This is a summary of Place Matters: Metropolitics for the Twenty-First Century by Peter Dreier, John Mollenkopf, & Todd Swanstrom. This is only a summary of Chapters 1-4!!

Nowadays, the middle class is shrinking, while majority of people are either moving into the lower or upper classes. This is due to the major economic and policy changes that have occurred throughout the past thirty years. Based on the Basic Economy Security Tables, one in four full-time working-age adults are not earning enough income to meet economic needs for themselves or their families. This is a serious problem in America today, the fact that the median income today is six hundred dollars less than it was in 1989 is proof of this epidemic. It is much harder now, than ever, to work your way into the middle class, much less stay there. The percentage income growth since 1967 for the top 5 percent of earners is 88%, top 20 percent of earners grew 70%, and middle-income households only grew 20%. (Camp) In simpler terms, the upper classes income has increased tremendously, while middle-income households have seen very little growth in their income. Since the middle class is not receiving any income growth, it is declining and moving towards the lower class. It is not nearly as easy as it was thirty years ago to get a decent job and make

The gap between the upper class and the lower class is growing; the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer. Instead of helping the lower class, the upper class is spending their money on fancy houses and material objects. For example, in the outskirts of cities, the rich business owners are building large mansions to live in. On the other hand, the lower class live in tiny tenements in the heart of the city. Many are unemployed and starving. In addition, between 1865 and 1900 only a small percent of Americans grew wealthy showing that wealth is only being passed through families not gained. However this growing gap between rich and poor has allowed the growth of the middle class. This middle class made up of doctors, lawyers and other will help the will hopefully help lessen the gap between

Pew Research Center’s new analysis shows that the American middle class lost ground in the vast majority of metropolitan areas from 2000 to 2014, and the shares of adults in the lower- and upper-income ranks rose in most areas. There was more movement into the upper-income tier in about half the areas, while in the other half there was more movement downward (May 11, 2016)

Although the United States may be an industrialized country, it still “…has one of the highest poverty rates in the advanced world” in comparison to other similar countries (Conley 400). This may be due to the high economic inequality between the rich and the poor with “economic rewards [being] far more lopsided” (Conley 400). The American class system is unlike any other industrialized nation in the world as the rich make an average of five to six times more income than the poor: a

In Robert Reich documentary “Inequality for All” he makes a compelling discussion about the serious crises that the United States faces due the widening economic gap. He looks to raise awareness of the U.S. economic gap between the rich and poor. According to Reich the widening divide in America is real and growing. Income levels at the middle and labor class is stagnant and are at it’s lowest levels compared to upper class incomes since the beginning of WWII and is growing wider each year. Reich suggests that the economy runs more smoothly when the middle class has jobs with fair wages, when unions are strong, and when middle class workers have some extra money to spend if possible when the government uses the tax policy properly and when it raises the minimum wage regularly to control the income gap between labor and management. In other words Reich argues that economically healthy middle and labor class equality is the foundation of a thriving economy and is necessary to maintaining a sound national infrastructure and educational system within

This paper researches and reviews the widening income gap in modern America, going into detail about the activist and non-activist viewpoints on this issue. Discussed is the impact it has on the economy, and the overall wellbeing of the country. Politicians of the political left and right’s opinions and actions they have taken are also touched upon, since it is a hot issue in the 2016 presidential election. Included is an in depth explanation of income inequality, and how it effects the American economy and the country as a whole.

