The current distribution of wealth in the United States is
extremely skewed towards the wealthy – more so than in any other developed
country. This inequality results in the
unavoidable reality that there are insufficient economic resources available
for the majority of the nation’s citizens.
This situation has been severely exacerbated by the economic
downturn precipitated by the Great Recession that began in 2008. This economic reversal was caused, for the
most part, by the unwise, cavalier and often extra-legal activities of the
major financial institutions that led to widespread unemployment and a rash of
home mortgage foreclosures. The
consequences of this monumental economic catastrophe were so severe that a
bailout involving vast sums of public money was required.
Notwithstanding this most recent event, the core issues
gravitate around fundamental problems that have been in evidence for many
years. These include:
- - Large numbers of low wage and minimum wage jobs
that are inadequate for survival within the modern economy
- -A national health care system that fails to
effectively serve tens of millions of vulnerable and at-risk men, women,
children and the elderly
- - A housing market that is geared towards maximizing
profit and, therefore, fails to build low-cost housing in sufficient number to
serve those in need of affordable shelter
- -Public policy at the local, state and federal
level that invariably caters to the needs of the affluent and corporate classes
to the exclusion of those with the most need.
These policy choices are dictated by the intimate relationship that
exists between politics and money. The
net impact of this collaboration is the paradoxical dismantling of the
Commons. This is, in effect, a form of
reverse socialism where resources flow from the many in need to the few who
have an abundance of wealth to begin with
- - A lack of social resolve around the important
issue of gun control
The net effect of these intrinsic factors is a dangerous increase
in poverty especially among the most vulnerable, personal bankruptcy that is often
triggered by a major health crisis, homelessness, infrastructure collapse, the
rise of a thriving black market and the indiscriminate use of deadly firearms
against innocent people.
It is, therefore, not surprising that this array of economic
conditions and their natural consequences promotes social instability. The fact the wealthiest nation in the world
can tolerate this severe disparity between the living conditions, well-being
and longevity of its citizens based on economic status is suggestive of a
deep-seated malaise that undermines the real prospects for peace.
