Dominique Biancardi
101596214
English 101-
September 8, 2012
Income Inequality in the United States
The United States of Inequality, by Timothy Noah, informs readers about the divergence
between the rich, poor, and middle class. Timothy Noah stresses the importance of our states
rise in inequality and how we as Americans should act upon it. There are a percentage of
individuals who feel as though income does not matter. There are a greater percentage of
individuals who disagree. In our economy, income does and should matter.
As Americans, we believe, or once believed, in the American Dream. We all had/have
our own dreams of each pursuing a great career, having the perfect family, the perfect houses
with white picket fences, and we all once believed that we were created equal. Because of the
current state of inequality in the United States, it is hard for us to keep faith in these cherished
dreams and continue to pursue them. There are a lot of Americans who feel that their work
hasn’t paid off and that since they have worked hard to achieve a greater state of being, they
should have evidence of the effort put into their work each day. If the lower class is putting as
much, if not more, effort into their work than the upper class, where is their proof of that
effort?
The fact is, the United States is a place where popularity and money raises you to the
top of the power chain. Many Americans find this unfair because there are those of us who

work for our money and weren’t just born at the top of the power chain. As Americans in the
middle class in the economy of 2012, we feel that it is unfair that there are a great amount of us
who work hard every day of our lives and have nothing to show for it. “In a survey of 27 nations
conducted from 1998 to 2001, the country where the highest proportion agreed with the
statement “people are rewarded from intelligence and skill “was of course, the United States.”,
said Timothy Noah. It is a fact that the majority of people from the United States are not
rewarded for intelligence and skill, but, instead, for the amount of power we hold and the
money we have to show for it. How is that fair?
If we work hard to become something, we should have every right to whatever it is that
we worked for. It is easy to see why a lot of Americans give up the fight for their dreams when
the fact is that if you weren’t born into a wealthy family, or know some wealthy people, the
majority of us are not going anywhere. It is that hard now a day to feel equal. The inequality of
the United States is increasing day by day and we Americans should be equally informed of just
by how much and what we can do to be considered equal again.
“It’s generally understood that we live in a time of growing income inequality,” stated
Timothy Noah. It was also mentioned in his writing, The United States of inequality, that “the
ordinary person is not aware of how big it is.” It is important that we Americans stand up to our
beliefs and again believe in the American Dream. If we as Americans are supposed to be
created equal, we should have proof that we are indeed created equal, and put a stop to the
growing income inequality in the United States. The ordinary person should be informed of the
growing inequality in the United States and the ordinary, hard working person has every right

to feel equal as well. As Americans, we all have a right to being equal to any class and we have
the right to have evidence of the effort we put into our work everyday.