Inequality and Distribution - Essay Example

Inequality and distribution Inequality, as presented by the gap between the rich and the poor in United s, has been a serious issue. Every effort made by the government to minimize the gap, only widens it further. The American Society has recorded a history of economic growth, signified by the investments done both locally and internationally. Its economic growth has mostly been attributed to foreigners who have brought in a diversified means of generating income. Some of the early immigrants to the United States are blacks, who were forcefully shipped in to serve as slaves. Despite the sufferings that they were subjected to, they worked diligently and built strong empires the United States pride in. However, despite their hard work, many years down the line, blacks, and other minority groups continue to languish in poverty as a smaller percentage of citizens prosper economically. Dalton Conley’s book Being Black, Living in the Red highlights on some of the inequalities that are in the American society responsible for the significant gap between the rich and the poor. Scientists, economists, and various scholars have been carrying out critical studies to establish the main causes of inequality in United States. They have come up with various findings and presented them for analysis. Despite the various issues raised, the implementation process has never been taken seriously as the law makes concentrate on what they feel is of great importance to them. The perspective under which the American society is at by the international community is contrary to the real picture at home. The United States plays an important role in issues of humanitarian aid. Being involved in humanitarian creates an assumption among other countries that America is prosperous and that nobody suffers lack or is in deep poverty. Back at home, there are a number of Americans who are living miserable lives and are in fact struggling to meet their day to day needs. As this is happening, there is a section of American citizens who are continually growing richer by day. The discrepancies in the standards of living have mostly been attributed to racial and gender discrimination. Whenever the word racial discrimination is mention in relation to United States, there is a sharp focus on African Americans. African Americans are have been adversely affected by the consequences of racial discrimination. It is shameful that after many years of serving in America with no pay but an escalating economy, blacks are still fighting to be recognized and respected. Years after the abolition of slave trade and the acknowledgment of blacks as citizens of America, the problem of discrimination persists. The laws that were made for the purpose of protecting the rights of African Americans remain theoretical in a book as many of them are unable to access basic needs. After years of research and analysis, Conley reached a conclusion to what he feels is the greatest cause of inequality in United States. The issue is related to wealth distribution, which has its roots in racial discrimination dating back to black slavery. Unless some rich goons in America are willing to sacrifice what they acquired, the gap between the rich and the poor will continually widen. Gender discrimination, on the other hand, is also rampant in America, where women are still not considered for top jobs. America is a country that has been leading in gender-based campaigns to ensure women are in the economic development. However, even after many years of such calls, the movements only remain social and are not reflected in economic actions. Women are strong pillars of the society considering their nurturing responsibilities, yet they remain neglected in development projects. The stereotypes held against them minimizes on the rate at which they are for job opportunities. Denying women such opportunities implies that they will not be able to nurture effectively and empower their families, subsequently affecting economic stability. Contrary to what has been common been displayed, there is no equality in the distribution of resources in the American society. The country has been divided into various states, which was to facilitate the equal distribution of resources. However, as it appears, the division has led to widespread discrimination whereby some states are more attention than others. As a matter of fact, the state system of government is making it easy for some people to be neglected. As all this is happening, everyone is required to pay tax, irrespective of their income gap. In fact, the poor pay much t the government compared to the rich, who have mastered the tactics of tax evasion ((Conley, 1999). Most of the money collected as tax in various states is into development projects that are of less benefit to the poor. Furthermore, most of the private sectors, which have been designed to serve the rich, are run by specific tycoons. Most poor people in America, which are of blacks and women, rely on government facilities, which are considered fair enough to their income. However, such facilities are poorly equipped in terms of labor and equipment. This hence implies that the poor may not be of getting the required services. The inequality in America is by the state government where some states are given more attention than the others. Its discriminative feature is by the housing facilities that will only favor a group from a particular income. States dominated by the rich have expensive housing services with public amenities that are well equipped. Due to the influence that such people have in the government, they can demand their way, prompting the government to act in urgency. This is contrary to states dominated by the poor, where they lack the voice and influence to demand attention from the government. Most of the weak states in America are by African Americans and women (single mothers), who are still facing discrimination. Even though they are in the government, there are still a lot of discrepancies in the distribution of resources. This is usually caused by unemployment among