Haves and Have Nots Seminar - Moody Middle School

This article talks about how it is harder to move socially in the US than in most of Europe. Also, it shows the Horatio Alger myth, which states the ideal aspects of the American Dream without stating the truth. Although Obama and the government believe in this lie, stating that someone born into poverty has equal chances as anyone else. The writer disagrees with this stating that she is bound by poverty and is a slaves for life, without equal opportunities as some other students

"President Obama is in Tennessee on Friday, along with the state's Republican governor and two Republican senators, to lay out his plan for free community college. The plan - which would require congressional approval - would apply to students attending a two-year college, including part time, so long as the college offered credits that could transfer to a four-year college or provided training that led to jobs." This article explores the idea that President Obama and the Republican Congress are considering passing the proposal to grant two years of free community college. From the New York Times, this article can help students work on and relate to the project because the issue of free after-high school education is a common dispute between the upper and lower class citizens all throughout America.

"Much has been written about the domestic consequences of growing income inequality in the United States - how inequality depresses growth, puts downward pressure on the middle class, accentuates wage stagnation and creates added difficulty paying for a college education and buying a home " This article by The Washington Post talks about how income inequality would not only affect America domestically, but also internationally. Having income inequality would undermine America's authority as a world power on an international level as well.

"Education has long been the traditional route to opportunity for American families of modest means. But a growing educational achievement gap between low-income and affluent kids is making that path both harder and less accessible." The main idea of this article is that the opportunity gap needs to be something the political parties can come together and fix, since it is clearly an issue that cannot be overlooked. The article also mentions statistics on the issue and says that the political parties need to further discuss this issue since it is clearly a problem.

"The American dream is the idea that anyone can get ahead in life with talent and hard work. But that ideal of wide-open opportunity has been dented quite a bit in the economic stagnation of the last few years." The article talks about how the topic of education gaps is becoming more of a problem in America and how that gap is increasing. It also demonstrates the relation between the income gap and the education or opportunity gap.

"Education was historically considered a great equalizer in American society, capable of lifting less advantaged children and improving their chances for success as adults. But a body of recently published scholarship suggests that the achievement gap between rich and poor children is widening, a development that threatens to dilute education's leveling effects." In this article, there was a discussion about how an education gap between different income families has been increasing over the years in America through several statistics. A major reason for this is because many low-income families have a set-back in their education since high-income families spend more money and time on their children's academic futures. Also, a study mentioned in this article explains how many low-income families face hardships with their students completing college due to troubles financially with the tuition.

"The growing gap between the better educated and the less educated, he argued, has formed a kind of cultural divide that has its roots in natural social forces, like the tendency of educated people to marry other educated people, as well as in the social policies of the 1960s, like welfare and other government programs, which he contended provided incentives for staying single." Overall, this article discusses the possible reasons and explanations for why the education gap has been increasing between different families and children in America. One of the major reasons this gap has become so prominent is because successful people tend to only associate with other successful people. And their children will end up continuing the trend because they too have received a higher education, and want to remain wealthy. The down side to this theory that many researchers have found is that the poorer families have a similar history. So, even if the children grow up in the same area, one is still going to receive a better education than the other depending on wealth. In addition, the article also explained how many of the problems could be resolved as income increases allowing for lower income families to receive the rightful education. Recommended:educationachievement gapsmithson5snow2 Group dictionary:incomeeducationsnow1snow7Smithson7lowder1responsibilitysmithson5snow2snow3 Share my existing annotations Savecancel "

In this article, the author explains the issue of income inequality using the stock market and the IRS. He also explains how much money the middle and upper classes make.

"The middle class - those who make between $50,000 and $100,000 - account for 22% of all filings and roughly the same in income, at 25%. Put it another way: 3.6 million households make basically the same as 32 million households." This article describes income equality in America, measuring it using statistics of taxes. It also explains the annual incomes of the upper and lower classes.

Income is a very serious problem in the U. S. Our debt to other countries is the main reason we have so high taxes. This article give you the facts a statistics on all the problems.

"The report says that the learning levels of children in the province are very poor." This article conveys the fact that "have-nots" people commonly have a lower level of education through statistics. The percentages shown in the article exposes the truth about separation between social classes, and how it is evident in the learning environment.

"Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin has buzz. He has impressed conservative activists in Des Moines and is the front-runner for likely Republican Iowa caucus-goers, according to a Bloomberg Politics-Des Moines Register poll published over the weekend. Supporters say Mr. Walker, who is 47, has more diverse qualifications than the other Republicans: a non-Washington Republican who has won tough contests in a blue state, has taken on labor unions, and appeals to Christian conservatives and the business constituency. There is one credential that he doesn't have: a post-high school education. America hasn't elected a president without a college degree since Harry S. Truman." This article focuses on how the governor of Wisconsin might try to run for president without having a college education. According to the article, more than 40% of voters and all members of the Senate have higher education. Many strategists in both parties believe that Scott Walker's lack of college education could be troublesome if he chooses to run for president.

"Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin has buzz. He has impressed conservative activists in Des Moines and is the front-runner for likely Republican Iowa caucus-goers, according to a Bloomberg Politics-Des Moines Register poll published over the weekend. Supporters say Mr. Walker, who is 47, has more diverse qualifications than the other Republicans: a non-Washington Republican who has won tough contests in a blue state, has taken on labor unions, and appeals to Christian conservatives and the business constituency. There is one credential that he doesn't have: a post-high school education. America hasn't elected a president without a college degree since Harry S. Truman."

"Many parents told CBS 6 last May that they believed the county treated the East End differently regarding school resources and educational opportunities." According to this article posted in 2012, the treatment that schools in the West end receive is much better than the treatment of schools in the East end. The West End was given a new middle and high school in 2010, which the East End hasn't had a new high school in over 50 years. Along with that, there was a large achievement gap between african american and white students, with white students having a much higher passing rate than african american students. 

"Parents believed because there are more white people, businesses, and higher taxes being paid in the West End, schools there got more attention." ""Even with our African-American students in our West End, the gap still existed, so this is not about East End or West End," Russo said." This article says that a possible reason to why there is an opportunity gap is because of the difference in social classes. Some people believe that since higher taxes are being paid, there are more whites, and more businesses on the West End, the  school located there are getting more attention. Although, Pat Russo confirmed that the African American students in the West End still create the gap within the school.

"Parents believed because there are more white people, businesses, and higher taxes being paid in the West End, schools there got more attention." "County data showed on reading SOL tests, 94% of whites passed compared to 82% of blacks." This article is from CBS 6 and specifically talks about Henrico County. It discusses the achievement gap in schools between the West End and the East End schools, including neglect from the county for the East End.

"When it comes to our budget, we should not be stuck in a stale debate from two years ago or three years ago," Obama said at a nonprofit social services center in a poor neighborhood in the capital. "A relentlessly growing deficit of opportunity is a bigger threat to our future than our rapidly shrinking fiscal deficit." This article includes an in depth look into President Obama's take on income equality, and its effects on our economy. In addition, he included the topics of economic theory, which was included in his statement about income equality.

"One factor is that the students themselves sometimes are not motivated enough," said Ruscitti. "They need to understand the role of education in helping them go out and get a job. We want all children to have great skills for today's jobs." This article talks about the growing education gap, and how many people, including Darlene Ruscitti, want to be able to close the gap. She addresses some aspects of what may need to be done to close the gap, including the topic of student motivation.

"The government helps students' education." This article talks about what the government is doing to help colleges and how people can get into college because of the government.

"The bottom 20 percent of households lost over three times as much in real earnings as did households at the top," says Michael Cassidy, President of The Commonwealth Institute for Fiscal Analysis, a Virginia-based independent fiscal and economic policy research organization. "As a result, income inequality in Northern Virginia has grown substantially since the start of the recession. In 2007, the top 10 percent of Northern Virginia households brought in 7.61 times the income of the bottom 10 percent. In 2010, they brought in 8.5 times as much." The article details the increasing difference between the incomes of Virginia's highest and lowest classes. The annual income of the highest 10 percent has grown almost 100% in three years, an unhealthy and irregular amount compared to the rest of the country.

