Poverty and Wealth
May 25, 2017
Wealth inequality is the unequal distribution of wealth with 20% of the population owning 85% of the country’s wealth. A small amount of people own the majority of wealth in the country.
Wealth inequality is an issue because a small amount of people sit on money that they don’t allow to “trickle down” to the lower classes and when the money does reach the lower classes, they’re forced to spend it on items that give wealth back to the overly wealthy (i.e. Walmart). We should care because there are people suffering due to their economic struggles while others are sitting on an abundance of wealth that contributes little to nothing to society. The system calls for an inherent power imbalance due to wealth where the disadvantaged majority have few vehicles to elevate their situation.
Wealth inequality is the unequal distribution of wealth with 20% of the population owning 85% of the country’s wealth. A small amount of people own the majority of wealth in the country.
Wealth inequality is an issue because a small amount of people sit on money that they don’t allow to “trickle down” to the lower classes and when the money does reach the lower classes, they’re forced to spend it on items that give wealth back to the overly wealthy (i.e. Walmart). We should care because there are people suffering due to their economic struggles while others are sitting on an abundance of wealth that contributes little to nothing to society. The system calls for an inherent power imbalance due to wealth where the disadvantaged majority have few vehicles to elevate their situation.
May 26, 2017
Animal Rescue Operations Director: $50,000
Marketing Management: $125,000
Non-profit program manager: $50,000
Slightly under $55,000 cost of living in Colorado for Non-profit working
Marketing starting: $60,000, still 5x the poverty line
Animal Rescue Operations Director: $50,000
Marketing Management: $125,000
Non-profit program manager: $50,000
Slightly under $55,000 cost of living in Colorado for Non-profit working
Marketing starting: $60,000, still 5x the poverty line
May 28, 2017
How can government (the people) help citizens live lives of quality?
To live a life a quality, a government should provide enough social support to encourage citizens to better their quality of life, as well as the means to have a secure future. This includes service such as a quality education, food insecurity mitigation, and health care.
What makes up a quality life?
A quality life is one where someone feels fulfilled and stable both personally and politically. Personally, one should be in good health to have a quality of life. This means easy access to whole and unprocessed food. Politically, they need security.
What makes a neighborhood good for people?
A neighborhood needs community resources. This can range from child care, affordable healthcare, local quality education, and cultural support. These can appear in churches and libraries. Communities should also have available outdoor environments, like parks and rec centers, to encourage physical activity.
What makes schools good for kids?
School is good for kids when it can fill an educational and moral responsibility while remaining separate from church and politics. They need caring staff to push them further into their academic careers and a variety of education methods so that no kids fall through the cracks. Kids should be taught about health and provided with healthy lunches and physical education.
May 1, 2017
How Easy Is It to Escape Poverty? What needs to be in place for people to be able to escape poverty?
It isn't easy to escape poverty due to the difficulty of upward mobility in most environments. People who grow up and stay in a low income area are likely to remain in poverty. To allow upward mobility, good education (elementary schools), "higher shares of two parent families," and civic involvement are needed. These help young children grow up in integrated communities and allow them to be more successful as they grow up.
How can government (the people) help citizens live lives of quality?
To live a life a quality, a government should provide enough social support to encourage citizens to better their quality of life, as well as the means to have a secure future. This includes service such as a quality education, food insecurity mitigation, and health care.
What makes up a quality life?
A quality life is one where someone feels fulfilled and stable both personally and politically. Personally, one should be in good health to have a quality of life. This means easy access to whole and unprocessed food. Politically, they need security.
What makes a neighborhood good for people?
A neighborhood needs community resources. This can range from child care, affordable healthcare, local quality education, and cultural support. These can appear in churches and libraries. Communities should also have available outdoor environments, like parks and rec centers, to encourage physical activity.
What makes schools good for kids?
School is good for kids when it can fill an educational and moral responsibility while remaining separate from church and politics. They need caring staff to push them further into their academic careers and a variety of education methods so that no kids fall through the cracks. Kids should be taught about health and provided with healthy lunches and physical education.
May 1, 2017
How Easy Is It to Escape Poverty? What needs to be in place for people to be able to escape poverty?
It isn't easy to escape poverty due to the difficulty of upward mobility in most environments. People who grow up and stay in a low income area are likely to remain in poverty. To allow upward mobility, good education (elementary schools), "higher shares of two parent families," and civic involvement are needed. These help young children grow up in integrated communities and allow them to be more successful as they grow up.