most blacks and women, and the stereotyping that is against them. Discrimination starts way from their childhood and becomes a sad circle that is difficult to break from. For example, a child is raised in a poor black family, most probably, a single mother. Because of the little income of the mother, she is unable to access quality education and, therefore, has to go to a school that is ill-equipped with resources and even teachers. The school could be by children from such poor backgrounds, who may not be motivated to hard work. Lack of competition makes the child not to be well equipped for the next stage of education. Due to the poor grades that a child got, they can only go to a school where there is also little competition and motivation to learn. In most cases, the child may not be able to go far in their education because of school fees or other family issues. They may be forced to take up odd jobs to supplement their family income and therefore not being able to fit in the job market. Some of the African Americans that fight through their education to succeed are often discouraged especially when they are with partiality. The stereotyping of blacks and women by the wealthy community makes them be avoided and therefore not being able to grow through interaction. With each level of education and growth, African Americans and women have to overcome various challenges that come with their skin color and gender. Most whites still look at a black skin as a desperate child of a slave who cannot amount to anything. With the minimal education that some blacks and women have had due to the poverty in their families, they are unable to get well-paying jobs. As a matter of fact, if they have to be in companies that are owned and managed by the rich, they will not be among the first to be considered. When they are for the slots, they may not be compensated as per their skills. They get little money that can barely sustain them and their families, leading to a circle of poverty. On the other hand, whites are always taking advantage of the blacks, treating them as slaves. They are mainly used to generate huge profits for the companies, which are not in their income. This therefore implies that the more work the blacks engage in, the more the profits for the rich (Conley, 1999). Poor blacks are usually made to work for longer hours with the hope of a higher pay. In as much as this boosts their income, the same or even more growth is for the people they work for. This hence implies that a little stride the poor make for their economic empowerment will reflect on the rich they are working for with a bigger margin. In the end, the rich will be richer at the expense of the poor. Infrastructural development is one of the measures of economic growth in any country. In America, however, there are some states that are well equipped in terms of infrastructure while other remains underdeveloped. Most states dominated by the poor are by congestion, which makes it difficult for growth to take place. If there was any form of equal distribution of resources, then such states deserve more attention because of the growing population. These are the states that require more in terms of health care, well-equipped schools, public awareness and more job and business opportunities. Economic growth is by a large population that will provide the needed labor. With more labor, there will be more room for taxation and even economic growth. In America, however, places of potential economic growth are neglected with ill-equipped health facilities. People are not able to get the much-needed health care needs due to imbalance. When there is the unequal distribution of resources, it implies that a certain category of people will continue suffering and not being able to compete enough with their counterparts. When individual schools are well equipped in terms of teachers and other learning materials while other schools are populated with hardly enough teachers, then the government is creating an equality that will be reflected in the future generation. Children who are exposed to the similar environment and challenges yet unequal in the attention they receive will not be able to effectively compete. The first step of taking care of the economic balance in future is to ensure that every child access quality education. The government should concentrate on dealing with inequality at its tender roots. Considering the mess that has already been done so far, it can only be reversed by ensuring that children access equal opportunities to excel in their academics. Measures should also be taken to ensure that a person is as per their academic qualifications and not their skin color or gender. In as much as the government is providing free medical services and education for schools, efforts should be in place to ensure facilities are well equipped to handle the needs of the people. The issue of poverty and rich mentality is an issue that is causing a bigger problem in the American society. Most of the people, especially from poor backgrounds feel contented with their situation that they are deficient in the spirit of hard work. The ever wide gap between the rich and the poor is because of their attitude that is deep within their mentality. The rich are confident of the fact that they will succeed and hence not afraid of attempting greater things. On the other hand, the poor, due to their background, do not believe that they can succeed if they try. This hence makes the rich to be more aggressive in acquiring resources as the poor languish in their poverty. The different environments they are exposed to become a motivating factor in the decisions they make in life. Dalton Conley is about the widening gap between the rich and the poor. In as much as it is almost impossible to make everybody equal in terms of wealth creation, it is possible to ensure that the gap does not widen further. The American society should move from just being a world economic super power to ensuring that in is. Reference Dalton Conley (1999) Being Black, Living in the Red, University of California Press, London. Read More