Argument 2

Argument:

How can the wealthy live in such opulence while the new poor live in such poverty in this day and age? 

“We have the resources, experience, and knowledge to virtually eliminate poverty, especially long-term poverty, but we do not yet have the political will.”(Rich and the Rest of Us pg.46)  For decades political leaders have made attempts at resolving the poverty crisis, but have not been successful at achieving their goal.  They were not successful at standing up to the wealthy of this country.

President Franklin D, Roosevelt instituted his “New Deal” program of relief, recovery, and reform.  His plan transformed the financial system in the United States for more than forty years.  Harry S. Truman during his two terms in office continued with Roosevelt’s New Deal Program.  However, his primary focus consisted of closely monitoring two wars which consumed his entire tenure in office.  General Dwight D. Eisenhower was an opponent of the New Deal coalition which was an alliance that wanted to implement less government agendas.  Therefore, even though Eisenhower was considered a conservative he favored the New Deal legislation.  President John F. Kennedy took office in 1960, by this time many foreign issues took precedence and the New Deal Coalition began to deteriorate.  President Kennedy’s focus was on other worldly affairs, primarily trying to prevent a nuclear holocaust.  Lynden B Johnson’s goal was to reestablish the liberal coalition.  During his first term Johnson declared a “War on Poverty”.  He instituted many programs including food stamps, Head Start, work study, Job Corps, Medicaid, and Medicare.  His “Great Society” was premised on the idea that the government should enlist these programs to reduce poverty.  Lyndon Johnson also signed the Civil rights act of 1964 attempting to elevate Blacks out of poverty and providing equality with the wealthy white population. 

Corporate America represents the greed in this country.  “Convenient or not, it’s a bitter irony when multi-billion-dollar banking and investment companies make millions more off the poor millions who are making less” (Rich and the Rest of Us pg 189).  Morgan Stanley produces and manages the food stamp cards (EBT).  The more poor people in the country with EBT cards the richer Morgan Stanley gets.  With each new card issued to a poor person only increases the profit margins of this big Wall Street Firm.  “… your chief financial officers shipped $206 billion in cash to overseas tax shelters last year, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday. The total amount of cash held in offshore havens rose to $1.95 trillion, according to Bloomberg, which is more than the combined market values of the six biggest companies in the U.S.  To add insult to injury, or maybe injury to injury, corporate CFOs are also staunchly opposed to raising the minimum wage, according to a new survey by Duke University and CFO Magazine (Huffington Post, 3/12/2014).  It seems it is okay for the rich fat cats on Wall Street to make money, but they do not want to share it with the rest of the population.  Corporate America is not only keep the poor from making money they are also sheltering money in off-shore accounts from taxes in the US that could go to support programs in this country that would benefit the poor.

“…as more and more Americans are figuring out how to feed families on $150 a month, the mega-rich have gone back to spending on luxury items… the market is zinging again with purchases like… $80K battery-powered bicycles; $525,000  time prices; $1 million yachts; and vacation homes in posh locals…” (The Rich and the Rest of Us pg 190).  In my opinion, there should not be such a disparity between the people living in Beverly Hills, Westwood and West Hollywood compared to the people living in South Central LA.  The homes in these wealthy areas are obscenely opulent.  The living conditions in South Central are deplorable and something you would see in one of the poorest Third World Nation.  This is America.  It is the richest country in the world.  As a society, we should be ashamed that this condition exists right in front of us.  This is our fault and we should not allow our elected officials to be happy with this condition.

Argument One

Argument: 

How can colleges like Harvard, Stanford, and Princeton charge such exorbitant tuition which basically shuts out the poor from attending and relegating the poor to the state schools?  The rich ensure the success of their children by giving them entry to the finest institutions of higher learning in the country and ensuring success in their life.

The poor are disadvantaged from the very start beginning early in life.  The level of education students received in the lower income schools have many problems.   They do not have the best teachers, facilities are lacking, supplies are lacking, text books are inferior and the schools in many instances are not located in the best areas.  As noted in the book “Savage Inequalities” which shined the light on the East St. Louis schools, they had a high school next to a Monsanto Plant inflicting dangerous health concerns on the students.  Contrast this to wealthy neighborhoods, the students have the best of everything and have advantages the poor neighborhoods are lacking.  “Black children who grow up in neighborhoods with high levels of poverty and unemployment have a 76 percentage of graduating from high school compared to a 96 percent chance for black students living in affluent neighborhoods” (Huffington Post, 12/4/11).  So, not only do poor students get the shaft on their education many don’t even get the chance to apply to colleges because they do not graduate from high school.  The affluent areas virtually guarantee they will go to college guaranteeing a successful future.  The wealthy make sure their own children are successful and stack the deck against poor and underprivileged.   The poor have a very difficult and tough road to hoe.  For the poor it is like they are pushing a rock up a hill with the wealthy standing on it while they are pushing it.  I like in the Rich and the Rest Of Us it says “Are Americans just mouthing a cliché when they say “the children are our future”.  Or perhaps Americans aren’t talking about all of our children.  Maybe, in America, we’ve resigned ourselves to the fact that only those who live in the right zip codes deserve a quality education” (The Rich and the Rest of Us pg 119).

