Preview

'Income Inequality: Too Big To Ignore'

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
379 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
'Income Inequality: Too Big To Ignore'
Income Inequality: Too Big to Ignore In “Income Inequality: Too Big to Ignore”, Frank shows the influences in Americans’ lives in different classes by the disparity between the rich and the poor. He arouses people’s consciousness for the “rising inequality” which is being polarized and has been causing immense damages to Americans, no matter which class they are. It is true that the “Income Inequality” in America is very obvious and affecting more and more people. Indeed, “we should just agree that it’s a bad thing”, however, are we able to do something concrete to deal with it effectively? Is the” rising inequality really required in the name of fairness”? I stand neutral towards Frank’s opinion. The reason of the “rising

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Powerful Essays

    Robert H. Frank explains that the income inequality is hurting our economy and over all well-being. During World War 2, the income rate rose tremendously at the same rate. America during this time had a great economy with a bold middle class striving to receive the American dream (Frank, 581). Plenty of new building and complex infrastructures were built and people were sanguine; the American dream was passionately alive. Life for many Americas was great, the country as a whole was striving with new complex infrastructures which a small gap between the rich and poor. Unfortunately, during the last three decades the economy had fallen and therefore, increased the income inequality. There has been no evidence proving that greater income inequality helps strengthen our economy. Recent studies have found that countries where income inequality grow fastest has shown the largest financial distress. These financial distresses include heightened divorce rates, increased bankruptcy filings and long commute times. In my opinion, everyone should agree that the elevated income equality is a negative and do something to prevent it. This is only one of the many obstacles that make the goal of the American dream…

    • 1045 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    This article by Julia Limitone describes the state of our current economy and what some economic advisors are expecting for the future. While a few have a negative outlook, some believe the United States economy is doing incredibly well under the circumstances.…

    • 369 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Best Essays

    In today’s capitalist economy, where economic transactions and business in general is centered on self-interest, there is a natural tendency for some people to make more than others. That is the basis for the “American Dream,” where people, if they worked hard, could make money proportional to their effort. However, what happens when this natural occurrence grows disproportional in its allocation of wealth within a society? The resulting issue becomes income inequality. Where a small portion of the population, own the majority of the wealth and the majority of the population own only a fraction of what the rich own. This prominent issue has always been the subject of social tension from even before the French Revolution and spawns numerous other social issues in a society. In the more recent Occupy Movement, beginning in 2011, protesters used income inequality as a motive. Moreover, they were justified in doing so. In a 2010 statistic, it was revealed that the top 1% of America, own 35% of the wealth while the lower 80%, over the majority of the population, only have 11% of the nation’s wealth distributed between them. Financially the situation is even worse where the bottom 80% own only 5% of the financial wealth and the top 1% own 42% of the Nation’s financial wealth. Not to say the top 1% didn’t work hard to get to where they are, but according to the ideals of the “American Dream,” the top 1% should have worked 243 times harder than the average, not the poorest, worker in America. This extreme of disproportional wealth distribution is not only a source of social conflict, but a catalyst for various other problems that exist.…

    • 1528 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Great Divergence In America

    • 2351 Words
    • 10 Pages

    With unreliable data and few resources to gain evidence of a faulty system; American politicians sometimes turn a blind eye or demean the importance of the issue. Obviously unemployment and economic deterioration are serious problems, but they are problems that would be further eased by addressing the current, historic, and growing imbalance in income inequality. The avoidance of such a current dilemma, such as the enormous gap of income, is an issue itself. For the problem to start resolving itself, we must bring the issue into the spotlight to be addressed by the officials who run our country. Income inequality, by contrast, is getting worse over time. Doesn’t it make more sense to focus attention on the problem that’s getting worse rather than all the problems—unemployment, the deficit, limited opportunity—that are not? But in turn, they could be resolved with addressing the prevalent income gap. (Noah 368)…

    • 2351 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Quintile Income Inequality

    • 1654 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Income inequality is often associated with negative things such as decreased quality of life and a lack of social mobility. Yet, the lower classes are receiving less and less of the United States’ overall income while the top earners' share is increasing. Why? This paper will explore causes of the growing income inequality as well as possible solutions to slowing it down.…

    • 1654 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Inequality is the lack of equality amongst a society. An inequity is a lack of fairness and justice. The terms are often used interchangeably not only among John Rawls, but also in society. Equality and Equity in the United States of America is a current big topic. Are minorities in America experiencing a lack of equality, equity, or both? Does everyone truly have basic freedoms, or some more than others?…

