Reagan, Obama and Inequality - Essay Example

Reagan, Obama and Inequality Nicholas Kristof argues in his article that the inequality has soared since the time president Reagan took office to this time when president Obama is still in office. According to Nicholas, the median household income has stagnated and educational progress has almost come to a halt. He further argues that the average Canadian family is better off than the average American family. The author has based his arguments from the late 1970s to now when president Obama is still in office.

The issue of inequality came up in the president’s state of the union address (Kristof). The president proposed that the government should take this issue seriously and corrective measures should be taken. However, the author does not believe that any action will be taken, citing that every year the president mentions an issue during the state of the union address and nothing is usually done to correct the situation. The author differentiates between opinions and facts. Some of the facts the author gives are that the median income for households has increased from the year 1979.

However, according to his opinion, the Average American family is worse off than the average Canadian family. The author also quotes some statistics and previously done research to differentiate facts from opinion. For example, the author quotes that 70% of children under the age of 3 years go to preschool in all the industrialized countries. However, only 38% of children below the age of 3 years go to preschool in the United States of America. The author of this article seems to be a liberal.

This issue is relevant to everyone. The rich make only 10% of the American population. This means that the rest, 90% percent are affected by the issue of inequality. Economists every year, usually give out predictions of how the economy will perform. However, the question is who really benefits from this economic growth. The truth is that only the wealthy 10% enjoy this economic growth and the rest are left grappling with poverty (Kristof). Yes, I agree with the author’s opinion. The issue of inequality has bedeviled our beloved nation for some time now.

From the late 19th century during the industrial revolution where the likes of John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie and J.P. Morgan became very rich, the issue of inequality has soared. The gap between the rich and the poor has over the years grown wider. Since the time president Regan took office until today, a huge percentage of the American population is still struggling to make ends meet. It is time that the government and the law making organs of the country deal with this issue of inequality that has bedeviled out country for some time now.

I am happy that the president took note of the issue and even addressed it during the state of the union address. I hope that the president together with his government will take the necessary steps to address this issue. It is my hope that one day the gap between the rich and the poor will be addressed and the issue of inequality will be put to rest. Work Cited Kristof, Nicholas. Reagan, Obama And Inequality. Nytimes.com. N.p., 2015. Web. 22 Jan. 2015.