The Director of Stanford University’s Center on Poverty and Inequality says “The American Dream” may not be dead yet, but David Grusky says it is in critical condition.
Grusky will deliver an address at Kalamazoo College on Tuesday April 12th called The Death of the American Dream. It begins at 8:00 in the Olmstead Room at Mandelle Hall. Grusky says the United States is not living up to its ideals of opportunity for everyone regardless of background.
Addressing income inequality is a big job, according to Grusky. He says incremental measures are not enough. Grusky says there are two ways of tackling the issue of the fact that opportunity is for sale. One is to provide more money for poor people. The other is to prohibit profit on certain commodities. Grusky says while the market works well in many areas, opportunity should be “removed from the market.”
Grusky says he believes Americans want equal opportunity for everyone, and he thinks they are willing to pay for it. Grusky says the key is to make the case that providing equal opportunity fulfills American ideals, and that it helps the United States compete in a global economy.