    • 377 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the United States, the top ten percent of all households own seventy-six percent of all the wealth in the country (1). Income inequality is frequently highlighted, but why is wealth inequality rarely brought to our attention? The political system has failed to deal with the problem, and the gap will only continue to grow in the future. How can we call this the land of opportunity when the bottom forty percent will most likely stay the bottom forty percent for their entire lives (1)? That is why I offer a modest proposal to overthrow the current system and establish a Utopian society built from the rubble. This Utopia, which I shall refer to as the United Socialist States of America (USSA), is going to be built around the premise of economic equity through the equal distribution of resources and knowledge. This would create a society without greed because money is the ultimate…

    • 1249 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Economic Inequality

    • 155 Words
    • 1 Page

    Economic inequality in the United States has increased tremendously throughout the past decades and has consequently led to many social conditions that negatively impact the lower and middle class. The unequal distribution of income and wealth is primarily due to the capitalist government economy that deregulates markets as well as globalization and technological advances. Political inequality is similarly another consequence that results from the economic disparity that further affects democracy and political representation of many Americans. This likewise leads to the creation of social movements, in which many unprivileged Americans seek government attention to overcome the inequality that exists amongst the socioeconomic classes.…

    • 155 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    Essay On Income Inequality

    • 1933 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Income inequality means that there is no equality between people. Also, there are big differences between the rich and everyone else. This problem grows year after year. Some people become poor and other become rich. The American Dream is related to income because everyone who wants to achieve the American Dream must have a great income. Rich and poor people are all human beings, but poor people have stolen money from each other because they do not have a great experience to get money. Rich people have great experience in business because they received from his or her family, also they study in great school and university. In addition, education is one of the greatest things to have the huge income. People who study in higher education will…

    • 1933 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Inequalities In America

    • 1055 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The word “opportunity” is defined as the circumstance available to achieve one’s goals. It is a word that is especially applicable to America; the idea of America as nation where anybody has the opportunity to succeed is so embedded into the American identity that “opportunity” has transcended its dictionary definition. It has become an intrinsic part of the American Dream, a word ingrained with the history of many generations. To many, America is often considered the land of opportunity; from the earliest colonizers, who sailed across the Atlantic Ocean for religious freedom and economic gains, to pioneers who traveled in wagon trains to the American west in pursuit of gold and land, to immigrants throughout history who have come to America for a better life. America has always been seen as a place where people can strive to improve their lot in life, as long as they had the determination and perseverance to do so. Despite this idealistic image of America, however, it is not always supported in reality. We should aim to appreciate, to strive for, to live the ideal that hard work leads to success, but we should also acknowledge…

    • 1055 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “Wealth inequality can be described as the unequal distribution of assets within a population. The United States exhibits wider disparities of wealth between rich and poor than any other major developed nation,” (www.inequality.org) There are two factors that I believe contribute to the wealth gap are income and race inequalities. As the gaps widen within those two factors, the wealth gap in the United States continues to grow exponentially.…

    • 555 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Income Inequality Essay

    • 758 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Income inequality has been, and continues to be, an issue among the different genders and ethnicities in the United States. The gap continues to widen not only between men and women, but also among other women when age, ethnicity, appearance, and physical limitation biases are taken into account.…

    • 758 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In today’s day in age, many different types of people have experienced or encountered some form of inequality. Whether it’s a woman not being paid the same as a man for doing the exact same job or whether it’s a gay couple not having the same legal rights as a heterosexual couple, both have experienced some form of inequality. During our last session in class, we learned about law and it’s punishments towards genocide. It is extremely vague all on its own, leaving as many loopholes you could possibly imagine as well as confusion. It’s almost impossible to tell if someone has the intention to complete a genocide act without someone saying themselves that were their intention. It might even seem that some people are more favored over others due to the lack of protection the law gives to certain groups of people.…

    • 314 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Inequality In America

    • 635 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Way back in 1776 the Declaration of Independence was ratified. The men who it signed had a vision for a new country; a place that would be ruled by democracy and somewhere that people would be able to express themselves freely. At 14, I can hardly match the experience and knowledge they had, but I can still have a vision for America. I want people to be themselves and not worry about potential hate crimes for their identity. I want my sons and daughters to grow up knowing they can do whatever they set their mind to. I want every American to be able to walk into a room and feel truly safe knowing every single person there respects them for being the person they were born to be. I want my children and grandchildren grow up in a world where the word "equal" really does mean "equal".…

    • 635 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    America is supposed to be all about equality, but if you take a serious look around, you will see that there is human rights issue going on all over America; this is just one of them. Things need to be reevaluated and adjusted as things change and growth happens, America do not seem to roll with the changes very well and are stuck in a moralistic, religious, patriarchal system. In recent years, the major concerns of economic development is the study of poverty, the income distribution and growth in the less developed countries or from all over the world have been doing researches and studies on how to induce a growth in those under developed countries.…

    • 747 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays