http://motherjones.com/politics/2011/02/income-inequality-in-america-chart-graph
This has been posted a billion times, as for my measly $0.02...
- The reason for the wealth gap in the US is the difference between those who own and those who labor. As our economy has developed, the value of labor has increased. As layers of labor are multiplied and value succesively added, the eventual wealth of the final owner increases exponentially. The reason the gap continues to increase is that labor is becoming more and more valuable while the proportion of those that labor and own remains mostly unchanged.
- The "problem" is that this paradigm of laboring and owning is dated. Everyone who labors can (should?) be entitled to some ownership of the value they create.
- One way to accomplish this is meritocractic pay scales/bonuses/incentives for all members of corporate organizations, not only upper management. People who aren't getting these have the responsibility of organizing/unionizing to negotiate for them. There should be more strikes in the US. This is one of the few areas in which I feel the French are doing it right.
- The other, more powerful way is by marketing one's individual skills through the internet in whatever way possible. Everyone, everyone, everyone that has any kind of skill that can be sold online has NO excuse not to have a personal business website. NONE. This is the next really great unlocked potential and equalizer presented by the internet. Most people now use it. Most people are actually on it in a small way through social networking. But still a small minority of people market their skills through it. It takes a week's work and a couple hundred bucks. There's really no excuse.
- At the end of the day it's America and nobody owes you shit. But the tools are there with not a lot of intellect and not a lot of work to get what you're worth. If you want to work for it.
I think the most dangerous example is the "Out of Balance" chart. It at once explains the problem and our inability to solve it. So many Americans simply accept their current lot simply because they have either grown accustomed to the notion that our way of life is "the best" or because they have marginally educated themselves to accept that GDP (total and per capita) are indicators of their own wealth.
ReplyDeleteI wish I could tell you that I see a chance of change but I think our system and culture are too far removed from where we could ever begin to imagine equality. Our only hope is to extend education as far as possible and hope that those who do not have will eventually usurp the fools who do.
...that and the inheritance tax needs to be on the order of 60-80%. You were born rich. Congratulations. Get a job.