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Narrowing the Divide

Donald_trump_photoWell the debate continues about whether there is a growing divide between the haves and have nots in the USA.  There are numerous op ed pieces and articles in the news about Dem versus Republican ideas on how to do this.  What do you think?  Now understand I am not trying nor do I desire to start a Rep vs Dem debate here. But you have now been exposed to enough economics and accounting to make some fo these desicions for yourself.  So what say you?

Is there an unfair divide economically in the US?
Are there ways to over come this divide, you know like education, new job skills? Welfare certainly didn’t work.
What role should govt play in all this?
Does raising the minimum wage narrow the divide or decrease job opportunities, think about this the next time you pump your own gas or order a pizza….
What about ideas like differing income tax rates or the negative income tax, the earned income credit?
Do such schemes create unintended consequences of social behavior? ie, if you tell someone they will get a check if they do not make over say $24K, what will it then take for them to go ahead and start making over $24K and reject the check?  Or will they report $24K and ‘go underground’ and play the cash only economy to avod reporting wages which will keep them from getting their negative income tax bonus? And it works both ways…. In fact the whole stock option scandal got really going when congress denied companies the ability to expense a salary above $1M.  So execs signed up for stock options which were not expensed and resulted in capital not ordinary income-see what I mean, more unintended consequences.
Okay what about requiring some accomplishment or at least attempting to nurture that accomplishment in trying to improve one’s skills?  For example, if one cannot keyboard, one is being sadly left behind in the information economy.  Yet, and please start noticing this, every day I see folks taking way more time to do simple tasks because they cannot keyboard or touch type.  Just yesterday I saw it in a convenience store or a cleaners or a pawn shop.  Why don’t we offer some sort of reward for people who take  a keyboard class and they can show a proficiency, you know, teach some one to fish rather than give them a fish?

Your thoughts?

DLE

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2 responses to “Narrowing the Divide”

  1. Guadalupe Avatar
    Guadalupe

    Is there an unfair divide? Yes, and there will always be because it’s part of the social structure of our capitalistic economy. There, will always be the bourgeoisie and the proletariat, those who have and those who have not. The only way this divide can be overcome is through education. We are becoming a more specialized economy with plenty of reward for those who chose to to make the journey. Although they are not always visible, there are plenty of opportunities out there. The only question is do you want to be a have or have not? Can the government do more? Maybe, but it will never be able to erase the divide. Our economy functions on the exploitation of our natural and human resources. Doesn’t it just suck! But, that’s just the way it is, so we better get over it, suck it up, move foward, or get left behind.

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  2. Margaret Avatar
    Margaret

    I also think there will always be this divide, but education through the 12th grade is free in this country, and until parents ensure their kids actually go to school and learn the material, and test out, then I don’t really feel sorry for the have nots. I substitute teach, and I see how kids are taught to the TAKS test here in Texas, and standards are lowered so as not to hurt anyone’s feelings who may not be up to higher, normal standards, maybe these issues can be altered. Then there are the kids who speak gangsta languages in school that I know are not accepted languages in a corporate setting, and kids who dress inappropriately (again not acceptable in a corporate setting), and kids who are not made by their parents to be better students (turn in homework, show up every day and participate in something other than sports and lunch), and then these students expect jobs that are above minimum wage. Nope, not feeling sorry here. There are exceptions of course (kids with crazy parents), and these can also be helped, but our society has become one where kids don’t have alot of incentive to work hard (because of technology, I’m convinced) so they don’t know how. Again, not feeling sorry.

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