For anyone with eyes to see, there is a stark contrast between those who have it all, as compared to those who have nothing at all. In fact, Visual Capitalist tells us that as of the 3rd Quarter of 2024, that the top 50% of Americans held around $156 trillion in wealth, as contrasted to those in the bottom half, which had a mere $3.9 trillion in wealth. In other words, when we look at the difference in wealth between the top half and the bottom half, it isn’t something along the lines of a ratio of 10:1, which would be bad enough, but rather it is at a ratio of 40:1 which is a staggering difference, demonstrating that this is literally a world of difference between these two factions, in this the supposed land of opportunity, equality and fairness.
To the degree that legislative and taxation laws have been passed to help level the playing field in America, the upshot of these laws is that they have not been effective enough, and a strong conclusion could be made, that those that own all the wealth in America, are incredibly adept at doing what they do in order to circumvent paying their fair share, whatsoever. Further to the point, the great equalizer and the primary purpose of taxation as exercised in the United States, is for the general welfare of the population as well as for a redistribution of that wealth, to help uplift those that are most in need of such assistance; but we can readily see that this is not actually working well to its purpose, which is why fundamental changes need to be made to our laws as exercised, to see that those that have more than enough, are taxed in a way and manner that those with nothing, have an opportunity to get a foothold into the American dream.
This type of income and wealth inequality bespeaks a general unfairness in America, in which some are simply born into wealth and privilege, and many are not. In a nation that is supposedly a strong believer in meritocracy, along with the belief that it has a duty to promote the general welfare of this nation, it has to be noted, that this is not being accomplished at even close to the level that it needs to be at, which is why we see so much civil unrest, because those that feel that they have not been provided with a fair chance, are wont to display their disappointment in the unfair cards dealt to them, through ill behavior that represents such frustration.
To all those though who believe that America is an equal opportunity country, especially in the sense that those who are successful deserve fully the fruits of their labor, they need to comprehend better that such a high wealth disparity isn’t healthy for a nation, because it serves as a distinct division between the citizens of this nation, making for a society that isn’t comfortable with one another, and undercuts democratic institutions because the change that those that lack want to see occur, not only doesn’t ever come to fruition, but it never will come to such.