No one can deny that the United States has a long long history of disparate treatment of its citizens (and people not considered full citizens). As a result America has the most inequality and least social mobility of any developed country.
The question becomes how to address these issues. Affirmative action and reparations would be a start. However, at the moment these don't seem feasible. There are however alternative solutions.
The following would go a long way to ameliorating inequality:
1. Universal Healthcare: If we truly believe that all men and women are created equal and believe in the sanctity of life this is a no brainer. The value of a citizen's life -- as quantified by how much medical care is available -- cannot be based on his or her personal resources (or those of his or her parents). Its putting our money where our mouth is -- if all our lives are equally valuable then we need to make the best medical care available to all.
2. Equalize K-12 Funding: If we truly believe in equal opportunity them we must actually provide equal opportunity. When the quality of a child's school depends upon the local tax base extreme inequality of opportunity is sure to exist. The easiest way to solve this problem is fund K-12 at the state rather than local level.
3. Affordable Post-Secondary Education: College and other post-secondary education needs to be available and affordable to everyone willing to take advantage of it at any stage of life. Community College and vocational training need to be pretty much free. Fees that may be inconsequential to middle class folks can be prohibitive to those on the margins of society. It used to be possible to work one's way through college. There's no reason this cannot be true once more.
4. Real Minimum Wage: What does it say about the value we assign the lives of the working poor when minimum wage workers do not earn enough to extricate themselves from poverty. Again, if we truly value life, a years full time labor needs to generate enough income to pay for a decent subsistence.
The question becomes how to address these issues. Affirmative action and reparations would be a start. However, at the moment these don't seem feasible. There are however alternative solutions.
The following would go a long way to ameliorating inequality:
1. Universal Healthcare: If we truly believe that all men and women are created equal and believe in the sanctity of life this is a no brainer. The value of a citizen's life -- as quantified by how much medical care is available -- cannot be based on his or her personal resources (or those of his or her parents). Its putting our money where our mouth is -- if all our lives are equally valuable then we need to make the best medical care available to all.
2. Equalize K-12 Funding: If we truly believe in equal opportunity them we must actually provide equal opportunity. When the quality of a child's school depends upon the local tax base extreme inequality of opportunity is sure to exist. The easiest way to solve this problem is fund K-12 at the state rather than local level.
3. Affordable Post-Secondary Education: College and other post-secondary education needs to be available and affordable to everyone willing to take advantage of it at any stage of life. Community College and vocational training need to be pretty much free. Fees that may be inconsequential to middle class folks can be prohibitive to those on the margins of society. It used to be possible to work one's way through college. There's no reason this cannot be true once more.
4. Real Minimum Wage: What does it say about the value we assign the lives of the working poor when minimum wage workers do not earn enough to extricate themselves from poverty. Again, if we truly value life, a years full time labor needs to generate enough income to pay for a decent subsistence.
