Long Report (2400)

Introduction: An overview of how political influence has resulted in the growing gap between the rich and the poor.

Thesis: The increasing concentration of the political power in corporate and financial elite have been able to influence the rules by which the economy runs and this has contributed to a wide gap between the rich and the poor.

Body

A: Alterations of the various forms of laws to suit the Rich

1. Loosening of the bankruptcy laws for large corporations like airlines, manufacturers of the automobiles and not extending the same laws to the homeowners that have been burdened by mortgages. Comment by 单双: This idea does not make sense

2. Alterations of the Contract Laws where the security laws being relaxed to permit insider trading of confidential information. Comment by 单双: You create the distinct impression that you do not know the extent of the law. Insider trading, especially of confidential information, is illegal.

3. Loopholes in Tax Laws for the partners of hedge funds and the private-equity funds. Comment by 单双: This is not a complete sentence. Therefore, it says nothing.

B. Political Favoritism towards the Business Interests . Comment by 单双: Not a complete sentence. Therefore it says nothing.

1. Underinvestment by the government and business in “the commons,” areas where most of the residents are the poor and thus have limited investments that will benefit them.

2. Weakening of the Labor Unions to bend the rules or alters the protection of the poor and favoring the rich

C. Unequal Influence (education).

1. Inadequate K-12 in most of the regions inhabited by the poor and this limits their chances in the job markets.

2. Residential Zoning where people live in various areas based on their social classes and the benefits that go to such areas gets controlled by politicians.

3. Follow the money where most educated people make good living through lobbying and influencing the federal government.

D. Manipulation of the Economic Opportunities

1. Regulation and Control where the government regulates and have control on the private corporations to ensure that such businesses serve the best interests of the rich.

2. Stabilization and Growth through various aspects such as adjusting the rates of taxes, money supply and use of credit.

Conclusion: Giving a summary of the discussed points and restating the thesis statement. Provides a definite conclusion on how the government influence the increasing gap between the poor and the rich.

Annotated Bibliography

1. To Widen the Gap or Not to Widen the Wealth Gap

For the past weeks we have discussed the widening wealth gap. Excuse me to the individuals who have paid attention, but a portion of the class still thinks that we are discussing the wealth gap.

A wealth gap has always existed since man or woman first scratched the head with a new idea. Some people are smarter than the rest of us. Some people are more ambitious than the rest of us. Some people are both. These individuals will earn more and, therefore, garner more wealth. Capitalism rewards these people. It expands with the ambition of these people.

The principles in this class assume this--unless you are arguing in favor of socialism, which is fine. (But even socialism runs into problems with rewarding the ingenious and ambitious.)

We discussed the widening gap in wealth. It began 50 years ago and accelerated during the past 20. You must relate you social issue to the widening gap in wealth and income, not just the gap. So if you are discussing racism, how has the widening gap affected racism. More likely, how has racism contributed to the widening gap.

If you do not relate the social issue to the widening gap, then you have missed the point of every reading. You have missed one of the points of this semester.

Read, think, write!

2. Widening Gap Vs. the Gap

For the entire semester, we have discussed how the wealth and income gap between the top 1% or 20% and the remaining quintiles has expanded in the past 20 to 50 years, making it more difficult for individuals in the lower and middle classes reach the American Dream.

(By the way, lower is an economic description and not a social or moral description of the group, just as upper class does not mean they are superior, better, smarter, or whatever. It means only that they are richer.)

Therefore you must relate your social issue to the widening income and wealth gap in America, not a gap. (Economies always have gaps. Some people are smarter, some more ambitious, some both. These individuals always will earn more and, therefore, garner more wealth. That creates the gap. This semester discussed how the gap expanded, meaning the wealthy pick up more wealth and the lower 80% lost wealth, creating a wider gap between the rich and the poor.)

3. Another Explanation of the Annotated Bibliography and Outline

I have attempted to explain this several times, and some students still have trouble grasping it. So I try again:

Outline.

A sentence outline, which breaks down the report into its introduction, background, propositions, and conclusions. For example, your opening section “I.” would have a sentence introducing the outline (think of it as the first sentence of your report). “A.” would be your thesis for the section. “B.” the conclusion, which in this case would be the thesis for the report. II. Again introductory sentence that connects the conclusion of IB. with the thesis in IIA. IIB conclusion, and so on.

Each sentence is declarative, no defining, no passive voice, no first or second person, and 10 words or less.

Annotated Bibliography

APA Works Cited for each of the 10 or more sources you have for the report. Under each listings, you will note where in the report you plan on using the material. For example:

FamilyName, I. (date). Title of the Article. Name of website. Retrieved from <URL>.

Using material in sections IIB., IIIA.