A Lefty's Perspective of The American Dream. Complete with Victimization, Hatred and Prefabricated Excuses for the Entitlement Generation

February 23, 2013

President Obama recently proposed to raise the minimum wage from $7.25 an hour to $9.00 an hour. Raising the minimum wage has always been a hot topic. The sad fact is that even if the U.S. raised the federal minimum wage, the U.S. would still have a lower minimum wage than many countries, including Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, France, and Ireland. In addition, many U.S. workers currently make less than the minimum wage.

Written by: Rogette Harris

Wage disparity increases when race and gender are thrown in the mix. In 2011, the U.S. Census Bureau reported the median income for African-Americans was $32,229 per year while the median income for whites was $55,412 per year. The unemployment rate for African-Americans, which is at 13.2 percent, is double that of whites.

Currently, the U.S. has less equality of opportunity than most other advanced industrial countries. Social mobility isn’t impossible in the U.S. but it is becoming increasing difficult. The Brookings Institution found that only 58 percent of Americans born into the bottom fifth of income earners move into a different economic class, and just 6 percent born into the bottom fifth move into the top income earners.

Education plays a major part in the likelihood a child can move up in society. Children who are born to wealthier families or to families where both parents are educated have better access to opportunities than a child born to poor and/or poorly educated parents.

There are many factors for this. The first, and most obvious, reason is discrimination. Latinos and African-Americans continue to get paid less than whites. And women still get paid less than men, even though women recently surpassed men in the number of college and advanced degrees earned. Both gender and racial disparities in the workplace are less than in the past. However there is still a glass ceiling. Women and racial minorities are underrepresented in top corporate positions and constitute a very small portion of CEOs and elected officials.

Other than discrimination, equal access to quality education also prevents equal access to opportunity. As schools became integrated in the 1960’s, economic segregation increased and hasn’t stopped since. The poor continue to get poorer, finding it hard to meet basic needs. The middle class has stagnated, continuing to live paycheck by paycheck. And the rich continue to prosper and get richer.

Schools in poorer areas are often underfunded and do not attract the best teachers. Often, sports are put ahead of academics and children who want to learn are often held back from doing so. Children in more able families can be sent to private schools to escape the poverty cycle. There is a widening gap in educational performance. But early access to nutrition, healthcare, and early exposure to reading are also factors that can enhance learning and foster academic growth.

Young people from families of modest means face a no-win situation. In today’s global economy, a college education is essential. On the other hand, having a college or advanced degree is no guarantee to social mobility and better access to opportunities.

Many young people who go to college and graduate are still sentenced to a lifetime of living check to check due to high student loan bills and lack of access to higher paying jobs to pay them back. Young people who come from more affluent families have more connections and social capital to get access those opportunities, even if those individuals in the middle and bottom brackets are better qualified and more educated. Nepotism is alive and well. No matter what anyone says, everyone needs a hand up. Young people from more wealthy families get help through family connections than do those from lower economic brackets.

Equal access to quality education and opportunities should be for everyone – not just a select few. A child should not be punished due to the circumstances of his or her birth. If the U.S. education system continues as is, the lack of social mobility in this country will not improve but get worse. Many states continue to gut funds for state colleges/universities as well as secondary schools. Pre-school and/or kindergarten classes are often cut in school districts with budget shortfalls. Meanwhile, young adults start their adult lives with giant student loan debts that are almost impossible to pay off. All this at a time when obtaining a college education is more important than ever for getting a good job.

The income inequality and lack of access to opportunity not only plague us ethically but weakens our economy. We have an economic as well as moral obligation in ensuring that the American dream is fact rather than fiction.


Source: Rogette Harris is a PennLive/Patriot-News community columnist