Week 3 critical discussion

;?ti Part \ - I hr F:cunurnic., or Ilace, (:lass. and (:ender

off in the United States are not well off by comparison with people in other countries.

While that may be true with respect to consumer goods he reports, it is decidedly not

true with respect to health and heath care. His conclusion: inequality can kill.

Part V concludes with an essay by Alejandro Portes that looks at the plight of immi-

grant children in the United States today. Despite the recent and on-going debate about

our immigration policy, U.S. business is dependent upon immigrant workers to fill a host

of menial jobs in agribusiness, hotels, landscaping, and other low-paying work. While pay- ing such wages may be in the short-term interests of corporations and businesses seek-

ing high profits, the economic benefits these corporations and businesses derive is

creating a "rainbow underclass." As Portes observes, the very "low wages that make for- eign workers so attractive to employers translate into poverty and inferior schooling for

their children." The cumulative effects of growing up in poverty, along with the effects of

race discrimination experienced by so many immigrant children, suggest a dire future

both for these children and for society at large.

IMAGINE A CO UNTRY- 2006 Holly Sklar

Intaginc a counts sshere olle oil I of four cltil(Iren is horn into, puscrts, and sscallh

is heirng redistributed npssard. Since the Ir) Ih, tic richest I percent of houxiulds

has ncarh doubled its ,hare of the talion s vsealtlt. 'I he top I percent has store' svcalfIi than the bottom c)II percent of iouscholds combined.

Its not Jat uaica. Imagine a country sshose naticnual oitcligencc a ene sass, "Since lt-^, I>rac-

ticalh all the gains in household illconic brie gone to the top 2ll',4 of households."

Imagine a cotnttn sshere more and more jobs arc keeping people in prnrrhv instead of ottt of poscrh.

Imagine a country ss here health care aides can't aft rd health insurance. \1 here food industr msorkers nws depend on food hanks to help ► (.,col their children. \1ltere c•Itildcarc teachers don't make enough to sa\e for their msut children's education.

Imagine it country sshere economic iucyualits is going back to the future circa the lcN 'hs. In lo)-c), the bottom fit rd of fayhavers had more than twice as much

combined irnconte as the top tenth of the richest I percent. In 2003, it vvs the

other ssas around: 'I'hc top tenth of the richest I percent of la\pasets had enure iu- connc than the bottom third of taypascrs combined.

Imagine a country gis log tax breaks to niilliouaire, ss Bile cottiug college tuition

aid for students front lo\s-income fnuilic,, lulagine a country (,I\ III,(, tax breaks to tnillionaires sshilc cutting Public health and safety, education, housing, ccononuic

deselopuncrtt, ens ironnu•ntal protection and other needed sets ices. It's not the Philippines.

Imagine a counts ss ith poscrts rates higher than then sere in the Is)-11s. hnag ine a counts that sets the official puscrts line sell bclrns the actual cost of utini- ntalls adec{uatc bossing, health care, food and other iicces,itics. On average, households need snore than double the official prnerts threshold to meet basic tccds.

lunaginc it counts sshere the economy is incrca,iugh not ssorking for ssorkiug people.

Imagine a counts sshere productisits seat up, het ssorkcrs' sages sent doss.

In the ssords of the national labor deparhncnt. -.Vs the prodnetisits of ssorkcrs

l'' i' r lit ilolly Sklar'-nll6. Ihi rH h,l I,i Ia"nin..0ni ui Ilic.,nllwr

;ill Part \ I he to ,,iomics t,/ Ruce, Class, and Gender

increase,, one sot1ltl expect worker coil ipeiisatiora [wages and bei etiisl to experi-

ence similar ;tats,.. I. hats not what happened. Bet-\\cen l% and 2UU . ssorkcr

pioducliyity rose l1 I percent. 6111 the average hourly wage tell -) percent, adjust- ' pert-eiit.ing for intlation, and the niinitnunt wage tell 4

Irita(,ine a co11ntn where it takes ucarly two utininrtnn shat one worker made tour decades ago.

wage workers to stake

Intagiric a countrs \\here the 11tinini11st \\age has beeonu a poyert vatic ill-

tcad of all anti pmisert\ wage. The tnininiunt wage has lagged so far behind iieces-

sttics that keeping a root over head is a constant struggle and tastily health coverage

costs more than the entire annual irrconrc of a full-time worker at ntinisuun \sage.

