Blog 13: Evening the Odds

In the article Evening the Odds, the author, Nicholas Lemann, like many of the other articles I have blogged about is discussing the issue of how the income inequality that exists in the United States and the world is getting larger. The inequality of income and wealth has been the most striking change in the past generation. In 1979 the one percent that the Occupy Wallstreet movement has been protesting against earned nine percent of all personal income. Today, the one percent earns over a quarter of all personal income. And with the recession that recently hit, it mostly affected those at the bottom of the inequality gap, but the recovery from the recession has hardly helped those in the bottom. The author points out that the people in the bottom percentile of earnings have more votes for politics and that if they want to see a difference in this then they need to take action. But they have yet to do this. There is no clear sign that the Occupy Wallstreet movement is going to be a major issue, like most would hope for, in the upcoming election.

I feel that in order for the people of the bottom spectrum of the ninety-nine percent would want to try to make a stand for themselves and take more action to get more involved in the politicians running. I feel that by supporting politicians that they will in return support the people’s needs. Those people’s needs would be those of the ninety-nine percent of the population. The politicians are the one that are really going to have the majority of control over laws and social programs that will support the people.

http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/atlarge/2012/04/23/120423crat_atlarge_lemann?mbid=gnep

Blog 12: Canadians ok with higher taxes to fight inequality

In the article, Canadians OK with higher taxes to fight inequality, written by Meagan Fitzpatrick, she is explaining how Canadians want to increase taxes in order to save social programs. Instead of seeing social government programs fail and fall to the ground, such as health care, post-secondary education, and pensions, the people of Canada are willing to pay more on their taxes. They see that by paying more taxes it will help reduce the income inequality that exists. “Canadians are really disturbed by the degree of inequality and they are prepared now to do something about it.” This is not just the liberals that think that this plans should be implemented, but over half of the conservative people of Canada are in favor of and willing to work with this plan. 83 percent of the population in Canada, including the wealthy are behind the idea of raising income taxes on people who earn more that $250,000.

I personally think that all people should be taxed the same percentage, if you earn more you shouldn’t have more taxes taken just because you make more. Although I do see where this makes good sense. If the government can take out more taxes out in order to save the social programs that affects everyone then I think it would be very beneficial to all people, rich and poor. By benfiting the social programs it will make the inequality gap smaller because all people will have a more equal opportunity to receive the adequate resources that they need.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/story/2012/04/10/pol-broadbent-poll.html

Blog 11: The 99 Percent Spring and extreme Inequality

In the article The 99 Percent Spring and extreme Inequality, the author, Chuck Collins, is once again addressing that problem that has been occurring over the last four decades. That problem is the growing inequality among the classes in income, wealth, and opportunity. The richest one percent own over 36 percent of all the wealth in the United States, more that the net worth of the bottom 95 percent. Collins points out that as wealth becomes more concentrated it creates a political clout, meaning that the wealthier people have the power to use campaign contributions to rent politicians and tilt the rules of the economy in their favor. So, who makes up the one percent? The one percent is households that have an annual income of $500,000 or more and wealth exceeding $5 million. We live in a world that favors the one percent and with the Occupy Wallstreet movement they are working for a cause that will support not just the one percent, but the 100 percent.

                So many few people own the majority of wealth that the total combinations of the 99 percent will never see in their life. Which I find to be rather drastic. Collins makes a very good point that I have seen not many others make the connection. He says that the one percent has great control over the political mainstream, which is very true. They are the ones that help support candidates, they are the ones making donations to help keep campaigns running, they are really the backbone of the political world. With them having such great control over politics it keeps politicians that will support the needs of the one percent and not always the politicians that are looking out for the 100 percent.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/chuck-collins/the-99-percent-spring-and_b_1395812.html

Blog 10: Income Inequality From Generation To Generation

                In the article Income Inequality from Generation to Generation, the author, Robert Lenzner, from Forbes, is addressing that the income inequality that we are experiencing now and like the rest of the world is not a new thing, it has always existed, just not as extreme as it is now. One sentence does a good job of summarizing the article, “Inequality today is leading to more inequality tomorrow.”  The inequality that exists limits the opportunities that are available to all people, upper class and poor class. Opportunities are at risk for all generations unless efforts are devoted to providing more opportunities for those born into lower-income households. People in the upper classes are able to provide more resources for their children such as books, computers, child care, private schools, and these children also receive inheritance from their parents. With these children receiving better resources than those in lower classes it creates an ever continuing line of income inequality from generation to generation.

