There
is a common response to America among foreign writers: the US 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 US family income has gone up 18
percent. For the top 1 percent, however, it has gone up 200 percent 25 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 US. B. The top 0.01 percent of households has seen
its tax burden 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 toward the top.