There is a
common response to America among foreign writers: the U.S. is a land of extremes
where the best of things are just as easily found as the worst. This is a
cliche(陈词滥调). In the land of black and white, people should not
be too surprised to find some of the biggest gaps between the rich and the poor
in the world. But the American Dream offers a way out to everyone. {{U}}
{{U}} 1 {{/U}} {{/U}}No class system or government stands in the
way. Sadly, this old argument is no longer true. Over the past
few decades there has been a fundamental shift in the structure of the American
economy. The gap between the rich and the poor has widened and
widened. {{U}} {{U}} 2 {{/U}} {{/U}} Over the
past 25 years the median U.S. family income has gone up 18 percent. For the top
1 percent, however, it has gone up 200 percent. Twenty-five years ago the top
fifth of Americans had an average income 6.7 times that of the bottom fifth.
{{U}} {{U}} 3 {{/U}} {{/U}} Inequalities have
grown worse in different regions. In California, incomes for lower class
families have fallen by 4 percent since 1969. {{U}} {{U}} 4
{{/U}} {{/U}}This has led to an economy hugely in favor of a small group of
very rich Americans. The wealthiest 1 percent of households now control a third
of the national wealth. There are now 37 million Americans living in poverty. At
12.7 percent of the population, it is the highest percentage in the developed
world. Yet the tax burden on America's rich is falling, not
growing. {{U}} {{U}} 5 {{/U}} {{/U}}There was an economic theory
holding that the rich spending more would benefit everyone as a whole. But
clearly that theory has not worked in reality. A. Nobody is
poor in the U.S.. B. The top 0.01 percent of households has
seen its tax bite fall by a full 25 percentage points since 1980.
C. For upper class families they have risen 41 percent.
D. Now it is 9.8 times. E. As it does so, the possibility to
cross that gap gets smaller and smaller. F. All one has to do
is to work hard and climb the ladder towards the top.