                I strongly agree with Lenzner in this article. “Inequality today is leading to more inequality tomorrow.” The children of the upper classes and the wealthier people are going to take advantage of the resources that are provided for them. They then take the jobs that their parents had, the CEO and owners of large companies, and the inequality is a continuous process. The lower classes do not have much of a chance to work their way up. Until strong reinforcements in the government is made and they provide programs and they are devoted to help these people of the lower classes then we will begin to see a change, although maybe not drastic, that will help shrink the inequality gap that has existed for generations.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/robertlenzner/2012/03/26/the-great-gatsby-curve-is-a-threat-to-the-american-dream/

Blog 9: who is responsible for inequality

In the article Who is Responsible for Inequality?, the author Robert MacCulloch, from New Zealand is trying to figure out how the country should address inequality that exists in their society like all other countries. Some think that inequality is the cause that some people have more education and skills to offer and there for they are rewarded. Others think that globalization is the problem.  New Zealand is trying to figure out how they need to deal with this income inequality that they are being faced with. Should they look at it as a good thing and an inevitable consequence of growth, or should the government make changes to welfare and tax policies? Many have the view of the ‘American Dream’, work hard and you will benefit from it. However Europeans do not see that everyone is capable of rising to the top. So what does New Zealand do, do they take on the ‘American Dream’ and leave it up to low-income individuals to work harder, or relate to the European belief that hard work is often not rewarded?

                Trying to figure out how to deal with income inequality is quite difficult. I feel that, although it may not be the most ideal to most people, to overcome inequality in a country is for the government and the people to work together. Like the European belief, hard work is not always rewarded the way it should be. A person may work hard all their life and can still have a low income. If the people of a country continue to work hard and the government enforces policies and procedures to help those of the lower spectrum of inequality then I think countries will begin to see a change in inequality. The gap between the upper one percent and the ninety-nine percent will begin to shrink.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10792989

Blog 8: The Future of China's Growth

                In the article, “The Future of China’s Growth” written by Justin Yifu Lin, he is addressing how the Chinese economy has recently began slowing down and how the government is trying to face these growing problems. China is beginning to face serious economic inequality, like many other countries are already experiencing. The Chines government has developed a Five Year plan that will deepen market oriented reform, change the country’s development model, quality of growth, structural reforms and social inclusion to overcome the rural-urban divide to make the rise in income inequality. In order for this plan to work the government needs to provide rules, standards, and policies. The author state that Chinese government needs to make measures to increase labor force participation rates, rethink wage policy, and make social insurance programs accessible nationwide. By doing all these things it will help mend the gap that is becoming larger between the classes. China’s government calls for expanding opportunities, promoting social security, and reducing relatively high and social economic inequality.

                I agree with the author, since so many countries are now facing such drastic income and economic inequalities then the governments need to step in and form rules, standards, and policies for the country to be governed by. By providing the people of the country with policies, especially the ones that are hurting from the inequality gap like the lower and middle classes, then they will benefit from the new policies. Policies will help the country’s inequality gap grow smaller which will then make the country be able to grow as a whole.

http://thedailynewsegypt.com/global-views/the-future-of-chinas-growth.html

Blog 7: Mind the Gap

                In the article, Mind the Gap, it is trying to address the problem of how inequality exists throughout all countries around the world. They start off by stating that inequality not only exists between countries but also within countries. The inequality gap of countries varies among themselves. It all depends on how developed a country is. Many countries have tried to fix the inequality gap that exists in their country but they have not been able to fully succeed in doing so. The article states that on country has had great success in helping to mend this gap between the upper classes and the lower classes. This country is Brazil. Brazil has focused on their social programs that will help the country.  In the years 2000-2008 the income on the bottom fifth of their country grew at an annual rate of six percent. This was greater than the rate of the top fifth. Brazil saw the need to focus politically more on the housing, education, pensions, medical care, and unemployment in their country.

