Perception is reality. The American dream is just that, one’s perception on how they perceive to be successful. Our nation was built on the idea of this so called “American dream”. But, as the times have changed; is the American Dream really still accessible in today’s societies? In the article, “Confronting Inequality” by Paul Krugman, the author claims that the American Dream is no longer obtainable for most Americans due to the extreme levels of income inequality. The belief of protecting people’s rights to improve their own way of life is the best way to ensure national progress and Krugman believes that the wealth is concentrated heavily on the upper class, making it almost nearly impossible for the middle and lower class to move forward.
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He states, “The lack of clear economic progress for lower- and middle-income families is in itself an important reason to seek a more equal distribution of income” (Krugman 586). In other words, he believes that with more equal income distribution between the social classes, the economy would benefit substantially and provide headway for the middle and lower income families to move forward and live a more comfortable life. This, however, only plays a small role in the American dream. Wealth is presumed to be linked to happiness which coincides within the American Dream. In the article, “Trends and Sources of Income Inequality in the United States”, the author Jongsung Kim expresses his concerns with inequality and happiness. He wrote, “… according to Alesina et al. (2004), individuals are less likely to identify themselves as happy when income inequality is high. Although they find that this tendency is weaker in the U.S.—because people believe that the U.S. is still an upward mobile society...” (Kim 2). This means that even though individuals do not see themselves as happy when there is clearly a large income gap among society, they still have hope that one day they too will be able to move …show more content…
One of those benefits circulates everyday life, and that is health care. Krugman believes that it is our lack of universal healthcare that is hurting our middle and lower classes from progressing. He touches on the subject by saying, “Because American children from low-income families are often uninsured; they’re more likely to have health problems that derail their life chances” (Krugman 592). A disadvantage of not having the proper education leading to poor nutrition leads to unhealthy habits that end up leaving them with medical issues. Without the proper funds, there is no access to these medical
He states, “The lack of clear economic progress for lower- and middle-income families is in itself an important reason to seek a more equal distribution of income” (Krugman 586). In other words, he believes that with more equal income distribution between the social classes, the economy would benefit substantially and provide headway for the middle and lower income families to move forward and live a more comfortable life. This, however, only plays a small role in the American dream. Wealth is presumed to be linked to happiness which coincides within the American Dream. In the article, “Trends and Sources of Income Inequality in the United States”, the author Jongsung Kim expresses his concerns with inequality and happiness. He wrote, “… according to Alesina et al. (2004), individuals are less likely to identify themselves as happy when income inequality is high. Although they find that this tendency is weaker in the U.S.—because people believe that the U.S. is still an upward mobile society...” (Kim 2). This means that even though individuals do not see themselves as happy when there is clearly a large income gap among society, they still have hope that one day they too will be able to move …show more content…
One of those benefits circulates everyday life, and that is health care. Krugman believes that it is our lack of universal healthcare that is hurting our middle and lower classes from progressing. He touches on the subject by saying, “Because American children from low-income families are often uninsured; they’re more likely to have health problems that derail their life chances” (Krugman 592). A disadvantage of not having the proper education leading to poor nutrition leads to unhealthy habits that end up leaving them with medical issues. Without the proper funds, there is no access to these medical