Inequality in America

Introduction – Wealth Inequality in America
Wealth inequality in America has been an issue for as long as the nation emerged as a capitalistic democracy, and recently it has been more extreme than ever. With the top one percent earners owning forty percent of the nation’s wealth, one would imagine that those in the upper class would feel obligated to pay higher wages for the middle, working class citizens to utilize for necessities. But such is unfortunately not the case. The wealthy are not paying high enough taxes as they used to thus widening the gap between the rich and poor. This creates a nation of the have and have not’s; those with myriads of capital exert considerable power and influence over those who barely make enough money to meet the basic necessities of life. The American people can no longer afford to be divided by race, religion, ideology, etcetera—these arguments are luxuries of free people. But middle class citizens and lower are not “free” people, in a sense. While they do possess the latest generation smartphones and tablets, and whatnot they do not have a government that is a governed by the people, of the people, and for the people. Implementing new and improved taxes for the wealthy is an initiative that needs to be considered if the working classes wish to survive another year. In a nation heavily divided between the rich and the poor, a wealth tax would be a smart choice for the future of America if it wishes to endure economic and political stability.