Intagisc t conntr\ where hotuclessucss is rising for workers and their families,

shits federal housing assistance for low iuconte tanulies is slashed. 'I'll(: largest fed-

eral housing support program is the mortgage interest deduction, s hick dispropor-

liott:itcly hcsetits higher-inciitie tastilies.

IS not \Icxico. Iniaginc• a countrs ,here some of the Borst CFOs stake millions niore in a

scar that the best (21 Os of earlier generations made in their lifetime. in 19W,

(;I•;Os of major corporations made an aserage 4s times the pay of aserage tall-tints

workers. Its lt)c)I, sshen (;I''lOs made 1411 times as much as \yorkcrs, a prominent

pay expert said the (:f.O "is paid so much more than ordiuan corkers that lie

hasn't gut the slightest clue as to how the rest of the country his es.' In DO;, a lcad-

ing husiocss magazine put a pig in a pinstriped suit on the corer and headlined its

(:1•:O pas roundup. "I Iav c they to chaise" Their perfonnasce stank last year, yet

most CI.( )s dot paid inure than corr." Iin 2IH , CI•'Os made even mire-times

the pay of a\(_-rage workers. \ Icading business iuiuga/me obscryed, .'People oho corked hard to stake their

eontpanics contpetitise are anigrs at the say the profits arc distributed. 'flier think

it is untair, and thc\ arc right.''

Its not I'.ugland. Itnaginc a countrs ssher(, usages are falling despite greatly increased education.

Si ice lt)-), the share of ssorkers ssithout a high school degree has plummeted and

Ilie percentage with at least four scars of college has more than doubled. But the

DUI); ascr:tge hottrls sage \sas I I percent helo\\ It-)-", adjusted for inflation.

Intagise a country where households headed b\ persons tinder age » had

tosser nicdian net worth (assets minus debt, in 211114 than in l')c);, adjusted for

intlation. Iniaginc a country where more and more tsso-paycheck households are strug

glint; to ,tilord a home, college. health care and retirement. Middle-class house- holds arc a medical crisis, outsourced job or busted pension asav from bankruptcy.

Iniaginc a coolitn becoming a nation of Scrooge-Atarts and outsourcers-with

all increasingly los-sage \yorkforce instead of a grossing middle class. Inr.igisc a couutn vs hose corporate and gosernnunt policy makers are running

the ecunonn into the ground. the nation is in record-breaking debt to other coin- Imes II has .t record trade deficit, buttoned-lint imianutacturi ig base. and deterio-

I Sklar l rna;;ine a Counts --201K 33 l

rating research and development. The inh-astructuic built by earlier generations of taxpaycs has eroded greatly, nidertuinitig the ceouunn as ,sell as health and safety.

Iniaginc a counts where more workers are going hack to the future of s\\cat- shops and day labor. Corporations are replacing full-tiara ohs ssitli (lisposahle contingent workers... The) ineludc tcuiporars employees, oni-call ssorkcrs, con-

tract workers and "leased" employees-sotuc of theta fired and then "rented" back at a large discount h\ the saute compass-ail ittsoltuttan part-time surkers, cho scut permanent fiull-tints smirk.

Its not South Korea.

i Iovy do workers increasingly forced to toigratc fiont joh to joh, at loss and vari- able wage rates, ssithout health inslu-ancc or paid sacatioo, much Icss a pctsioll,

care for thensehes and their tantilics, pay for college, save for retirentcui, plan a suture, build strong conununities'

Iniaginc a couutn sshere polls shoo a large percentage of worker:, soul( joist

a titian if they could, but cntplovcrs routinch siolatc sorkcrs' rights to organiic.

A leading business magazine observes, "\\ltile labor unions sere largcls responsi-

ble for creating the broad middle class after \\ orld \\ar II ... that's not the case

today. ,\iost ... entplo\crs tierecl\ resist unionization, shish, along ssitli other fac- tors, has helped slash 11uion membership to just I3 of the ssorktorc•c, versos a undcentury peak of more than hull-tune workers who were union tnctnhers

had median 2005 vyeckls earnings of 56111 compared with just 5622 for workers not represented bs unions.

Iniaginc a counts sshere the concerts of corking people are dismissed as "spe

cial interests" and the profit-interests of gtohctrottitig corporations substitute for tilt- national interest."

Imagine a countrs negotiating "free trade" agrccutents that help corporations trade freely on cheap labor at home and abroad.

