Does Income Inequality Impair The American Dream? - A Debate
Income inequality has been on the rise in the U.S. for decades. The top 1 percent of earners in the U.S. now holds a much greater share of national income than three decades ago. At the same time, incomes for the bottom half of American households have remained virtually flat.
Some economists and social scientists argue that income inequality leads to unequal access to opportunity and resources like nutrition and education. That's left children born to poor families with little hope of escaping poverty themselves, they argue, and has made upward mobility unattainable for many in the middle class, as well.
But others say that income inequality is not inherently a bad thing. They point to research that finds that countries with greater inequality also experience more economic growth. That means that people at all income levels will benefit, they argue, even if their individual slice of the economic pie becomes smaller.
Before the debate, the audience at the Kaufman Music Center in New York was 60 percent in favor of the motion and 14 percent against, with 26 percent undecided. After the debate, 53 percent favored the motion and 37 percent voted against it, making the team arguing against the motion the winner of this debate.
Source: intelligence2: Debate: Does Income Inequality Impair The American Dream?
Amazon tribes threatened by energy industry
There are still hunter-gatherer groups in the Amazon who have had little or no contact with the outside world. Oil and gas exploration brings the threat of disease and catastrophic loss of life. Rebecca Spooner is a campaigner with Survival International in London, England. Rebecca speaks with Jane Williams about the situation. Source: Redeye Collective: Uncontacted tribes in Peru threatened by energy industry
Years of Living Dangerously
Hollywood Director James Cameron won a 2014 non-fiction EMMY for the TV documentary, Years of Living Dangerously that he produced. With celebrity hosts, the series covered the globe and laid out the gravity of climate change. The series is now released on DVD. Cameron discussed the show and its message with Steve Curwood. Source: living on earth: Years of Living Dangerously
Music includes Peter Yarrow - Have You Been to Jail for Justice, Katharine Hepburn - The Lion in Winter, The Compassionate Conservatives - White House Crock, Capitol Steps - Immigration Medley, Roy Zimmerman - Mitt's America, Capitol Steps - Hava No-Deala, Reverend Billy - Earthalujah Explained, Youngbloods - Get Together, Wizard Of Oz - The Cowardly Lion On Courage, The Midnight Special - Odetta, Creedence Clearwater Revival - Lodi, Bernice Johnson Reagon - We Are Climbing Jacob's Ladder, The Beatles - Strawberry Fields Forever, Leo Smit / Aaron Copland / Radio Rome Symphony Orchestra - III. Allegro assai, Aaron Copland - Danzon cubano, Pink Floyd - Nobody Home
intelligence2: Debate: Does Income Inequality Impair The American Dream? http://www.npr.org/2014/10/29/359363643/debate-does-income-inequality-impair-the-american-dream
Redeye Collective: Uncontacted tribes in Peru threatened by energy industry http://rabble.ca/podcasts/shows/redeye/2014/07/uncontacted-tribes-peru-threatened-energy-industry
living on earth: Years of Living Dangerously http://www.loe.org/shows/segments.html?programID=14-P13-00041&segmentID=7
also see http://greatspeechesandinterviews.blogspot.com/2015/01/does-income-inequality-impair-american.html
![<?php echo $config['site_title']; ?>](/static/images/rp-navimg.gif)
![Support the <?php echo $config['site_title']; ?>](/static/images/support.png)