The wealthy students have a lot of choices available to them.  Schools like Harvard, Princeton, and Stanford have very strict academic requirements/standards and the tuition at a private school like one of these is cost prohibitive to any of the poor.  If the students in the poor communities do graduate they are even more disadvantaged.   These students need a 4.0 plus to get into these schools.  The environment in the less affluent Secondary Schools they come from does not foster them getting a 4.0 plus.  There are a lot of distractions and adversities they have to overcome.  They don’t have the same support system as the wealthy students.  If a poor student is able to achieve and meet the academic standards, they have to overcome the cost factor.  These schools are EXPENSIVE.  Harvard is very proud to advertise they provide “financial assistance” to low income students.  They advertise how they help the poor and disadvantage, but the reality is “Families with students on scholarship pay an average of $11,500 annually toward to the cost of a Harvard education” (Harvard Gazette 2011).  This figure does not include room, board, transportation, books and other living expenses.  This means a college education (tuition alone) will cost over $45, 000.  How many poor people can afford this amount?  The poor are relegated to the state schools leaving the Ivy League to the wealthy.   “I would say the surprising, shocking, disgusting thing is that not only do we not help people who are having trouble or are sliding down, we kick them a little further.  The whole system is rigged so that if you start to spiral down, you’re going to spiral faster.  There’s no ladder going up.  There’s a greased chute going down” (The Rich and the Rest of Us pg 75).

I feel this is deplorable in the richest country in the world and is a big black mark on our society.  This is something you do not see in the press and a fact that is not heavily advertised.  It really disturbs me to see how Harvard like to boast how they are helping the poor, but in fact when the average student on a scholarship is paying over $46, 000 for a four year degree (without room and board) is hypocrisy at its’ finest and certainly nothing to be boasting. 

Distribution of Wealth

The video “9 Out Of 10 Americans Are Completely Wrong About This Mind-Blowing Fact” I found to be shocking and enlightening.  I had no clue that the distribution of wealth in this country was that unjust.  That the poverty line is that high or that the middle class resembles more of the lower class when compared to the rich or the top 1%. 

It is unfair that those who work two to three jobs of grueling work are getting paid significantly less than a CEO or an actor or writer.  The movie stated that it would take the “average” worker more than a month to earn what a CEO makes in one hour.  A movie star makes millions for a few months of work when an average worker makes only several thousands of dollars for a few months.  Take a look at the men and women fighting in the military for our rights and freedoms.  They sacrifice their freedoms for ours.  They are shipped out into un-ideal living conditions, obtain very little sleep and our in a constant worry for their lives and the lives of their friends.  When they wake in the morning they do not know if they are going to comeback in one piece, yet they continue on.  The average monthly salary estimated for 2014 of an enlisted soldier that has served for less than two years is $2052.5.  Surprisingly there is a 1.8% increase than the previous year.  This is just not right.  I’m not saying that these CEOs and actors or anyone in those classes don’t work hard or didn’t work hard to get to where they are now, but they are not working as many hours and are not putting as much labor into their work or risking their lives.  It is actually really ironic I think.  All the other classes are actually paying these CEOs and actors or anyone in the top 20% or top 1% salary.  If it wasn’t for supply and demand (which the company’s make damn sure there is enough of) or a want to go see a movie, they would not be paid.  I find CEOs, lawyers, actors, investors, are actually all exploiters. They are all exploiting the needs and wants of people.  So no, I am not completely content with the way our country is structured with the distribution of its wealth.  The wealthy in this country just continue to get even wealthier while the poor just continue to stay poor.

Almost all of us are completely guilty of jading ourselves to the harsh reality of our country.  We are jading ourselves because it is not made to be well known the way wealth is distributed in this country.  This is not a topic that is discussed or well-advertised.  Clearly, when 9 out of 10 people did not know the reality of the wealth distribution, there is something wrong.  This is not a common knowledge and people need to be educated on this topic.  This is the best kept secret.

There a lot more opportunities available for the rich than there are to the poor.  Higher education is more available to the rich due to a socio-economic status.  They are able to afford schooling and given the quality of education they received in the primary and secondary schools, equips them much better for college.  The poor are at a disadvantage compared to college acceptance and affordability.  This inequity shows itself in availability of jobs.  The poor need to work two jobs to afford their bills and college.  This takes a lot of time away from focusing on school which in turn makes it harder and a longer process to graduate.  This illustrates why the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.

            In conclusion I was very dismayed to learn about the wealth distribution from this YouTube video.  I was also very surprised to see how many people didn’t realize it as well.  I’m glad to see that I’m not the only one that did not understand this fact.  What is even more troubling is that I don’t see anyone trying to fix it.

"2014 Military Pay Scale - Effective January 1st, 2014." 2014 Military Pay Scale. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Mar. 2014. <http://www.militaryfactory.com/military_pay_scale.asp>.