May 5, 2017
American Dream Portraits
“To have a family, to give them a proper home, and to be able to provide them a proper education.” —Nikki, Yazoo City, Mississippi
Nikki wants to be able to provide a quality life for her family.
OPTIMISTIC
“To make money, raise a family, and to be safe. I was born a mile from here in Juarez. I don’t want my child to face what I had to face. I want the best for him and my wife.” — Cesar, El Paso, Texas
The opportunity to make money and create a better life for your family.
OPTIMISTIC
“The American dream is dead, because we don’t have any values anymore. People only care about possessions, about things, about money, not happiness. Happiness comes from caring about others, about family, and about community. I have cared for and buried most of my family, and it has cost me. But it has been worth it.” — Karen, Tallulah, Louisiana
The American dream doesn't exist due to an increase in materialism and a decrease in traditional values and care for happiness.
PESSIMISTIC
“I don’t believe in the American dream anymore. Nothing comes by just being here. You got to focus on bettering yourself and your family, by hard work and education. Be yourself, be true to you, not some dream, but you.” — Chaka, Albany, New York
The American dream isn't real because America doesn't improve life. However, one can go on an individualistic journey to better themselves.
PESSIMISTIC in relation to the American dream, OPTIMISTIC to the idea of improvement
“I have nothing. But I am free because I have God and I can pray.” — Enrique, Albany, New York
Possession has no value, but religion does.
OPTIMISTIC (freedom)
“To have a better life for your children. I want that for my daughter, a better education and a better job for her. But you have to work hard. My mother does and I do and I want to make sure my daughter does.” — Sierra, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Creating a better life for your children than you had.
OPTIMISTIC
“I am living the American dream. I have a job, a family, and my son goes to a great school, and if he works hard enough, he can have any job he wants.” — Miguel, Bernalillo, New Mexico
The American dream is alive and evident in his life. Hard work leads to infinite job opportunity and his son has a good life.
OPTIMISTIC
“To get an education and then a job. I have both. But Appleton is changing. We have a lot of people already here, and others coming here who don't have either.” —Marsha Brewer, Appleton, Wisconsin
Education and employment are the American dream, however people are moving who have neither of those.
OPTIMISTIC (attainable) PESSIMISTIC (not many have that)
“What Martin Luther King said 50 years ago: The right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, regardless of your skin color. We still fighting for that now. We still watching our children killed needlessly for nothing.” —Isaiah, Kansas City, Missouri
The American dream is what is in the constitution. However, it is still being fought for.
PESSIMISTIC
“The American dream is long gone. Long, long gone. Politicians have ruined it, broken our values, sold out to folks with money who only care about themselves. Nobody cares about anyone who works with their hands anymore. We got to get this country straight again, before it all keeps sliding down into hell.” —Robert McAdams, Peru, Nebraska
The American dream is gone due to politicians, changed values, and selfishness. It needs to change.
PESSIMISTIC
American Dream Portraits
“To have a family, to give them a proper home, and to be able to provide them a proper education.” —Nikki, Yazoo City, Mississippi
Nikki wants to be able to provide a quality life for her family.
OPTIMISTIC
“To make money, raise a family, and to be safe. I was born a mile from here in Juarez. I don’t want my child to face what I had to face. I want the best for him and my wife.” — Cesar, El Paso, Texas
The opportunity to make money and create a better life for your family.
OPTIMISTIC
“The American dream is dead, because we don’t have any values anymore. People only care about possessions, about things, about money, not happiness. Happiness comes from caring about others, about family, and about community. I have cared for and buried most of my family, and it has cost me. But it has been worth it.” — Karen, Tallulah, Louisiana
The American dream doesn't exist due to an increase in materialism and a decrease in traditional values and care for happiness.
PESSIMISTIC
“I don’t believe in the American dream anymore. Nothing comes by just being here. You got to focus on bettering yourself and your family, by hard work and education. Be yourself, be true to you, not some dream, but you.” — Chaka, Albany, New York
The American dream isn't real because America doesn't improve life. However, one can go on an individualistic journey to better themselves.
PESSIMISTIC in relation to the American dream, OPTIMISTIC to the idea of improvement
“I have nothing. But I am free because I have God and I can pray.” — Enrique, Albany, New York
Possession has no value, but religion does.
OPTIMISTIC (freedom)
“To have a better life for your children. I want that for my daughter, a better education and a better job for her. But you have to work hard. My mother does and I do and I want to make sure my daughter does.” — Sierra, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Creating a better life for your children than you had.
