Wealth Distribution In America

Some background: I am a former lawyer turned high school teacher. But enough about me. I am constantly amazed by my students' abilities to take complicated subjects and distill just the right message regarding what makes sense to them. Take the "hot potato" subject of this Blog. No one wants to talk about the fact that one in four Americans lives in abject poverty or the fact that we live in a new gilded age, with the Bill Gates and Phil Nights of our times just taking the place of the J.P. Morgans and Nelson Rockefellers. But don't take my word for it. This Blog comes from one of my students, a fourteen year-old Freshman. She writes:


According to the U.S. Census Bureau, since the late 1970’s, the top fifth of family incomes (those with the highest incomes) has been steeply rising while the bottom fifth has dropped. From 1994 CEO pay has increased over 530% while worker pay has only risen 32.3% —which is barely above the inflation rate. This has resulted in the widening gap of wealth distribution between the rich and poor. Because of this, America’s economic profile models that of a Third World Country.

There are identifiable causes that result in the unequal distribution of wealth among Americans. Corporate America has frozen the earning power of blue-collar workers. These workers have to settle for the low paying wages or their jobs will be outsourced. The American people have come to accept the enormous pays and benefits of CEOs, without questioning the validity. Without accountability, companies are able to continue this trend. A majority of society supports the notion of the American Dream and the idea of free enterprise. This makes government hesitant to put a limit on private businesses. Based on the way our society is set up, it is not easy to break or stop the chain of poverty that results from low wages and rising costs of living in the United States.

Given the extremely unbalanced distribution of wealth in the United States, it is important to strive for change. There is more than enough money in American society to raise the standard of living. However the problem is that the wealthy people, in general, are not voluntarily helping. If the government created more projects such as Timberline Lodge, and more people were employed, then our economy would be boosted. When too many people are poor, or their needs are not met, they become unhappy and start thinking of revolutionary ideas. History is full of examples where people revolted because of poor living and working conditions. I believe it is imperative that we work towards a more balanced society before those in poverty slip deeper into the mire, and those rolling in the dough only accumulate more.


In law school we used to call people who just liked to hear themselves speak, Masters Of The Obvious, or "MOTOs". Here comes one of those MOTO statements: "I think this student might be onto something."

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