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The Rich and the Rest of Us

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Submitted By poohbear17
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The Rich and the Rest of Us Within the first month of 2013 most members of the United States Senate had received an average of $14,500 of his salary, that's $580 less than a minimum wage worker will earn all year! According to the Center for Responsible Politics, the median personal wealth for members of the Congress grew by more than 16 percent during the worst economic downturn in the United States since the Great Depression. Taking into account recent documentation reflecting the financial growth among the upper 5 percent of American society, it is surprising that the recent proposal for a minimum wage increase has met with such opposition in Congress. The Brooking Institution stated in 2013 that income inequality is increasing and becoming permanent, reducing social mobility in the United States. What does this mean to you and me?
Simply stated, it means that the majority of Americans are poor and getting poorer. By the year 2088, there will be only two social economic classes: the rich and the rest of us. During the 1960's, there was a very distinct separation of social economic classes. Race, gender and/or education is mainly responsible for the gap. That general rule no longer applies. Today, income inequality is steadily increasing largely due to an upward redistribution of income. With an inability to successfully maneuver among social ranks, this will go unhindered until eventually the middle class will become extinct. Education for decades has been a tool used by lower income families to rise above the financial status of their ancestors. Today, with the insurmountable obstacles placed before our struggling and more often than not misguided youth, higher education has become an unattainable goal. With the highest dropout rate for high school students larger that it has ever been, our young adults are destined for low wage paying jobs. This

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