On January 21, 2014, Pierce Nahigyan writes in Nation Of Change:
The freedom to succeed transcends economic systems but it is most potently expressed by capitalist gains. The ability to go “from rags to riches” is ingrained in this nation’s ethos and there is nothing intrinsically immoral about that goal. However, the current state of American inequality reveals a very real and expanding gap between the rich and poor that betrays the foundational endowment of this Union. When the freedom to succeed is denied every citizen, their equality is equally denied.
The wealth and income inequalities in America do not require socialist reforms to fix, and capitalism is not the problem. The problem is that we have let inequality advance in this country so gradually that its obviousness is masked by its familiarity. Below I outline eight facts about inequality in America that every American should know.
1) 400 Americans have more wealth than half of all Americans combined.
2) America has the second-highest level of income inequality, after Chile.
3) The current state of inequality can be traced back to 1979.
4) Non-union wages are also affected by the decline of unions.
5) There is less opportunity for intergenerational mobility.
6) Tax cuts to the wealthiest have not improved the economy or created more jobs.
7) Incomes for the top 1% have increased (but the top 0.01% make even more).
8) The majority of Congress does not feel your pain.
http://www.nationofchange.org/8-facts-about-american-inequality-1390315279