                I have to agree with Brazil’s method of trying to mend the gap between the lower classes and the upper classes.  If a country really wants to be fair to its entire people. It has to offer some sort of help to those who cannot afford them on their own. A country needs to be able to provide the same level and quality of education to those in the lower classes as they would the upper classes. If they do not a quality education then how would a country expect these people to afford a decent home to live in, or provide medical care for their families or to be able to keep a steady well paying job that will provide to them and their families for the rest of their lives. I feel that in order for a country to mend the inequality gap then the need to focus on those social programs that are going to be beneficial to everyone instead of just making the rich richer.

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2012/03/01/confronting_the_rise_of_inequality?page=0,1

Blog 6: What the U.S. and Chinese school systems have in common: Inequality, segregation

In the article, What the U.S. and Chinese school systems have in common: Inequality, segregation, written by Sarah Carr, she is pointing out how in both countries inequality exists, not only in society but also within in the school systems. She starts out by noting the differences between the countries. The most notable was that she said that our United States private schools are what are equivalent to Chinese public schools. Meaning that students that go to the private schools are those who are going to receive a better education. The author points out that the main reason for this inequality in the school systems is who is attending these schools and where they are located throughout the country. In China the private schools are those that are in the cities where they have many migrant families coming from different parts of the country looking for work. These are the schools that do not actually provide a lot for their students.

                I think that the main reason for this inequality among schools in China, the United States, and anywhere else in the world is mostly due to the area in which a person lives. Where a person lives you can usually determine how well off they are economically. Those who live in areas where the majority of people have a substantial amount of money are more than likely going to go to the best of schools with the best teachers, and in return these students are going to receive the best education. On the other hand, families that are not as well off students are not going to go to the schools that have the best to offer. I think that in order to fix this inequality among the schools systems around the world is to have a school systems in which there are not separations among the classes or races and have all students go to one school that is within their districts.

http://hechingerreport.org/content/what-the-u-s-and-chinese-school-systems-have-in-common-inequality-segregation_7715/comment-page-1/

Blog 5: Migrants Struggle in the Shadows of Asia’s Rising Tide of Inequality

                In the article Migrants Struggle in the Shadows of Asia’s Rising Tide of Inequality, the author, Michelle Chen, is trying to address the issue that inequality of the workers and owners of companies are far greater than what they should be. In Asia there is an emerging economy but with that emerging economy also brings a downward spiral for the labor migration. Not only in Asia, but all over the world the low-wage migrant workers are not being paid accordingly, some not being paid for up to four months because the owners of the companies are not able to afford to pay them. The working conditions that these migrant workers are working in are far from reasonable. They often experience along with low wages, poor nutrition, small working and living quarters, and sometimes abuse of the owners. Chen concludes her article stating that justice and equality for migrant workers will remain out of reach across the world until authority steps in and tries to make a difference.

                As Chen said this inequality gap is seen all across the world. Migrants go to work for owners of large companies. These companies often need a lot of people that will work for very little in return. The owners of these large companies are reaping the benefits of being able to pay these migrant workers so little. They see the money constantly coming in making their pockets deeper while the workers are not even being paid enough to get by. I am afraid to say but, this kind of inequality is going to continue to exist across the world as long as there is a demand for cheap labor. Owners of companies know that if they can move a company to another country then they will be able to pay workers far less where people are going to be willing to work for dirt cheap. Unless governmental authority decides to step in and take action the people on the top are going to continue to prosper and the inequality between them and the migrant workers is going to continue to grow.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michelle-chen/migrants-struggle-in-the-_b_1278582.html

Blog 4: We need gender studies to battle ineguality across the board

In the article We need gender studies to battle inequality across the board, by Triona Kennedy, she is trying to address that the fact that in order to eliminate the idea of gender inequality then it needs to start in the classroom. The author is saying that across the world women in power are actually taking a step backward historically. There are many factors playing into women’s inequality around the world, one being that women are still being excluded from positions of power in the public sector. This is just one example of how women are still being devalued. Today in schools when teaching about gender man and boys are still taught that they have an entitlement over women and girls. Kennedy says that in order to fix this idea, schools need to educate men and boys, and women and girls, to question the beliefs and customs about women that have emerged in the past.

