Today, Senator Elizabeth Warren and Mayor Bill DeBlasio jointy wrote an op-ed in the Washington Post that is worth reading. Some excerpts:
In this land of big dreams, there was never a dream bigger or more important than the one so deeply rooted in our values that it became known as the American Dream. Across generations, Americans shared the belief that hard work would bring opportunity and a better life. America wasn’t perfect, but we invested in our kids and put in place policies to build a strong middle class.
We don’t do that anymore, and the result is clear: The rich get richer, while everyone else falls behind. The game is rigged, and the people who rigged it want it to stay that way. They claim that if we act to improve the economic well-being of hard-working Americans — whether by increasing the minimum wage, reining in lawbreakers on Wall Street or doing practically anything else — we will threaten economic growth.
They are wrong.
WaPo, E. Warren & B. DeBlasio, How to revive the American Dream
They offer several policy suggestions to reduce inequality that include
● Make work pay by increasing the minimum wage, empowering unions to bargain collectively, ending abusive scheduling practices for hourly workers, getting people the overtime pay they deserve, ensuring equal pay for equal work and making sure employers follow the law and respect the rights of workers.
snip
● Strengthen the rules of the marketplace. We don’t build a future by turning the biggest banks loose to do whatever they want, and markets don’t create value when corporations can cheat people or roll over their upstart competition.
● Promote fair trade by embracing only those trade policies that strengthen our economy, create good jobs with good wages and establish fair rules of the road for companies around the world. Our trade agreements shouldn’t help multinational companies gut environmental, health and safety standards here and abroad under the guise of promoting commerce.
WaPo, E. Warren & B. DeBlasio, How to revive the American Dream
There are many other policy suggestions. This is a good platform for the Democratic Party. Read the entire article. It's excellent and points the way toward change that matters.
They end with this:
Rebuilding our middle class won’t be easy, but real change rarely is. It’s time to be bold.
The American Dream depends on it.