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I have mentioned the subject of “INEQUALITY” in our society
as articulated by the protesters like the OCCUPY WALL STREET protesters that I
just visited last week.
David Brooks, who writes for the New York Times had an
interesting column about inequality that he divides into Red and Blue
inequality.
Blue inequality, he says, is what I found in New York City
But that 1%, according to the article, is composed of [31%]
business starters and owners (non-financial), 16% doctors, 14% finance, 8%
lawyers, 5% engineers and 2% in sports, entertainment or the media…this is just
a rough estimate and does not add up to 100%.
Red inequality is not about the top and the rest but between
those with a college degree and those without. I will quickly add that Steven
Jobs and Bill Gates are not college graduates but I think we can call them
special. I can also add that in my family there are members that have skills
(brick layer, electrician, heating & cooling, etc.) that require schooling
and on the job training and usually mean a good paying job.
So I think what Mr. Brooks is talking about is the general
statistics between a person with a college degree and one without and the fact
that our job market in this country is shifting dramatically into jobs that
require at least some college or advanced skills. I guess what he is saying that the days of
leaving high school and being hired by an auto company or similar company (for
life) with great wages and benefits and retirement security ARE NOW OVER.
Ben Bernanke says that in 1979 a college grad made 38% more
than a high school grad. Today that number is 75%.
Also, it appears that college grads beget college grads
while it is more difficult for a child of high school graduates to enter and
finish college.
Brooks says that in the 1970s, high school grads and college
grads had similar family structures but now statistics show that college grads
are more likely to get married, less likely to get divorced, less likely to
have a child out of wedlock, less likely to smoke, less obese, more likely to
be active in communities and speak a lot more words to their children.
Brooks feels that we need to EXPAND OPPORTUNITY to narrow
the inequality gap and not just bitch at the rich. Obviously not everybody can go to college or should they; there are many jobs that don't require a college education. What we are talking about is that everyone should have an opportunity to be the best that they can be.
Our problem is not that the rich are oppressing us and the
solution is to take away the riches of the upper class and distribute it to the
masses; remember Communism is dead…it did not work and only the leaders’ got
rich…the common man continued to struggle.
I think the one good thing that came out of the Occupy Wall
Street Protest is to start a dialog going about the inequality in our society
and what we can do about it and what can be done about it…now that discussion
may actually lead to some real progress and so we will continue the dialog...
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