Robert B. Reich

In “Why the Rich are Getting Richer and the Poor, Poorer,” Robert B. Reich focuses on how different individuals have different positions in the world, because of the way they perform in the world. This issue of why so many Americans are living in poverty, while large numbers of Americans are wealthy, has always been an important question among all Americans in today’s society. Reich separates society’s classes into lower, middle, and upper class and explains how different situations in the job market and in the economy are part of the reason for extreme differences in financial comfort. He writes about routine producers and how their chances for success are continually decreasing because of technology and increased productivity. This idea, as developed by Reich, is undoubtedly true. As technology increases and less people are needed in factories, the unemployment rate rises along with the poverty level. Many of these same job opportunities for Americans are sent overseas, for cheaper labor, allowing Americans to aimlessly search for jobs in our competitive domestic society. In “Why the Rich are Getting Richer and the Poor, Poorer,” Robert B. Reich makes many remarkable conclusions about separations in our society, and the distinct disadvantages for the less fortunate, working Americans. As jobs are being sent overseas, the large companies in the United States make more products for a lower cost, increasing their overall chance for success and simply, making the company more wealthy. Lowering the poverty level in the United States seems to correlate directly to taking money from the top, allowing the job opportunities to dwindle down to working Americans, allowing for greater chances for success.