wealth

We all understand intuitively why people with the least amount of wealth should be upset by huge and growing disparity in the United States, but what about that 1%? Or the 0.1%?

The percent of American workers belonging to a union has been in decline since the passage of the Taft-Hartley Act in 1947. The fall in union membership has contributed to increasing wage inequality and a decline in civic engagement.

The PEW Research Center released a new report on the racial wealth gap this morning. The publications affirms that the gap between people of color and white people is widening- and is now at its largest on record!

The Farm Bill’s food basket programs such as SNAP, WIC, and Child Nutrition have obvious connections to the wealth gap. The other half of the Farm Bill- dealing directly with farms and agriculture- may be less clearly relevant to the Mind the Gap! conversation.

Here at NETWORK, we’ve been talking a lot about taxes lately: why are they important, where does our nation stand in terms of tax policy, and what are we advocating for? It’s a confusing, number-heavy, and sometimes dry subject but, without a doubt, it is an essential conversation to be having!

Understand how and where your tax dollars are being spent. 

Test you knowledge of international wealth disparity with this new quiz!

We call on President Obama to convene a White House Summit to explore the causes and consequences of the current wealth gap in the United States, and develop a response.

We, the American people, need to know that our government is actively working to address the growing wealth-gap crisis. We are ready to work with our elected officials to help make our government and our economy work for all of us.

Despite political posturing by some, we are encouraged by the growing realization that addressing our nation’s wealth gap AND budget deficits must include much-needed reforms of tax code provisions that currently “blow out the deficit and enable big earners to avoid paying their fair shares” (Washington Post, 6/26/11).