One ad financed hs the eountn_ 's agency for international dcsclopnteiil shooed

a Salvadoran syotnan in front of a scootsg machine. II told corporations, 1 ou call

hire her fur 33 cents an hour. Rosa is inure than just colorful. Slit and her co-

ssorkers are knosn for their industriousness, rcliabilih and yniek Icalmng. I hcs

stake fa Salvador one of the bust boys." The countni that financed the Al inter-

vened ntilitaril\ to inake sure h;l Salvador could stay a "best buy' for corporations. It's not Canada.

Imagine a counts where nearly tsso-thirds of ssonicn sith children under age

6 and more than three-fourths of ssouicii s ith ehildreir ages 0-1 7 arc in the labor

force, but affordable childcare and after-school programs arc scarce.:Apparenih,

kids arc expected to have three parents: I \\o parents with jobs to pay the hills, and

another parent to be haute in mid-afternoon sshen school lets out-as ,sell as all surnntcr.

Imagine a country sshere souses ssorkiitg full state earn cents for even dal lar men earn. Women don't pas 76 cents on a mans dollar for their education. rent, food or childcare. The gentler sage gap has closet) (list I (crass sit ice It)-- ,

3 32 fart \ - I hr I ,c•rutr,r>ncs mil hacr. ( Gass, and (:meter

vyhen sv omen canned 64 (cuts tor every dollar earned by ntcmi. There's still another

'4 cemils to go. I he as crag( \\Ulnall high school graduate \y ho syork, tall tithe trout ages 2 to

(» vv ill care about -t311,1IIIU Icss than the ascrag( male high school graduate. The

g,1p \\i dens to ticllllt,llltl) fur hull-time workers with bachelor's degrees. "\Iett ssith

professional degrees was expect to earn almost S2 million more than their female

coin terparts user their \york-life, sass it goycnunent report. tiuagine it country syhere childcare ssorkcrs, n>stl\ ssonten, hpiealls make

about as much as parkin:; lot attendantts and notch less than animal trainers. Out

of tiU I oeeupatiomis snrycv cd by the labor dcpartntcnt, only I5 have losycr nnediami

\s ages than childcare ssorkcrs. Imagine a country where more than 95 percent of the CI,;Os at the largest BUll

contp:uuics are men. as arc c)3 percent of the top-earning corporate officers. Acver

o nod that conupailies ss ith it higher share of ssotuen in their senior nuanagenu•nt

teams tinaocialh outperform companies \yith lower representation.

Imagine a eonutr\ sshere diserittuination against \you]cn is pervasive front the

bottom to the top of the pay scale, and its not because syontcn are on the "monltn\

track." In the words Ida leading busiucss nuagai.inc, ":\t the same level of mi]anage-

uncul, the hpieal \sonutn's pas is lower than her ])tale colleague's-escu "hell she

has the exact same qualifications. s\orks just as mans \ears, relocate just as often,

pros ides the stain financial support for her fauuil\, takes no time off for personal

reasons, and \\ins the same number of promotions to comparable jobs."

Imagine a country sshere instead of rooting out discrimination, many policy

makers are hn silt' blasting syonten for their disproportionate puyert. It vyonten

canted as lurch as sintilarls qualified Wien, poycrt\ in single-mother households

\yuuld be cut Ill halt.

Its not Japaii. Imagine a country where \ iolenee againtst women is so epidermic it is their lead-

Ili(' cause of imijun. scarp a third of all nturderecl women are killed by husbands, bo friends and ex-partners. Researchers ,a\, "\ten commonly kill their female part- ner, Ill response lo the syo]uau's attempt to lease an abtsiyc relationship.'

he country has no equal rights aniendnnentt. Its not Pakistan. Imagine a country \s hose school system is rigged in favor of the already priyi-

Icged, \silh tosser caste eltildrett tracked h\ race and income into the most cleft- cicutt and demoralizing schools and classrooms. Public school budgets are hcayil\ deternuned b\ private properly taxes. allosying higher income districts to spend noire than poorer ones. Ill the state \sith the largest gap, state and local spendiuny pc] pupil Ill districts ss ilh the lowest child poyerts rates \\a,,, S?,'_51) greater inn 2I)U3 than districts \s ith the highest child poyerh rates. The difference amounts to about tic) 12,11111) for a typical elcuncutarv school of -011 students-money_ that could be

used for needed Ie:ncbcrs, books, computers and other resources. In rich districts, kids take sell-stocked libraries, laboratories and state-of-the-art

computers lot granted. In poor districts, the\ arc rationing out-of-date textbooks

I Sklar / Imaiutc a Cnunln - 2UII( 333

and toilet paper. Rich schools often look like eountrs clubs-syith manicured sports fields and ,ssnn n ug pools. In poor districts, schools often look more like fails- \yith concede ,rounds and grated ss indoss . (;allege prep courses, art, music, physical education, field trips and foreign lan-ua; es are often considered necessi- ties for the affluent, luxtn ies for the poor.

