Essay --

Kelly Cowart 2-21-14 POLS 2301 Dr. Glazier Inequality in America Income inequality has been all over the news as of late and has been pushed to the forefront of the political sphere. Our president even made this issue a major part of his last state of the union address. It is no surprise to most Americans that income inequality is a very real thing that has been steadily increasing since the 1970’s. While the country has been making slow but steady progress on social inequalities, the income inequality has only grown. How can this be? We are one of the richest nations on this planet and the disparity between the rich and the poor is staggering. But is a measure of income inequality an accurate way to assess how well the country as a whole is doing? And is the income gap as bad as it looks on paper? Will an increase in the minimum wage help lift people out of poverty? There are several arguments to this and in this paper I will explore the issues surrounding income inequality and also add in the important factor of social mobility. When we think of income inequality we usually think of big corporations versus the rest of us. We do not typically think that small businesses contribute to this problem as well. But indeed this gap is present in all forms of business big and small because, let’s face it, most business models are based on the capitalist system. Business wants to get the most production for the least amount of cost to increase the profit margin. Most would agree that this is the way America works. This model is great in theory and in practice has obviously worked. But where does it put the workers? Are they able to sustain a living free from dependency on social programs while working for these businesses? Are the b... ...ion of the Affordable Care Act, health insurance for the working poor and the impoverished is now a welcome reality. There are solutions out there to help with the problem of income inequality. Education needs to be more affordable with more opportunity for students and advisors to search out public and private grants and scholarships to help offset the costs of a higher education. Reduction in tax breaks and increases in tax to the top earners would help bridge the income gap. Increases of credits such as the EITC to the working poor to help subsidize income would also help. And finally, political campaign finance reform would help give the poor a loud and relevant enough voice to be heard by all. There are myriad of solutions to the problem of income inequality and these are just a few ideas that could help change the course of this country and its economy.