Income Inequality Too Big To Ignore By Paul Krugman

Both Paul Krugman and Robert H. Frank have written very informative pieces about the problem of economic inequality in the United States. In Robert H. Frank’s essay, Income Inequality: Too Big to Ignore, he explains that the United States got to this point of income inequality through years of economic stagnation caused by policies that favor the rich, and discusses the harmful effects of this phenomena. In Paul Krugman’s writing, he too says that income inequality is a problem caused by economic and fiscal policies designed to help the rich and he outlines the ways the United States can fix the severe problem of income inequality.. They are both persuasive essays with similar writing styles. When analyzing the works of both writers, we can …show more content…
Paul Krugman, for example, discusses how the rising level of income inequality contributes to a decline in public health. Here Krugman uses the literary element of logos to establish or defend his argument on how income inequality contributes to public health. Krugman explains that rising levels income inequality has shrunk the middle class and given people less purchasing power. This lack of purchasing power has led to less people being able to afford health insurance. Because the United States isn’t a country that ensures health care coverage to all its citizens, people who can’t afford health care simply go uninsured. He explains that this lack of health care coverage leads to people having health problems, “Because American children from low-income families are often uninsured, they’re more likely to have health problems that derail their life chances” (Krugman 2009). This is a clear example of how logos are implemented by Krugman to explain how income inequality leads to public health problems. By stating the fact that low income people are uninsured and thus more likely to have health problems, he uses the literary element of logos to prove to his readers that income inequality is hazardous to public health. The decline in public health due to income inequality is a clear example of how Krugman believes income inequality has serious consequences on society. Frank also discusses how income inequality leads to social issues in this country. A social issue that income inequality contributes to that Frank discusses is increasing divorce issues. He argues that income inequality is leading to financial stress and these problems contributes to the increasing divorce rates. Frank cites reports from marriage counselors to prove this argument, “marriage counselors report that a high proportion of couples, they see are experiencing significant