POSC 100 PAPER #1 Inequality is an ongoing problem in America rather it be political or economic inequality. Despite the United States having the largest economy in the world, the major issue with inequality is that wealthy Americans and politicians have a better likelihood to influence policies and agendas as opposed to the average American. Due to this matter, economic inequality directly leads to political inequality. This paper will discuss the reality of economic inequality in the United States, the relationship between economic and social inequality, and how social movements affect change in the economic and political system. The reality of economic inequality in the U.S. is that 46.2 million people live below the poverty line.
Many of these outsourced jobs don't pay decent enough wages to lift workers out of poverty. The U.S. economy has suffered significant job loss, especially among lower-income and middle-income workers. Globalization puts increased pressure on natural resources around the world, and it creates a greater amount of environmental damage. Economic growth has resulted in the depletion of tropical rainforests, ocean fisheries, and mineral and fuel reserves. Globalization has increased the flow of trade and investment to countries that often abuse human rights — places where worker abuse is common and where attempts to speak out
When the government is involved, a nation can reach its full potential, but without government control, societies are destined for corruption. Without having rules and regulations that the government sets, a capitalist society would quickly become overrun with greed, which would eventually lead to destruction. This has been demonstrated by the stock market crash. In the 1920’s, American capitalists had complete freedom and no regulations to follow. The strength of the economy encouraged Americans to take out more loans and buy more stocks, making them susceptible to future changes in the economy.
This inequality within our nation is the culprit behind America’s insignificant health. “Wealthy Americans make considerably more money than their counterparts in other wealthy countries, while the bottom 10% of our households make considerably less than poor people in Europe or Japan” (Page 228). The breach between America’s poor and rich is causing the overall health to lessen. The wealthy American will spend their money on unnecessary items that they will dissipate; “as private wealth become more concentrated, the quality of public life suffers” (228). Researchers have identified an association between household income inequality and mortality rates.
In times of disaster, it is clear that America's poor are more so poor in regards to their social class, than their ability to survive as human beings. Even poor families, who are overcrowded by U.S. standards or face temporary food shortages, are likely to have living conditions far greater than that of the world average. The poor of America do have a hard time
This poverty has been pursuit due to “free market ideals” which is expressed in imposition of “neoliberal economies policies”. This are policies that have sort certain ways of cutting the taxes on wealthy and it do away with fiscal and business regulations, which shred social safety net and eroding the middle class stability (Andersen & Taylor, 2006). Due to this, the richer get more rich and the poor get poorer and more numerous. Behind the issue of economy performance, there are disparities of social behavior which unacknowledged the critics of US economy system. Changes in family structure have increased the level of poverty in America.
Poverty is defined as the state of one who lacks a certain amount of material possessions or money. Eszter Siposne. N (2011) highlights that absolute concepts of poverty assume that minimum material needs can be defined regardless of space and time, and those who are not able to satisfy these needs are considered to be poor. This document also then defines relative poverty as being below certain threshold. World health organisation (WHO, 2011) defines relative poverty contextually as economic inequality in the location or society in which people live.
Reducing Poverty In America Delmar A Bennett Buffalo State College Abstract In this essay I will briefly demonstrate how poverty impacts the United States. My main focus is to discuss the reasons behind poverty in the States. After gathering research I came to the conclusion that poverty arises due to the lack of education. The United States is in an era were poverty is becoming a big epic. We live in the richest nation yet nearly 49 million of Americans struggle to put food on their table.
Winner-Take-All Politics; a book which defends the middle and lower class by stating that the richest 1% is getting richer because of political forces. The authors argue that the structure of our government has created economic woes and inequalities in our society, that interest groups play a big part in politics, and that those at the top of the economic ladder use their power to better themselves economically, leaving the rest the USA, the 99% struggling to maintain economic stability. The structure of the government has contributed tremendously to US economic woes and inequality. The main structures of our government that are creating these economic woes are: separation of powers, the legislative process, and federalism. Separation of
The argument or what Hobson called “the economic taproot of imperialism” was excessive capital in search of investment, and that this excessive capital came from over saving made possible by the unequal distribution of wealth. (The New Imperialism/The Latin Library, Thompson) The remedy, he maintained, was internal social reform and a more equal distribution of wealth. (New Imperialism Lecture Notes, J. Hollis & Western Heritage, pg 828). Meanwhile, Lenin and other Marxists believed imperialism resulted in the demise of capitalism. As wealth concentrates in fewer hands, the ability for investment at home is reduced resulting in foreign investments and exploit weaker nations.