Income inequality in the United States has been on the rise since 1970 (Piketty & Saez 2003). The consequences to high levels of inequality include: economic decay, financial instability, lack of economic mobility, and distrust in political institutions(citations). In theory, these consequences should be impacting Americans attitudes toward income inequality. Americans take pride in being the land of economic opportunity; however, the American dream is at risk with high levels of inequality. A 2013 study, argued that intergenerational mobility is lower with high levels of income inequality, which indicates some families are struggling to advance up the economic ladder (Corak 2013). Furthermore, Americans recognize that economic opportunity

The middle class is vanishing from the social scale. The middle class is slowly vanishing in areas across the country affecting communities and cities from San Diego to New York . From 2000 to 2014 the share of middle-class households dropped. “Housing and cars are growing like wildfire, leaving home ownership to only the wealthy.”(Johnson 5). Areas examined in a new government data. We see that the middle class is shrinking because people are getting too rich to really be considered to be in the middle class any more. the upper middle class has expanded from about 12 percent of the population in 1979 to

Capitalism has been the central force behind the growth of the United States’ progressive economy. Within such advanced economic system the chances of economic disparity are significantly high. In fact, over the past three decades there has being a steady increase in unequal wealth distribution among the economic classes. To sustain the current unequal wealth distribution among the classes of the American population, there are numerous factors that influence and shape this trend. For some members of the population it is alarmingly disturbing to know that recent statistics have shown that, “In the US [alone] the wealthiest 1% of its population owns more than the bottom 95 %” (Gutman). As for the difference in economic wealth, it resulted

Class, income, and wealth play a significant role in social stratification. In “What Americans Had..” Fischer explains the differences between social classes and the inequalities the lower strata faces by providing data and graphs to corroborate his argument. In addition, presents throughout the reading the differences of income between the 1900s to 2000s. As well as the three features that helps explain the inequality of standard of living. These three features are: wealth, income, and consumption. Evidently, while observing the graphs, Fischer explains that after the 1960s, inequality became a trend that ultimately has led to become a “norm” if you are in the lower scale of social structure. Furthermore, as with wealth, there are many ways

Even though having the “poor class” is a necessary evil needed for society to function, most Americans, at some point in time, will experience what it is like to live in poverty or live below the poverty line. One main reason for having a high percentage of people living in poverty is because the U.S. policy makers have ignored the poor and have given tax breaks to those with a much higher income. Funding for welfare was slashed and extended unemployment benefits were ended. With little success with the economic reform the United States has been going through for the past five years, about 14.5 percent of Americans are still living under the poverty line.

“Middle Class Series: The American Middle Class, Income Inequality and The Strength of Our Economy” by (Boushey & Hersh, 2012).

America was once known as the land of opportunity. However, that is no longer the case. Americans are still suffering from a depression that began three years ago in 2008. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2007, the United States unemployment rates were 4.6 percent. In 2009, one year after the depression began, the unemployment rate rose to 7.6 percent. Millions of Americans are living in poverty, unable to afford the basic necessities. On the other hand, there is a minuscule percent of the population that are billionaires. Written in 2005, Holly Sklar’s essay “The Growing Gulf Between the Rich and the Rest of Us” argues that if something isn’t done about the growing inequality between the rich and the poor, the American

Community is something that every human on this planet should be able to bask in the glory of. When looking at the reasoning and purpose of the article ‘Reclaiming Community’, you see neighborhoods overtaken by fear, resulting in the citizens hiding away in their homes away from any confrontations. As the article mentions the word ‘community’ it seems to just be a word of the past, something that really doesn’t hold much meaning to the urban neighborhoods. We have all seen a huge decline in neighbors going on picnics with each other, asking for a cup of sugar, babysitting each other’s kids, or looking out for one another’s houses. Despite the drug wars, diversification, or complications that come naturally with a neighborhood, all

Today, the middle class is losing more members as these either become wealthier, or poorer. The cases in which the middle class citizens move up the social and economic ladder are rarer than the cases when the people exit the middle class as a result of increasing poverty. Due to the crisis for instance, the middle class citizens gained less access to borrowed funds; they also lost their jobs and became unable to repay their mortgages; they as such lost their houses. With these, the people lost their ability to pay for basic care services, such as health care. And this problem is observed not only among the traditional Hispanic and black communities, but also among the white population (Rapoza, 2012).