Down and out in the new Gilded Age
By: Chris Maisano
Issue date: 3/2/07 Section: Ed-Op
Originally published: 3/2/07 at 10:32 AM EST
Last update: 3/2/07 at 10:31 AM EST
Originally published: 3/2/07 at 10:32 AM EST
Last update: 3/2/07 at 10:31 AM EST
Furthermore, there are not adequate job training programs and other support services available to former welfare recipients to improve their job prospects and earning potential. This arrangement sets people up for failure and is creating a large and growing portion of our population that is simply cut out of the mainstream of the economic and social life of our country.
Why should any of us care about this? After all, most of us will probably not have to confront the severe hardships described here. Drexel is a private and prestigious institution, and our privileged backgrounds and academic training are tickets to wealth and status. But if we value living in a free and democratic society, radical action must be taken to alleviate the suffering of those who work hard but are still falling behind. As Thomas Jefferson and others have realized, a democracy cannot survive if it is rife with massive inequalities of wealth and status. The formal equality of all under the law guaranteed by a liberal democracy is severely vitiated when a shockingly large part of the population cannot even meet the threshold of a decent existence in the richest country in human history.
What is to be done? I will list three proposals here that can do much in the short to medium term that can begin to address the underlying causes of poverty and inequality. First, Congress should be applauded for raising the minimum wage for the first time in over a decade, but even $7.25 per hour cannot bring poor families and individuals up to a fully decent standard of living. Wages need to be raised even higher in order to properly reflect the rise in productivity and be indexed to inflation so it rises automatically. Second, health care needs to be decoupled from employment and must be guaranteed to all for free by the government. We are the only industrialized nation in the world that has failed to do this, and it is a scandal of the highest order. Third, Congress should make it easier for workers to raise their standard of living through unionization by passing the Employee Free Choice Act, which was introduced in Congress last week but faces a sure veto from President Bush if passed. The election of a Democratic majority in Congress makes winning reforms such as these easier, but politicians of any party won't do anything unless an aroused citizenry forces them to do so. It's up to us to place these pressing issues on the political agenda and make sure those running for the White House in 2008 commit to bold and decisive action to confront them.
Why should any of us care about this? After all, most of us will probably not have to confront the severe hardships described here. Drexel is a private and prestigious institution, and our privileged backgrounds and academic training are tickets to wealth and status. But if we value living in a free and democratic society, radical action must be taken to alleviate the suffering of those who work hard but are still falling behind. As Thomas Jefferson and others have realized, a democracy cannot survive if it is rife with massive inequalities of wealth and status. The formal equality of all under the law guaranteed by a liberal democracy is severely vitiated when a shockingly large part of the population cannot even meet the threshold of a decent existence in the richest country in human history.
What is to be done? I will list three proposals here that can do much in the short to medium term that can begin to address the underlying causes of poverty and inequality. First, Congress should be applauded for raising the minimum wage for the first time in over a decade, but even $7.25 per hour cannot bring poor families and individuals up to a fully decent standard of living. Wages need to be raised even higher in order to properly reflect the rise in productivity and be indexed to inflation so it rises automatically. Second, health care needs to be decoupled from employment and must be guaranteed to all for free by the government. We are the only industrialized nation in the world that has failed to do this, and it is a scandal of the highest order. Third, Congress should make it easier for workers to raise their standard of living through unionization by passing the Employee Free Choice Act, which was introduced in Congress last week but faces a sure veto from President Bush if passed. The election of a Democratic majority in Congress makes winning reforms such as these easier, but politicians of any party won't do anything unless an aroused citizenry forces them to do so. It's up to us to place these pressing issues on the political agenda and make sure those running for the White House in 2008 commit to bold and decisive action to confront them.
Barry Fox
posted 3/02/07 @ 12:32 PM EST
You indicate that of the 16 million people living in "severe poverty" work full time and make less than $5,080 per year. That translates to $2.44 per hour, which is below the federally mandated minimum wage. (Continued…)