                I agree with Kennedy, the idea of tearing down this gender inequality between man and women needs to start with education about it. The feminist movement has been very beneficial for women and has gained many rights for women, but there is an inequality that still exists. Women are able to do anything a man can do in most developed countries, but we still live in a male dominated world that women, even if eligible, are not going to receive that recognition that they would if they were male. The idea of tearing down this inequality needs to start in the education of schools across the world. We need not fill students heads with the idea that there are specific gender roles, but instead teach them that both genders are able to do the exact same thing, they are equal.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/public-leaders-network/blog/2012/feb/08/gender-studies-inequality-boardroom?newsfeed=true

Blog 3: AP Interview: UN trade chief wants less inequality

In the article by Edith M. Lederer, AP Interview: Un trade chief wants less inequality she is highlighting the main points addressed by Supachai Panitchpakdi. He wants to urge global leaders to focus more on the inequalities that exist around the world and are growing rather than trying to help the financial markets in countries that only help the already rich. He says that by only helping those in the financial markets then you are only benefiting those who already have large salaries and that is not benefiting any economic growth for any country. Panitchpakdi says that for any country to grow as a whole the most important problem that we need to address is inequality and if we do not tackle that problem it is only going to become worse than it already is. The inequality gap between the rich and the poor will continue to grow with the middle class becoming less and less.

                I agree that we as a whole in the world need to stop focusing so much on the larger scale of things and start focusing on the smaller scale of things. If we only help those who are in charge of the finances of a country then we are really only benefiting those who are already rich. It may look as if the whole country is being helped but those in the middle class and poor are only being forgotten and the gap between those who are well off and those who are not is becoming larger. In order for something to be done about this then countries need to be willing to help those in need more so instead of only helping those who are already at the top. This is much like the Occupy Movements are trying to do around the world they are trying to make people realize that an entire country is not just ran by one percent of those at the top.

http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2012/01/28/un_trade_chief_wants_more_focus_on_inequality/

Global Turmoil: Inequality and the Radical Middle

                In the article by Zach Taylor, Global Turmoil: Inequality and the “radical middle,” he is trying to address the point of the rising socio economic inequality around the globe. Today one percent of the world’s population control forty-four percent of the world’s wealth. Used to, in the days in Rockefeller and Carnegie, those who were not that one percent of the population realized that there was some hope for social mobility, unlike today. The rising socio economic inequality is not only occurring in America, but it is occurring all around the globe, in Europe and in the Middle Eastern countries. Many newly middle income countries are at the risk of falling out of it. This is due to many factors, countries are in financial crisis, debt crisis, welfare systems are making cuts, and employers are cutting back on their work force. Soon the middle class will no longer sit back and accept the great inequality that exists and will protest the dysfunctional economy that we live in.

                While I was reading this article I thought that it made some very important points. I like how it pointed out all the different factors playing into the reason that there is such large gap between the one percent of people owning the majority of the world wealth and the middle class. All of those factors do play a great role in it and we cannot say that there is just one underlying factor to point blame on because there is many as the article pointed out. I also agree that in order for the world to begin to see a change the middle class is going to have to stand up and make a charge. Some movement have already been formed by the occupy groups fighting against the one percent and representing the ninety-nine percent

http://www.egovmonitor.com/node/45761

Blog 1: Income Inequality: It's a problem. Here's why.

In the article Income inequality: It’s a problem. Here’s why. the author, Jared Bernstein is trying to see how a family’s income when you are a child will affect how you will move up the scale or down the scale when you get older and start producing your own income. Bernstein provided evidence from multiple countries such as the United States, United Kingdom, Japan, Finland, France, etc.  He is trying to see if a county has a greater inequality of wealth between the classes then how will that affect the mobility of a person moving up in classes or will there be any mobility at all. From the data that the author provides it show that the higher inequality a country has the less mobility the country will have.

Reading this article it made me think about how this really is a global issue. How do we solve the fact that there is such a high income inequality between people, or how can we create more opportunities for income mobility? I feel that one of the major factors playing into this inequality is the levels and quality of education that people receive. This occurs all around the world. Those who have more money are going to be able to send their kids to the better schools. They are going to be able to be able to pay for a college education and be able to earn degrees. After they earn those degrees then those people are going to be able to fill the same jobs of the parents. The same goes for people who don’t have a lot of money. They are not going to be able to receive the best of educations and are going to try to get by, or they may work very hoping for a better opportunity but those jobs are already filled by those with better educations.

http://www.csmonitor.com/Business/On-the-Economy/2012/0115/Income-inequality-It-s-a-problem.-Here-s-why