Class should be considered as a cause of social problems now that 2% of people own 50% of the wealth, right?

Answer 1

I wouldn't blame rich people in general, as they are just trying to do the best they can like everyone else, they are just a lot more successful.

The decline of our society started with Reagan in 1981 and has gotten much worse under almost 7 years of the Bush regime. A big part of it has been "free trade", enabling manufacturers to eliminate good paying union jobs and replacing them with cheap labor, mainly now from China because their labor is the cheapest. The internet is allowing companies to replace professionals as well, as with programmers working from India. Those at the top end who get their money from ownership rather than work are helped by very low income tax rates on capital gains and large cuts in tax rates at the upper portion of the income scale. Although the poor and middle class had some savings from slightly reduced federal income taxes, they were hurt much more by federal cuts in aid to state and local governments, because those funds were used to give tax breaks to the rich.

The federal tax savings mostly went to the rich, but the increased state and local taxes and the cuts in services were mostly borne by the poor and middle class. The number of people who have no health insurance because they can't afford it or their employers refuse to pay for it is rapidly expanding. We are becoming a corporate government. Cheney has secret meetings with oil executives to set energy policy. Coal mine safety is being run by coal mine owners. The funding of the Republicans by the pharmaceutical industry causes them to pass laws where we can't negotiate with the drug companies for lower prices. The credit card companies rewrite bankruptcy law to make it difficult for people to discharge credit card debt, even though most of it is due to medical bills because of a lack of health insurance.

Making things worse, Bush's policies are designed to keep the poor down. Cuts in programs to help feed poor kids and cuts to education disproportionately hurt the poor and make it more difficult for them to rise up from their situation. Opposition to abortion and even to teaching family planning (other than "abstinence only" which doesn't work) encourage the poor to have more kids and stay poor. Drug policies that emphasize prison rather than help pay for treatment keep them in prison and make them a threat to society when they get out, instead of helping them be productive members of society. Emphasis on standardized tests rather than critical thought also keep the poor down. I think Bush is hoping that kids will get dumber so they won't realize what people like him are doing to hurt them.

Answer 2

It's not a cause of social problems unless people have class consciousness to begin with. In a society where even the poor own cars and elaborate home electronics, etc. you just don't get a lot of class consciousness. That's "bread and circuses" I suppose, but that's how it is. It doesn't matter if 1%of the people own 99% of the wealth, if the 99% of people don't really care.

Answer 3

No. For the duration of the existence of our species there will always be "social problems". Simply because of the incredible diversity reflected in our global population. If one group has a request granted, there will be another group who has the opposite request. The most valuable contribution that has the potential to eliminate a lot of global social problems is the availability of health care including, prenatal health care, education, acceptance of differences, and mutual respect.

Answer 4

No, I think we should be more concerned with people who are unable to hold a job. Many have not be raised in homes that promote professionalism. This often effects them in the job field when the are unable to present themselves in a professional manner or see the need for a deference in what is and is not appropriate at work or home.