We read at epi.org, that “The top 1.0% earned 13.8% of all wages in 2020,” and further that “The bottom 90% received just 60.2% of all wages in 2020.” Further to the point, we read at mroline.org, that Elsby, Hobijn, and Sahin inform us that “In 1948 the bottom 90 percent of employees earned 75 percent of payroll compensation.” This clearly indicates that the disparity between those that have as compared to those that have not, is getting ever wider, which thus signifies that America is regressing in its mission to be a nation that truly represents fairness, equality of opportunity, and the value of having a vibrant middle class. Rather, this country, despite its immense wealth, finds itself getting ever more unequal, which is a clear reflection that not all is right within America, in regards to its capitalistic system, its supposed progressive taxation, and its governance, so of.
In truth, it would be a lot easier to respect America, if it actually represented in action, the value of its institutions by thereby having a nation in which the whole of its people, were treated in a way in which the vast majority of them, lived lives of self-respect, so demonstrated by the accouterments typically so found in the middle class, of home ownership, vehicle ownership, job security, as well as having a reasonable amount of leisure time so as to enjoy a satisfying life. Instead, we have a construct in which, in many a household, both parties to that household, are compelled to work, as thereby being the only avenue so available for them, in order to have some semblance of a life that is worthwhile and allows them thus to provide for their progeny through a reasonably decent environment. Then too, we have those that are situated below the middle class, in which, their life is a constant struggle, and of which, they are far too often surrounded by an infrastructure so fundamentally poor, that their progeny will be stuck within a cycle that will, more times than not, mark them for a life that will be quite underprivileged and dissatisfying.
The fact that the payroll inequality gets ever wider between those in the top 1% as compared to the vast majority of Americans, that represent the bottom 90%, is proof positive, that whatever “fair deal” that once was part and parcel of what this government believed it owed to its citizens as its responsibility to thereby create the foundation for each citizen to have fair access to a good education, competent healthcare, and a decent paying job, has clearly been vacated, and apparently is not going to come back, ever again. Further to the point, there are very few people, that are looking for a handout, whatsoever; rather, what they are looking for is a fair opportunity to develop their minds and their respective skill set so as to become self-sufficient, and therefore their own person. The tragedy, then, is the fact that America has turned its back upon those that are its most disadvantaged, and further compounded that error in judgment, by making it their point, to relentlessly squeeze the middle class, on behalf of those that are the rich and the powerful, so that these superrich can live their soft lives of luxury, while sucking the lifeblood out from those that are the vulnerable middle class.