Its not Imidia.

Imagine a country sshere the inland death rate for elulclrcn in the nations cap- ital is higher than for children in Kerala, India.

Imagine a country ss hose constitution once counted black ,lave, as worth three- fifths of sslites. ,I.oday, black per capita income is about thrcc-titihs of syluites.

Imagine a country \y here racial disparities take their toll from birth to death. The black infant nutalih' rate is more than double that of vs Rites. Black life ex- pectancy is ncarh six sears less. 'I It(,. official black unctnplrntnenl rate is about hyice that of s\hites and the black poyerh rate is almost triple that of s\Iutcs.

Imagine it counts vs here the tvpieal us lute household has about six Nunes the net worth-including hints equip -as the hpieal household of color. In _'UU-t, uncdian household net ssorth \yas S I fU, nU t >r s\ bile household, and just S24,S00 for households of color.

Inlagne• a counen syhere the government subsidiicd decade, of segregated sub

urbanization for lutes while the inner cities left to people of color were treated

as outsider cities - separate, unequal and disposable. Recent ,ludic, base docu-

nteluted c•ontimning discrimination] in education, cntplo\n]enl, banking, insurance, housing, health care and criminal justice.

It's not South .Africa.

Imagine it cotuttry that doesn't count vnu as unemployed just because you're

tn]ennployed. TO be countccl in the official nuentplovntetit rate sou must be ac-

tisely searching for work. 'I he government doesn't count people as "tonietnploycd..

if they are so discouraged from lout; amid fruitless job searches they h:ne given up

looking. It doesn't count as "Itnetttplosed" those vy ho couldn't look for silk in the

past nrcmtlt because the\ had no childcare, for example. It yon need a full-11111C

job, but you're syorking part-time-vs Nether I hour or 34 houur, weekly-because that's all you can find, you'rc countccl as employed.

.A leading business nwgazine observed, "Increa,ittgly the labor market is filled with surplus \yorkcus syhn are not being counted as uuuctuplosed...

Imagine it country vyhcre there Is a shortage of jobs, not a shortage otwork. AIil-

lions of people need work and urgemit work needs people-from ,tatting alter-

school programs and couunttill ih centers, to creating afhordal>Ic housing, to

strengthening lesces, repairing bridges and building mass transit, tU (teaming up pollution and converting to renewable cnerg\.

Its not (;ennam.

Imagine a country \\ith full prisons instead of hull eunplo\nncnt. I he jail and prison population has more than quadrupled since I()5U. I he nation is \unnher One in the syorld syheu it comes to locking up its os\n people. Ili 1U5-), I in esen 3'0 res- idents was incarcerated. 13s mid-sear 211th, the figure had increased to I in escr\ 1 3(>.

3 ,4 Part \ - I he I.cooonucs of Kate. Class, and Gentler

lnwgnnc a countr here prison is a grosstb industr'. 'I'lie go\cn[]net it spends

tnorc dial) ti23,111111 a sear to keep souaeone in prison, Willie cutting cost-effective

P Ogr[]ts of cclucaliou, CH p]osnnent, connnuoity deyclopnnent, and mental illness

and addiction treatment to keep them out. in the surds of a national center on iu-

stttotoOns and ditcrnatises, tilts nation has 'lc-placed the social safety net syitl] a

dragnet...

Innagitte .t countrt that has been criticized by human rights organizations for

c.spanli]]g rather than abOlishing tr,e of the death penaltt -despite documented

racial bias .ltd grossing es ideuce of innocents being sentenced to death.

