How the middle class has an unfair advantage. ( )

Concise. the title says what you need to know. The solutions at the end sound nice ... if only. ( )

As a liberal, upper middle class person, I definitely felt called out in more ways than one. As Reeves acknowledged in the book, I did come in with the assumption that it was the 1% that were the problem. Unfortunately, this book didn’t provide enough evidence to really change my mind.

Yes, the upper middle class must reform. Our tax system is regressive, and the policies he called out are unethical. But why not both? Let’s reform the 1% AND the upper middle class. ( )

Thought-provoking because it hits close to home. Am I aware of inequities in our social system? Absolutely! Am I willing to do something about it at personal cost? Ummm....Reeves (a British immigrant) argues that America has become so stratified that we really are a class-based society as much as we are based on not being one. Here are the factors that contribute: "exclusionary zoning in residential areas, unfair mechanisms influencing college admissions including legacy preferences, and the informal allocation of internships." He's right on the mark. With those three practices in place the "haves" get more and the "have nots" fall behind. He acknowledges that there are many more factors, but those are the ones he has chosen to focus on here. He's not a socialist, but as a transplant he is struck by the lack of equal opportunity in America. The lifestyle the upper middle class (defined here as household income over $112,000) has earned begets inherent privileges passed on to their children that create a growing divide between those he terms middle class ($54,000), not to mention the lowest fifth on the continuum. They have better access to education, health care, enrichment opportunities, social and business connections. As for hoarding: "Opportunity hoarding takes place when valuable, scarce opportunities are allocated in an anti-competitive manner, that is influenced by factors unrelated to an individual's performance" (internships and legacies make sense here - it's not what you know but who) To fix this he proposed ideas that will need to change not just minds, but hearts: 1. Reduce unintended pregnancies w/ better contraception 2. Increase home visiting to improve parenting 3. Get better teachers for unlucky kids 4. Fund college fairly 5. curb exclusionary zoning 6. end legacy admissions 7. Open up internships. All possible, all challenging, some already being chipped away at. Lots to think about. This was published in 2017, so could already be updated and is more germane as it inherently involves issues of race too. An interesting observation by Reeves: "to be American is to be free to make something of yourself." He is advocating that everyone be allowed to start with equal building blocks. ( )

An interesting take on wealth inequality in the 21st century and what to do about it. The top quintile of income earners are the topic of the book, and there is some convincing evidence that without policy action they will continue to outpace everyone else in wealth and access, although the specifics of setting up the problem are a bit repetitive. The last two chapters are the highlight, with multiple specific proposals for how to fix such a wicked problem. Community colleges, exclusionary zoning, and housing vouchers all get their moment, if you are interested in how federal and state governments could make a difference. ( )