High Income Inequality

Did you know that countries with high income inequality have low social mobility? In “Remarks by the President on Economic Mobility”, the author, Barack Obama, claims that rising economic inequality and lack of upward mobility are threatening the American Dream. The author strengthens the logic and persuasiveness of the argument by using evidence, reasoning, and persuasive language. The former president states that rising economic inequality and lack of upward mobility are affecting the economy, families and social cohesion, and our democracy. The first reason Obama gives to support his claim is that rising inequality and lack of upward mobility is bad for the economy. For example, in paragraph 19, he states ”One study finds that growth is more fragile and recessions are more frequent in countries with greater inequality. When families have less to spend, that means businesses have fewer customers, and households rack up greater mortgage and credit card debt…” This evidence supports the claim by illustrating that the American Dream is threatened because when families have less to spend, it creates a chain of events that end up affecting many people that work hard to achieve the American Dream. People then

For example, in paragraph 20, he states “And greater inequality is associated with less mobility between generations. That means it’s not just temporary, the effects last. It creates a vicious cycle.” The evidence supports the claim by helping us understand that the American Dream is threatened because when there isn’t equality, there is less upward mobility between generations. It shows that the effects of inequality last by going through generations. The word “vicious” in this piece of evidence is persuasive because it causes the audience to see how bad the cycle between generations is bad and that it needs to