Inequality and the American Dream Essay – Research & Examples

The phrase that America is a land of opportunities is a common one in many countries. This belief compels people from different parts of the world to travel to America with hopes of improving their lives, a fact that explains the ever increasing number of immigrants who troop into the country every year. However, what many people fail to understand is that America is characterized by numerous insecurities and inequalities.

The American model is considered by some countries an appropriate model of transforming struggling economies. This explains why many countries put a lot of effort to make their economies powerful, prosperous and productive.

The American economy is considered to be among world economies that have grown very fast, leading to reduced unemployment and huge profits. However, some Americans feel that there are no direct benefits associated with the seemingly grown American economy. Some of them have legitimate concerns about the American model although other countries try to imitate it.

For instance, the typical American worker is underpaid and college degrees do not guarantee American citizens well paying jobs. It is important for the system to address these issues before it boasts of having established a successful model. All the Americans should benefit from the model before it is described as being successful.

Although America is proud of its economic model, it has to think about its international reputation. Europeans hold a view that the country does not take care of its citizens as it was witnessed after Hurricane Katrina. A country that does not bother about the welfare of the poor leaves unanswered questions when it talks about having an economic model that can be adopted by other countries.

The inequality that characterizes the American economy is evidence enough that there are those who reap huge benefits at the expense of the rest of the population. Some individuals are extremely wealthy such that even if business stopped, they would still remain wealthy. This inequality does not portray a balanced economic model.

The American system is oblivious of the threat that people at the bottom of the economic system face. One of the concerns of these individuals is that their jobs are not exported to other countries but immigrants get into America regularly. The implication is that it is possible for their jobs to be taken up by rival workers who come from other countries.

It is important for the government to analyze the threats these individuals face and look for mechanisms of ensuring that wages of poor American workers remain stable. It is only after the poor workers are assured of their jobs that the American model can be said to be successful.

Although according to this article inequality is not inherently wrong, it is evidently wrong within the American system. For instance, while it is supposed to provide a safety net for the poor, it continues to oppress them. In addition, not everybody in the American system has an opportunity to climb up the economic system.

The system favors the rich and offers them more opportunities to rise. For the American government to claim to have developed an appropriate economic model that other countries can imitate, it must ensure that every citizen benefits from the model. The poor should be assisted to climb up the economic ladder and shield them from threats posed by immigrants who take up their jobs. Many countries seem to follow the American model but it still requires adjustments before it becomes effective.