"Women have yet to close the wage gap, even when they have similar jobs to their male counterparts. That's especially true on Wall Street. Last year, women who graduated from business school and took jobs in financial services earned an average of $21,872 less than male MBAs, according to data collected by Bloomberg Business. Drilling down into the numbers shows part of that discrepancy is explained by differences in the type of finance companies that hired women, but a gap persisted even when women worked in similar sub-sectors of finance as men. " This article discusses the wage gap between the sexes. It explains how men who work on wall street get paid over $11,000 more than the women who work on wall street and do the exact same jobs. People have been trying to close this gap for years, yet it still stands.

"The stark contrast in household earnings illuminates a disturbing fact: Richmond has one the highest levels of income inequality in the United States, according to data released Tuesday by the U.S. Census Bureau." According to this article, Richmond has one of the highest levels of income inequality with bottom quintile of the city's households making averagely $7,000, and the top quintile averagely making $170,000. One in four of Richmond residents lives on or below the poverty line, and there are many theories for the growth of income inequality. Among these are elimination of jobs due to technological advances and discrimination against minorities and women. 

"Windsor Farms is a historic neighborhood in Richmond's West End just north of the James River. Its streets are lined with colonial-style homes meant to mimic an English village. Seven and a half miles away is the Gilpin neighborhood in Richmond's Northside, next to Interstates 64 and 95. Its streets are lined with one of the largest public housing projects on the East Coast, Gilpin Court.  Windsor Farms Gilpin Court Though it's just a 15-minute drive between Windsor Farms and Gilpin, the two neighborhoods are worlds apart in terms of socioeconomics. The average annual household income for residents in Windsor Farms is about $185,000; in Gilpin, the figure is less than $10,000."

"Middle-class and low-income individuals who make up most of the population in our state aren't earning enough to buy the goods and services that the economy is capable of producing. The result is a shrinking middle class. Middle-class families, defined as households earning 50 percent below and above the median income, are earning less than middle-class families did in 1989. The decline in high-paying jobs is pushing more families into the lower class, thus widening the gap between rich and poor." This article explores the level of income inequality present in Richmond, the city with the highest income inequality in Virginia and one of the highest in the United States. One in four individuals live on or below the poverty line. Segregation, racism associated with banking, and highway construction limited the poverty level to specific areas of the city. There is no transportation provided beyond city lines, forcing the average-middle class to take the incentive to live in the country as opposed to the city. This forces the lower class to live within the city. The article discusses how stable well-paying jobs have disappeared and not been replaced, causing the American middle class to shrink. The lack of high paying jobs is currently pushing more families into the lower class, widening the gap between rich and poor.

""We are building the leaders of tomorrow and we must do all we can to make sure our educational system is fair and equitable to all, regardless of a student's race or family's economic standing," said HCPS Superintendent Dr. Patrick Russo." This article talks about how certain people do better than others in Henrico County Public Schools creating an achievement gap. It shows how they plan to solve the problem stating that everyone deserves to have a proper education no matter what their race or background is.

"President Obama will propose a 10-year budget on Monday that stabilizes the federal deficit but does not seek balance, instead focusing on policies to address income inequality as he adds nearly $6 trillion to the debt. The budget - $4 trillion for the 2016 fiscal year - would hit corporations that park profits overseas, raise taxes on the richest of the rich and increase the incomes of the middle class through new spending and tax credits. Mr. Obama will challenge the newly elected Republican Congress to answer his emphasis on wage stagnation, according to congressional aides briefed on the details." This article focuses on how President Obama is constructing a 10-year budget which will increase taxes on the richest, while increasing the income of the middle class through various methods. Although this budget has lots of support, it has sparked debate on whether it might widen the gap between the rich and everyone else.

"President Obama will propose a 10-year budget on Monday that stabilizes the federal deficit but does not seek balance, instead focusing on policies to address income inequality as he adds nearly $6 trillion to the debt." It seems that President Obama is trying to balance out the deficit without reducing it, and the deficit and debt seem be getting higher each year. On income inequality, he's trying to raise the income for middle- and lower-class workers.

Also in this article, Obama says he is willing to help workers through this process. He wants it to be a smooth transition to help workers get what they deserve and be equal.