It's Ilot C1111111. huaginc a couOlr that imprisons black people at a rate Wanda higher than

South Atriea slid under the apartheid. Otic out of eight black amen ages 2i-_9 are

incarcerated in prisons or jails compared to out out of 39 sslute men in the same

age group. I he uatio]t", bureau of justice statistics reports that incarceration rates

for black melt otall ayes sere hse to scycaa tines greater than those for svlnte []tell

ill tits ,atue aye groups. Incarceration rates for black ssvoiles are generalbv four

till e, higher than for whitc wounen.

hO.agioc a counts ssbere a national sentencing project reported tit 2004, "Black

houses hunt todds are fist trouts more likeb togo to prison in their lifetimes than

black ssonlen born tit I9-4."

^Icatntltilc, lit-ark once out of ten black men and stuutcu are unemployed ac- coidiang to the official count. 'I Ill,, includes nearly one out of three black men and souses ages 16-I1) and one out of ,iy ages 20-24. Remember, to be counted in the official uttctttployntcnt rate you must be actiycb looking for a job and not find- uty one. "Surplus vsr]rkes are increasingly being criminalized.

Irttaginc it comttrt s\ hose justice departincntt observed, "'Tilt fact that the legal

order nut oub comitcuanccd but sustaiucd slaycrv, segregation, and discrimination

for most of our Nation", history-and the tact that the police syere bound to up-

hold that order-set a pattern for police hebasior and attitudes tosyard minority

coinuruntitic•s that has persisted until the present ddt.'' :\ ucssspaper headline reads,

II; i) ... of bony black: Black lien say success doesn't save than from being

s]spected. baudsscd attd dctaiucd.•• Racial profiling and "driving syhile black" are

sell-Li osyn tens,. lrnaginc• a dOUntr ss here from first arrest to third strikes resulting in litctine

,entcnces-often for uousiulent peals triunes-blacks and Latinos arc arrested anti iutprsoucd in o a„isels disproportionate numbers.

Imagine a countrt staging a racidlb biased 'A\ar on Drugs." Nearly three out of toil] drug users are ss lute, according to government data, but more than three out of hour state prisoucrs consictccl of drug offenses are black and I.dtiuo.

\ ,tuck ill a prominent medical journal found flat drug and alcohol rates were

,lighths higher tot pregnant swhi to ssonu•n than pregnant black syonicn, but black

ssuneu] sere ,about tell ti]Oes store likely to be reported to authorities bs pus ate

doctors and public Iuealth chitties-unnder a tuaudator reporting lass. Poor syoinen

weir also snort likelt to be reported.

I Sklar / Imagist' a Conran -_w( 335

It is said that truth is the first c.sualts in tsar, and the "\Var on Drugs" is no ex-

ception. (;onlrtr to ,tereolype•, "'l be tvp1ca1 cocaine user is syhite, nnale, it high

school graduate ennploycd bill time and his iug tit a small ]metropolitan area or sub-

urb," sags the nation's Messer drug czar. \ leading ncsyspaper reports that lass offi-

cers and judges ,ay, ":Although it is clear that syhites sell most of the nations

cocaine and account fear \)W,1: of its cotsuuners, it is blacks dud other minorities

typo continue to fill tap lhej ca,nrlroons std jails, largely because, in a political

etiolate that (ICI lilt ds that suuuetbiug be duuc, then are thtc easiest people to ar-

rest.11 'ILlcy are the easiest to scapegoat.

It's not .\usiralia. Imagine a country That ranks first in the world in wealth and militar power,

and 36th in child ituortaltty (under aye tite), tied tyilit Poland and (;hilt and sell

behind countries such as South I(orca and Siugaporc. If the goycruiuent syerc a

parent, it sycnuld be guilty of child abuse. Thousands of children the presentable deaths.

Imagine a eouutr where health care is managed for hcaltbs profit. In nudity countries health care is a right. But this nation has he;ultb care for soave instead of health care for all. Nearly one Out of firr people under age 63 has uo health in- surance, public or private.

I lcalthcare is Iiterdlls it uaatter Of life and death. Lack Ot ltcaltlt insurance tsp-

icalh means Zack of preventive health care dud debased or second-rate trcatutent.

I lee uninsured are at []mutts Itig hoer risk for chronic disease and disahilitt, load hate

apercent greater ch,utcc of dtrug iad justutg for physical, ccunotuie• 1] id behav-

ioral actors). uninsured women with breast cancer base a 31) percent to '1) per-

cent higher risk of dying than insured wotuctt, for esanipic. uninsured car crash

victims receive less care iu the hospital and have a 37 percent higher nutrtality rate than prisateb insured patients.

lnagiuc a cou[]tr ss here ut,nn desec[]dants of its first inhabitants lire On rescr-

satiuns ,trip-rained of natural resuutrc•es and hase a high proportion of people in poyertt than any other ethnic group.

