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Wealth Inequality

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Educating the public on wealth inequality can help gain support to reduce wealth inequality. Many politicians have decried policies such as higher taxes and closing loopholes intended to help the middle class and harm the wealthy. Senate President pro tempore Orrin Hatch disagreed with former-President Barack Obama’s speech on tackling income inequality by responding that Obama was committing “class warfare,” which is a statement used by pundits to conceal the actual problem of wealth inequality. In addition, although a lower social mobility in the United States will likely keep people in poverty, around 80% of Americans thought that a person in poverty could eventually become wealthy. In addition, although only 0.2% of estates owed estate …show more content…

Education reform can be taken to educate the public on what exactly wealth inequality is and its effects on the United States’ economy. Changes such as expanding public education to all members of the socioeconomic ladder, further regulating charter and private schools, and ensuring the children of tomorrow are learning what is really happening in the United States through current events education can help solve the obfuscation of wealth inequality. Providing lower-cost education to members of the middle and lower classes could fight the decline of social mobility in the United States caused as a result of wealth inequality. Although education reform will certainly cost the United States in the short-term, long-term effects such as higher wages, improved health, reduced dependency on social welfare programs, and increased volunteerism are well worth the initial costs. Although investing in education is a viable option, there are other ways to solve the problem of wealth …show more content…

Organizations such as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the International Labor Organization, and the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) could help workers gain an edge over their employers. This advantage can increase workers’ wages and decrease the high payouts given to executives, which reduce inequality. Collective bargaining by unions can also help gain and leverage this advantage. Collective bargaining is currently under threat by a Supreme Court challenge. Janus v. AFSCME is a case in the Supreme Court that may affect union dues across the country and potentially overturn a precedent established in 1977. If the Supreme Court sides with the plaintiffs, around 20% to 30% of both members and revenue from the unions will be lost as a result. This may cause some unions to collapse. If a collapse were to occur, workers would be without a voice to represent their concerns, leading to lower wages, poorer conditions, and higher inequality as a result. Moreover, arbitration clauses listed in workers’ contracts prevent workers from standing up to problems with their employer. Arbitration disproportionally benefits employers over workers, which prevents workers from remediating the injustices present in the workplace. In addition, many arbitration clauses prevent workers from joining up together, which can give them more power in legal complaints called “class-action”

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