Microeconomics: Inequality in the United States - Essay Example

The United States is one of the more renounced members of the G8, a nation where even though its people live in good prosperity the rich control over 90% of the internal wealth of the United States, while the rest work hard every day to provide good shelter, medicine, food and education to its family nucleus.

The nation with the greatest income disparity associated with inequality is Great Britain (Economist, 2007). Having equity in a system is very important. Equity is relative to the size of the family nucleus. A family with an income of $40,000 with six members has a lower standard of living than a single person with the same income. The importance of balance is that it has helped transform the United States into a society in which unity exists due to the existence of equity. Education is the path that leads to economic and personal development (NesSmith, 1995).

In any system in which inequality a way to change the nation's faith is by emphasizing the nation’s educational system. Those who waited for the reward that comes with education will have more opportunities than those who are not in a position to do the same and achieve a higher educational status such as a bachelor's or a master's degree. In the village depicted in the story Patient Capital (2007), the Indian tribe members witnessed inequality rising within their communities due to a variety of factors.

One of the most influential factors for the appearance of inequality among the Indian members was education level. Most of the society did not have opportunities for a college education due to family and village responsibilities which were necessary for the survival of a group of people living in very high levels of poverty. The educated member of the tribe gains much more wealth than the rest of the members. The United, its agriculture trajectory is a good example of how a group of people was able to evolve its economy by switching from an agriculture model to a manufacturing and service economy.

Such an economy is better able to provide greater levels of income which improve the standard of living of the people. Many people in the US have people struggled to break the barriers of inequality. In systems such as the United States before the civil movements of the 1960s or in South Africa before the elimination of apartheid in 1994 discrimination barriers create de-factor inequality constraints which keep a segregated group of people without economic opportunities. These types of situation are not good for any economic system because it limits the alternative solutions for improving the standard of living of many people.

Imagine an afro-American person in the 1920s looking for a job in a city. This person was automatically disqualified from many jobs due to the color of his skin. The discriminatory cultural forces created economic inequality for the person. Inequality is a socially deviant constraint that has caused great suffering throughout the history of mankind. In sophisticated economies such as the United States, the government has incentives and programs to attend to the needs of the poor and slowly eliminated the inequality of the group of people in greater need such as the homeless people.

In the 21st century in America, inequality has become an issue due to discrimination against illegal immigrants. The immigrants coming to America looking for job opportunities and the benefits of a democratic political system are facing tough times due to new laws that are taking benefits and violating the human rights of people in the United States.