Consider this: the top 1% of American income earners make as much as the bottom 48%. Americans believe in social and economic mobility, but is this possible in 2014? Not likely. Americans now have less chance of upward economic success than many other industrial nations. There are many theories why, but the facts are that if you make a lot, you’re likely to make more, and if you make little you’re likely to stay the same or get worse. Consider the contrast between a homeless person in Los Angeles and Zack Greinke, the LA Dodger who makes $20M/year. Consider a jobless person in New York and Madonna, who made $125M in 2013, or Larry Ellison, CEO of Oracle, who made $96M. They might as well live on different planets. Is there a reason why anyone should make multiple millions of dollars per year when almost 20% of American children live in poverty and about 15% of American adults do the same?
Better Place, a song on the new War Poets album, was written to portray this Great Divergence, as introduced to us by author Noah Hill. It tells a story of a man: jobless, very poor, who cannot find a way to get ahead in life. Although he tries his hardest, nothing works. He sees others who make a lot of money and wonders why he can’t share in the wealth. He wonders why they won’t pay it forward.
It becomes overwhelming to think of taking care of the less fortunate, the people who need the most help. Is there enough money to go around? Is this government’s responsibility or does this fall back to all of us collectively? Whatever the answer is, it’s time to have a responsible discussion about income disparity and possible solutions.
So what can we do?
• First, we need to decide as a nation that everyone will get basic requirements of living – food, shelter, and medical care. Some people have no means to provide this for themselves and never will. We should take care of these people with the incomes and monies from people who can afford it. It’s not about taxation. It’s about a collective will of the people to provide for everyone.
• Second, we should remove the fear of people that illness will ruin their livelihood. This is not about paying for health insurance with money many people don’t have. It’s about deciding as a country that we will not allow people to be left untreated.
• Third, we must be educated as a population. This can only happen if the costs of higher education become affordable for the populace. Now, it is impossible to think of a homeless person attending a private college.