Imagine a countrt \sberc five centuries Of phinndcr and lie's arc masked in cx-

pressiOUs like "Indian giver." \\ here the unihitdry still dub, messy territory, "Indian country.

Imagine d county that has less them 3 pe'rce'nt Of tile syorld's population and less than 3 percent of world oil reserves, but consumes 2s percent of the worlds oil. It is the uuuuber (tile contributor to global warming. While autontakers front other countries raced to snake more file] efficient vehicles, this nation churned out bigger gas guzzlers. It has obstructed inntcnwtioual action to protect the environ- ntcut and avoid catastrophic climate change.

It's not Brazil. Ituagiue a eOtttttrs Uhuse Senate ,and I louse of Kepresentatises are not repre-

sentative of the nation. I liesue oscrs\belutiugls svbite,nil ]tale, and iucreasiugl

millionaires. One out of three IlOUse uncutbers are millionaires, according to

financial clis]o,ure records that dun't even include the salnc Of their priranars

3 36 Purl \ -- Ihc I;conornits 01 Rucc. ( cuss, ,,id (:ender

re,idences. Otte out of two senators are millionaires, but no senators are \\ oi licit of

color.

hnaginc a comilr that lags behind (i, other countries "hell it comes to the

percentage of tsonacn in national legislative bodies. Just 14 percent of its Senate

and I' perccut of its I louse of Represcntatises were woolen in 2_006.

11 the 11111-nienabcr Senate reflected the population it tsould hate ')l wonum

and ft) nun, including 6- whites, 1-f Latinos, 1, blacks, 3 -Asian and Pacific Is-

landers and I \atise \mcrican. hntead, it has 1-f t.onten and S6 men, including

t)-1 white,, 3 Latinos, I black, 2 \siaii and Pacific Islanders and no Nati.e _Amuericans.

huaginc a comitry where the cycle of unequal opportunih is intciisifhing. Its

beneficiaries often slander those most ssstctnatically uncIcralued, underpaid, titi-

dercntploscd, undcrfinanced, underinsured, underrated and otherwise nndcrscred

and undcnuincd-as undescrsi ig. underclass, iniposerished in moral and social

sallies and lacking the proper t.ork ethic. The oft-heard stereotype of deadbeat

poor people masks the growing realit of dead-end jobs and disposable workers.

Imagine it county where tthite men who are "falling down" the economic lad-

der are being encouraged to believe they are falling because women and people of

color arc climbing flyer them to the top or dragging theta down from the bottom.

That war, then will blame women and people of color rather than corporate and

gotrr1 mmci it polies. "I'heV will bus the until of "reverse discrimination." Never

naiad that w bite tulles hold most senior ntanageuicnt positions and continuing um-

rescrsed discrimination is well documented.

Imagine a couutrs that spends about as much on the ntilitar as the rest of the world combined. It also leads the world in amts exports. Companies with close tics to the goscrnutent arc rewarded for war profiteering with raevs contracts.

Imagine a country tt hose leaders misuse a fight against terrorism as camouflage

for trampling the Bill of Rights and undermining democracy. The most fundanieu-

tal civil liberties, including the right not to be thrown into prison iudcfinitely on

the secret word ofgoycrttane!it officials, are being tossed aside. An attorney general

attacked critics of adntiuistration policy with ',AleCarthsite words: "To those who

scare peace-losing people with phantoms of lost libert, Ili message is this: Your

tactics only aid terrorists for tiles erode our national unit-.... ".'lies give anunu-

aiitiou to our; enemies."

In tills sanic counts it fist- star general who became president had warned in

1901, " In the councils of gmcrunieut, arc must guard against the acquisition of un-

waarrautcd influence, whether sought or unsought, by the nailitan-industrial cotu-

plcy.... A\ e mist never let the weight of this contbinatioiu endanger our liberties

or democratic processes. AV c should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and

knowledgeable citizcur can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial

and nailitar nrachinen of defense tt ith our peaceful methods and goals, so that se-

cant amid liberty Ilia\ prosper together."