OPTIMISTIC
“I am living the American dream. I have a job, a family, and my son goes to a great school, and if he works hard enough, he can have any job he wants.” — Miguel, Bernalillo, New Mexico
The American dream is alive and evident in his life. Hard work leads to infinite job opportunity and his son has a good life.
OPTIMISTIC
“To get an education and then a job. I have both. But Appleton is changing. We have a lot of people already here, and others coming here who don't have either.” —Marsha Brewer, Appleton, Wisconsin
Education and employment are the American dream, however people are moving who have neither of those.
OPTIMISTIC (attainable) PESSIMISTIC (not many have that)
“What Martin Luther King said 50 years ago: The right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, regardless of your skin color. We still fighting for that now. We still watching our children killed needlessly for nothing.” —Isaiah, Kansas City, Missouri
The American dream is what is in the constitution. However, it is still being fought for.
PESSIMISTIC
“The American dream is long gone. Long, long gone. Politicians have ruined it, broken our values, sold out to folks with money who only care about themselves. Nobody cares about anyone who works with their hands anymore. We got to get this country straight again, before it all keeps sliding down into hell.” —Robert McAdams, Peru, Nebraska
The American dream is gone due to politicians, changed values, and selfishness. It needs to change.
PESSIMISTIC
May 8, 2017
The American dream overall is attainable in the sense that one can build a life better than they have experienced before. However, this is more accessible to white people. For instance, if a white person obtains a bachelor's degree, their family sees a median college investment return of $55,869 while a black person only sees a return of $4,846. If a white person invests in their education, they see a return that makes it well worth it. However, a person of color's investment in college often leaves with more debt.
People of color can have the same opportunity, but only if they began on an economically and educationally equal playing ground as a middle class white person. They have to have a good parental contribution to college along with the same amount of valuable social capital.
The American dream overall is attainable in the sense that one can build a life better than they have experienced before. However, this is more accessible to white people. For instance, if a white person obtains a bachelor's degree, their family sees a median college investment return of $55,869 while a black person only sees a return of $4,846. If a white person invests in their education, they see a return that makes it well worth it. However, a person of color's investment in college often leaves with more debt.
People of color can have the same opportunity, but only if they began on an economically and educationally equal playing ground as a middle class white person. They have to have a good parental contribution to college along with the same amount of valuable social capital.
May 17, 2017
How is our economy doing and what is the outlook for the next 3 years?
Currently, the key economic indicators imply that the economy is currently healthy. The GDP is has risen 2.1%, between the healthy 2% and 3% economic growth range. Home sales have increased as well; with the sale of new houses going up 5.8%. Inflation is at 2.2%, close to the ideal 2%. U.S. manufacturing is projected to increase in 2017, indicating growing industry. The poverty rate is 13.5%, having that much of the population needing government assistance. The unemployment rate is slightly less than the target 6.7%, however many people have part time jobs when they would prefer full time.
For the next 3 years, the economy looks like it will decline slightly and become closer to target rates, indicating a full recovery from the recession. Housing sales will continue to increase, but at a slower rate than 2016 and 2017. The unemployment rate is projected to raise up to 6% by 2020 . Manufacturing growth will decrease, and interest rates will steadily increase. Inflation will remain relatively consistent, but gas and oil will become more expensive by 2020, increasing by $16/barrel.
How is our economy doing and what is the outlook for the next 3 years?
Currently, the key economic indicators imply that the economy is currently healthy. The GDP is has risen 2.1%, between the healthy 2% and 3% economic growth range. Home sales have increased as well; with the sale of new houses going up 5.8%. Inflation is at 2.2%, close to the ideal 2%. U.S. manufacturing is projected to increase in 2017, indicating growing industry. The poverty rate is 13.5%, having that much of the population needing government assistance. The unemployment rate is slightly less than the target 6.7%, however many people have part time jobs when they would prefer full time.
For the next 3 years, the economy looks like it will decline slightly and become closer to target rates, indicating a full recovery from the recession. Housing sales will continue to increase, but at a slower rate than 2016 and 2017. The unemployment rate is projected to raise up to 6% by 2020 . Manufacturing growth will decrease, and interest rates will steadily increase. Inflation will remain relatively consistent, but gas and oil will become more expensive by 2020, increasing by $16/barrel.
Capitalism: where a country's trade and industry are collected by private owners for profit, rather than state
Pros:
means for economic growth efficiency |
Cons:
privatized means of production possibility for monopoly me vs them mindset boom and bust cycles |
Alternatives to Capitalism:
capitalism in combination with socialism
socialism
communism
Nordic Model
capitalism in combination with socialism
socialism
communism
Nordic Model