We all know that the U.S. economy is hobbling along, and it’s also no surprise that some segments of the population are better off than others. Yet the tables and charts compiled by political journalists Dave Gilson and Carolyn Perot for Mother Jones demonstrate with painful clarity the disparities between the rich and the un-rich in the present-day U.S.A.
Read it here: Mother Jones "It's the Inequality, Stupid"
- Which of these eleven charts impressed you the most? Why? Explain your reasons.
- Charts and graphs can have a strong persuasive impact, and they present unique challenges to writers responding to them in prose. Suppose you want to comment on the graph named “How Rich Are the Superrich?” How would you succinctly summarize a “they say” for that graph? Try to include all of the key information (feel free to round the numbers) in 100 words or less.
- Read (or re-read) Bruce Bartlett’s essay “The Truth About Wages” (pp. 312–315 in the text), and compare it to the table “Your Loss, Their Gain” on the Mother Jones page. Both present statistics to support their respective arguments, which appear to be diametrically opposed. Is it possible that they are both correct? Why or why not? Which do you find more persuasive? Why?
- We seem to take it for granted that our Congress is largely composed of very wealthy people. Is that fact consistent with U.S. democracy as you envision it? Using the statistical data in the graphs and tables of “Capitol Gain” as your “they say,” write an essay discussing your ideas and opinions about the financial status of those who make the rules.
In "Its the Inequality, Stupid" Dave Gilson and Carolyn Perot discuss the disparity in the economic standing of the average American and the rich. Through a series of charts and graphs, Gilson and Perot dissect the top one percent of the nation. Gilson and Perot uncover America’s misconception of the true economic breakdown. They analyze the relationship between the top one percent’s control of the government and tax cuts as well as the growing inequality between the upper class and the average American’s salary. Altogether Gilson and Perot’s combination of charts provides an overview of how quickly the economic standing of the upper class and the average American are separating.
Though I concede that Gilson and Perot’s assessment of the economy in 2010 was accurate, I still insist that the disparity between classes is not as severe as they made it seem. A recent article on Business Insider states that the unemployment rate has dropped below six percent and that the economy has matched the fastest quarter growth rate since 2006. These two trends not only show that the United States’ economy is returning to its state before the recession, but that everything is truly not as bad as it seems. While effects of the recession can still be seen, the economy is beginning to rebound and the gap between classes is being reduced.
Posted by: Megan Wright | 10/09/2014 at 07:17 PM