Inaagiue a country whose president has quietl\ claimed the authorih to dis- obet amore thaut -s0 laws enacted since lie took office, asserting that lie has the flower to set aside aims statute passed bs Congress Mien it conflicts with his inter-

I Sklar ' Imagine a Countn' -_2(1(1(1 337

pretation of the Constitution." .-\ uewspapcr insestigatiou reseals, ":Atuoug the laths Ilse] said lie can ignore are military rules and regulations, aifirniati.c action prosi- sions, requirements that Cougress be told about iuunigration services problems, whistle-blotter' protections for nuclear regulatory officials, and safeguards against political interference in federallt funded research."

It's not Russia. It's time United States.

file ttords of Martin Luther King, Jr. call down to us today

\ true retolutiou of talues will soon cause ms to tpiesttou flue fairness aril instice of must Of our past and present policies. A\e are called to plat tife Good Saniarit,ua Oil life's roadside: but ... one (1.1% Ilse tthole Jcricho road mist he ir;iusfonued so

that aoen ,lid womieni trill not he beaten and robbed as (hey make their jounret thromgh life....

:A trite rcm1lition of sallies will soon look uucasilt flu the glaring contrast of poycrtc and wealth.... t'here is notlrim, but a lack of social nVisio to ores tilt ns trout pac- iug an adequate wage to eccrc A mericana citizen whether lie he a hospital worker. laumdr worker, maid or lac laborer.

SELECTED SOURCES

13P Statistical Rerieii of \\arld I o cr<'r , June 20tl;. Business Week, annual reports on eseculite pat. Catulrst, Ness fork, reports on wouacu in hmsincss. Center for _Amcrican A\omaen and Politics. Rutgers I!niccrsih. Aew jei'set. (:enter for :Arms Control and \on-Proliferation, A\asliiugtom, DC. Center for Strategic and Budgetary Asscssnie,its, A\ashniighui. DC:.

Center on Budget amid Policy Priorities. A\ asliiuglon- DC

Ira 1. Claasnoff, et al., I 'lie I'revalcuce of Illicit-Drug or Aleohol t sc I)uring Prcgoanet and Discrepancies in .Alandaton Reporting in Pinellas County, Florida 1eu' lug/anti lour- nul of Aledicioe , April 26, ItN(I.

C!.A\\orld factbook, Iunited States profile. Citizens tot 'I ay Justice, \\ aslaingtou, I)(;. \lichelle Conlin and . Aaron Berstein, "\\orking . . . Poor," Business \\eck, Alat ;l,

'till-t.

Cracf S. Crstal, In Smirch of 1:acess_ the Oiercompt,iisatiou ol.American I'secutires iAew fork: Norton, I992/I99I 1.

h;comomnit- Policy Institute, A\ asltirtgtom, DC. 1';dmcatioui 't'rust, I be Funding Gap 2 00i: I"ou-Inronne and \linoriti Students Short-

changed hr \lost States, \\ ashiugton. DC.

President Dwight D. I'.isciahow era tarcwcll Radio and 'I Iles si in Address to the .Amier- ican People, Jauuart F , 1961.

.Anne B . Fisher, 'A\ hull A\ ill \\ onocn Co fo I lie I Of)"' I-'orhnie. Septennber 21, 1992. Forbes, annual reports on eyeculise pant.

Institute of \Iedicinc. Nitioria1 Acadcnnt of Sciences. A\ asltington, I)C, reports on the comsegliclic's of lack of health innnrance.

3 38 fart \ -1 he i:.conon ics of Race. Class, and Gender

I)asid (:ac )olutstoii, Vol )ork limes, "Richest are leasing even the rich far behind,"

)title ;, 'U();"At the see- top, it surge in income ill '0i , - October ;, '_0(I;; and "Big gain

fur [tell seen iii tax cuts for insestinents " :April ^. 2006.

kaiser (:oiuniission on Medicaid and tile Iniusored. Aitlitir B. kennickcll. "Currents and IUndcacorrents: Change in the Distribution of

\\ ealth, t )Sc) ^UIIU," Federal Rcserse Board, January 3 ), 2_006.

Martin Luther kin;;, Jr. \\ here 1)o We Co Prom Here: Chaos or Comnutnity'dial-per

Ross . 190-i. Jouathan korol. Ssnva;(e hieyualities: Children in :America's

Schools (Ness )ork: (:rios,i

Puhlishcrs, I99I ) and I he Shame of the Nation: The Restoration of Apartheid Schooling in

America Cross ii, 2(II)> i. Leadership Contcrence on Cisit Rights, A\ asltingttnt, I)C.

