The shrinking middle class

Last December, the President called income inequality the "defining challenge of our time."

Read the following articles:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/04/obama-income-inequality_n_4384843.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/03/business/the-middle-class-is-steadily-eroding-just-ask-the-business-world.html 

http://www.forbes.com/sites/joelkotkin/2014/01/30/blue-collar-hot-spots-the-cities-creating-the-most-high-paying-working-class-jobs/

...and this video from Richard Wilkinson.

Assignment:

Discuss: What is income inequality? What causes it? Why would the President elevate it to a "defining issue"? Should we really be that concerned with inequality? What happens to countries with extreme income inequality? Is there anything we can do to lessen inequality in our nation?

Write:  After thinking about the causes of income inequality, write a paper explaining why income inequality might be a problem.  Provide at least 3 ways income inequality could be lessened through public policy. You may use any of the three resources provided. Place it on your Google Drive and share it with me at the end of class. You paper will be graded on grammar, spelling and content.