyone else has seen income stagnate or decline (Tritch, "The United States of Inequality", 2016).” In all, the top 1 percent in the United States captured 85.1 percent of total income growth from 2009 to 2013. In 2013, the 1.6 million families in the top 1 percent made 25.3 times as much on average as the 161 million families in the bottom 99 percent.

There are many types of inequalities throughout the world, but the major ones throughout the United States would most likely involve one's gender, one's background and also one's financial status. According to the Merriam-Webster, inequality is defined as, an unfair situation in which some people have more rights or even better opportunities than others. Many of today's United States citizens came into this country for the many benefits and opportunities one tends to hear about, but the negative situations and outcomes are never discussed. Just like any other topic, inequality has both its positive and negative outcomes, whether it is necessary to give those who want to succeed a bit of a challenge to get to where they deserve to be, to even

“Inequality in the United States has prevailed on all levels, be it the justice and legal system, or the social class. This inequality is not only the basis of discrimination, but also encourages the increase in criminalization.”

The study of inequality in America is vital to understanding the complicated political and social issues in America. Barrington, Illinois, my home town, is the picture of upper-middle class suburbia. It is a town with very little inequality, and very little diversity, but one which reveals some basic truths about inequality in America. One must first look at a snapshot of what Barrington socioeconomic structure is, then evaluate this structure through the theories of inequality. After these, and a quick evaluation of preconceived notions on Barrington’s inequality versus the real data, and a comparison of Barrington’s data to that of the United States as a whole, some conclusions can be drawn. These data reveal a strong correlation between Barrington’s lack of economic inequality, and lack of demographic and social diversity.

Economic inequality reigns as a massive divide in the United States of America. Many active policies cause people to occupy an economic level which is meant to benefit those above them. With that said, there have been many efforts taken in hopes of reducing the current levels of economic inequality, but with these efforts, money and wealth will have to be taken from the rich to give to the poorer. This is where the problem lies with wealth inequality – many have to sacrifice for those whom they presume to be unworthy of benefiting from their fortunes. Education, wealth, race, and power all play a role as to why action will not be taken to reduce the current levels of inequality in America.

It would be within reason to assume that when it comes to jobs the most qualified individual should get the position. However, the sad truth is that in today’s society this is not always the case. We would like to think that this nation is beyond racial barriers, glass ceilings, and students left behind, but the truth is we are not. Inequalities like these are some of the main reasons America has such a large wealth gap, and has become stagnant when it comes to upward mobility. We know that inequality of opportunity is largely at fault when it comes to individual gains in upward mobility yet it continues to happen. What is upward mobility and why do we care? Upward mobility is defined as “rising from a lower to a higher social class or status”

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. (Declaration)” The nation created by immigrants proclaimed its Declaration of Independence from the United Kingdom on July 4th, 1776. Overtime, the United States have developed into a more powerful nation among the world. However, despite its many accomplishments, the United States continues to be far from perfect. Problems such as rights, equality, and identity continue to plague the nation in developing to its fullest potential. Robert Reich, Martin Luther King Jr., and Michael Walzer illustrate issues that continue to be relevant today—impending

Michael Sandel, an esteemed professor of government at Harvard, says, “We live in a time when almost anything can be bought and sold” (42). This quote explains his thinking on an American societal problem; he believes that the society has become intertwined with its market. In “Markets and Morals,” Sandel explains that lower- and middle-class Americans are faced with inequality because they are unable to afford the prices set for higher-end necessities like political influence and safe neighborhoods; he also states that the corrosive nature of a price tag and the lack of morals in political arguments devalue our society. Sande believes that, as a result of the disintegration of differentiation between the American society and market, the

We do not live in an equal world, but we have made a lot of progress with inequality through races, women, gays, transgender and disabled. There is about is about 7 billion people in the world, 318.9 million in the U.S, and only 11.1% of people in the U.S will experience inequality in their lifetime. That's 28,000 people out of 318 million.

Public subsidies are allowing for multinational companies like Walmart and McDonald 's to pay such low wages, which in turn provides social services like food stamps, Medicaid and public housing. Out of all U.S. companies Wal-mart employees are the largest recipients of public welfare, receiving about $6.2 billion a year in mostly federal subsidies. Because they are making such nominal hourly wages these services are essential for the well-being of the American public. Workers and consumers alike are encapsulated within this system, with the Walton family even controlling a large portion of the region’s banking system. Jim Walton, son of Sam Walton, controls 96% of Arvest Bank. His father and mother purchased the Bank of Bentonville in 1961 when it had a holding of approximately $3.5 million. Today, it controls over $15 billion of assets. If you look at their growth, it is clear that Arvest, the Walton banking industry, is following the path of Walmart and headed toward the path of globalization.

Inequality has been seen throughout history and socially by how people differentiate each other by what they have. It started with hunting and gathering in that the wealthiest had the most power and told their tribe what to do and had most of the goods.In the middle ages where they started to use other people as their workers to work for their land. Everything has changed from 1940 until present day by government, technology, and globalization having high poverty in the country.

Income inequality has been deeply affecting the economy and our society for decades. The socioeconomic inequality gap in the United States has been getting higher and higher since the late 1970s, creating more unequal opportunities for millions of people in the lower and middle classes. It seems as if the lower class families are getting crushed, while the top 1% are on top, jumping up and down, crushing them more and more. The system makes it hard for those that coming from poor income families to succeed; From it being difficult to get higher education to receiving no healthcare. The middle class are the top consumers and the heart of this economy and yet they are getting robbed out of their rights. In the article “Confronting Inequality”, author Paul Krugman explains how and why a big gap between the wages of the top 1% and the middle class is such a huge problem for the economy. He believes that this inequality will affect the standard of living for the middle class. Another scholar who shares a similar view and may agree with this statement is former Labor Secretary, Robert Reich. In his documentary, Inequality for All, like Krugman, Reich discusses his beliefs and knowledge about how the unequal distribution of wealth between classes is affecting the economy greatly. On contrary to Krugman and Reich’s views on the downside effects of income inequality in the economy, in “The Upside of

The common theme that America offers is that we are a land of opportunity and that we are the land of the free. We are a country that is currently lead by a president who is trying to “make America great again”, but as a society, how “great” are we? Although America was a country that ranked 1st in many economic and technologic advances, how many citizens received the benefits that this country provided? The common misconception is that we are a country that has continued to progress past the Great Recession not only economically, but socially. Education has shown us that if you’re a minority citizen within America, your privileges and economic opportunities are already a disadvantage at birth. In 2017, we have seen issues addressed in social media or the news over topics such as living conditions, gender inequality, and racism. Social inequality and economic inequality are formed from attributes such as race, class, and gender.