Peter Aledotf ,hid l Jolts Sklar, Streets of Hope: The hall and Rise of all urban

horhood t Boston: South l-.Aid Press, lc)c)4,.

\alional Center (ill Institutions and .Altcriiatiyes_ Baltimore, AI1).

\alional Libor Couuriittce. Ness ) ork. \alional Loss laconic I lousing Coalition, AVashington, DX:. Charlie Sasagc, "Bush challenges hundreds of lases.' Boston Globe, April 30, 2 0 00.

Sentencing Project, \\ ashiugtort, DC.

hulk Sklar and Paid Sherri. A Just AIinimuni Wage: Good for Workers, Business and

Our Future _Anicriean Friend, See ice Connnittec/National Council of Churches, 20O i.

Iloll\ Sklar. Lar\ssa \Isksta, and Siis:ui \\efald, Raise the Floor: \\a-es and Policies

I /nit \\ ork /or All of I Is I Boston: South I'.nd Press, '0l)2I_

hilted Nations Children's Fund, 'I /it, State of the \\ orlds Children 22006.

t oiled Nations l)evelopiiic•nt I'rogrnn, Human Development Report 2005.

j e t n l!secni, 1 Inc I h(-\ No Shame'.. fortune, April "_S, 22UU".

I I Bureau of the Census, reports on poverty, income. health and other topics. l'.S. ('enters for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Ilealtli Statistics.

1'.S. Congressional Budget OtticC.. I, '.S. I)epartntent of health and I Imnan Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health

Services Adiniuistration, National Sunev on Drug I Ise and Health.

U.S. I)cpartnicit of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics. t'. S. I)cpartnicnt of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. t hubert \\ illianis and Patrick \ . Murphy, ''"I he I'\ols lug Strategy of Police A \iitiorih

\ less." I'erspectires on Policing, Ci.S. Departltient Of Justice (Jannan I990).

U.S. PoVF;R'rY RACrt,; WAS UP Laser YEAR

David Lconhardt

\\'ASIlIN(fl )V`, .-Aug. 30 l'sen as the economy gresy, inenni es stagnated last

sear and the poycrh rate rose, the Census Bureau reported 'I'uesdas. It syas the first

tithe on record that household incomes tailed to increase for Ike straight scars.

The portion of Americans ssithout health insurance retn:tined roughly steady

at 16 percent, the bureau s,iid.:A smaller percentage of people sere cosered by

their employers, but NO Fig gosernnicnt progranis. AIeclicaid and mititan insur- ance, grey.

The census's anneal report caul oil the nation's economic sell-heiug shossed

that a four-year old expansion had still not done touch to benefit mom households.

Median pretax income, 544,359, vyas at its lowest point since 199-, after inflation.

t hough the reasons are not syholls clear, economists say technology rntd global trade appear to be holding (lossn past 1`01 111,11A syorkers. The rising cost of health care benefits has also eaten into pas increases.

After the report's release, Bush administration official, ,,I](] that the job market had coutiuued to improve since the end of 21)04 and that they hoped incomes sycre Huss rising and poyerh was falling. The poverty rate "is the last, lonely trailing in- dicator of the business csclc," said I`,Iizabeth .Anderson, chief of stab in the eco- nomics and statistics administration O the Commerce l)epartntent.

The census nunibers also do not reflect the tax cuts passed in President Buslt's first term , sshich have lifted the take-house pay of most families.

But the biggest tax cuts sent to high-income tatnilics ,dreads getting raises, Democrats said Tuesday. ']'Ire report, then added, shossed that the cuts had failed to stimulate the economy as the White I louse had promised.

"Ilie grossth in the economy is not going to families", said Senator Jack Reed, Democrat of Rhode Island. "It's in stark contrast to syhat happened during the Clinton administration."

'['Ire main thciue of tlle census report seethed to he the lingering weakness in compensation and benefits, even as the ranks of the nneniplosed have dsyin(Iled. P'esser people are getting health insurance from their cutplovers or from policies of family members, Mille raises have geucralls trailed roll ition.

(;opsii,lit 'Uil> bcILc Acis lark Iimc, Co Ref ni teJ isit)i ninn,sinii.

RACE, CLASS, AND GENDER IN THE UNITED STATES

An Integrated Study

SEVEN'I'II EDITION

Paula S. Rothenberg William Paterson University of New Jersey

Worth Publishers