In the United States, there are many inequalities and injustices in the housing market which directly affect black people. A wealth and income gap exists between black and white Americans, and segregation still exists on a large scale because of issues exacerbated by the housing market. Of the largest metros, 268 are not expected to integrate for over 100 years (Matthew). The rate of integration has been halted by land use regulation, such as “laws plainly designed to exclude multifamily or affordable housing” and “zoning restrictions” (which also have been shown to perpetuate segregation) (House). Native-born blacks are segregated at a rate three times higher than native-born British blacks (Iceland). This segregation is a result of …show more content…
This unfair treatment raises housing pricing for blacks (who already experience wealth inequality as a direct result of this system) and forces them to stay in poor neighborhoods, effectively taking away their opportunities to get better jobs or education opportunities away from poor segregated areas. Many blacks are forced to stay in these poor neighborhoods because of damaged infrastructure. Highways and roads often cut off in poor neighborhoods and fail to connect these communities with the rest of society, as well as education or employment opportunities (Matthew). Essentially, the housing market denies blacks the same opportunity to live in well-advantaged areas with whites. This denial in opportunity forces black people to live together in small poor neighborhoods away from the rest of society. The financial strain from former exclusionary policies still disproportionately affects the distribution of wealth among minorities, which causes blacks to remain poor. This causes black families to be affected by “asthma, lead poisoning, heart disease, and neurological disorders” (Matthew) at much higher rates than other races due to their living situations and lack of access to good health care. The underlying injustices of the housing market exacerbate issues of unfair wealth-distribution, education opportunity, and quality of living for black people in …show more content…
He begins by describing the “State of Nature,” or rather, the nature of human beings before the introduction of political associations (Munro). This State of Nature begins with two basic premises: God gave the earth to mankind in common, and that God has given everything the earth provides to be used by mankind to support the utmost comfort of their being. This means that all sustenance belongs equally to every person, and every person has a right to use that sustenance for their survival and comfort. While no person has original private domain over an object, Locke believes that because everything is for mankind’s use that there must be a way to allocate property. In order to come to own a possession, one must mix their labor with it: “Though the earth, and all inferior creatures, be common to all men, yet every man has a property in his own person: this nobody has any right to but himself. The labour of his body and the work of his hands, we may say, are properly his” (Cahn). For example, when a person gathers apples from a tree, he has mixed his labor while removing the apples from the common state of nature, therefore making them his property. Locke does outline some restrictions when it comes to property ownership. A person can only take as much from the common state of nature as will leave
David J Lynch says that, “ [s]ocieties that manage a narrower gap between rich and poor enjoy longer economic expansions”, however, in the United States the gap between the have and have-nots has widened (source C). “This country is just getting worse and worse and worse … and that is not a recipe for stable growth” (source C). If we do not do something soon our capitalist country will fall. In order for the income inequality gap to lessen to create a more stable economy the government must invest in education and unionize workers and not provide higher taxation for the top one percent.
Racial segregation has been a tactic used to isolate certain populations from success, while concentrating wealth amongst specific communities. San Francisco is a quintessential example of how an exceptionally affluent city is able to segregate poverty-stricken individuals from one of the worlds most prosperous economic regions Since the inception of the tech boom two facts have become evident, the wealth of Silicon Valley has risen exponentially, and the black population has plummeted. In a city where the top five percent of workers earn over $400,000 annually, 20 percent of the population still earns less than $30,000. From a monetary standpoint the numbers alone are staggering, but when taking into account racial components, health disparities
Wealth inequality and income inequality are often mistaken as the same thing. Income inequality is the difference of yearly salary throughout the population.1 Wealth inequality is the difference of all assets within a population.2 The United States has a high degree of wealth distribution between rich and poor than any other majorly developed nation.3
Despite increased diversity across the country, America’s neighborhoods remain highly segregated along racial and ethnic lines. Residential segregation, particularly between African-Americans and whites, persists in metropolitan areas where minorities make up a large share of the population. This paper will examine residential segregation imposed upon African-Americans and the enormous costs it bears. Furthermore, the role of government will be discussed as having an important role in carrying out efforts towards residential desegregation. By developing an understanding of residential segregation and its destructive effects, parallels may be drawn between efforts aimed at combating such a grave societal problem and furthering social justice.
The highest earning fifth of U.S. families earned 59.1% of all income, while the richest earned 88.9% of all wealth. A big gap between the rich and poor is often associated with low social mobility, which contradicts the American ideal of equal opportunity. Levels of income inequality are higher than they have been in almost a century, the top one percent has a share of the national income of over 20 percent (Wilhelm). There are a variety of factors that influence income inequality, a few of which will be discussed in this paper. Rising income inequality is caused by differences in life expectancy, rapidly increases in the incomes of the top 5 percent, social trends, and shifts in the global economy.
First, Locke believes that everyone has the opportunity to cultivate the land that they own, which ideally is a proportionate share of the surrounding environment, and nothing more (Locke, Sec. 36). Locke’s theory of property is not just relative to physical entities, it can be an intellectual entity as well. An individual may have certain experiences and knowledge, develop theories and come to their own conclusions. Publishing said works are seen as property in the eyes of Locke as well. Another strength would be the logic of Locke’s argument, if you input your labour, that commodity becomes your own. Truth of this can be seen in section 33 of Locke’s Second Treatise of Civil Government, when Locke suggests that labour increases the value of land exponentially because when people own land themselves, they are more likely to increase the productivity of that land. According to Locke, the true value of land does not stem from the land, rather the labour invested in it. Locke’s theory however, does not take into account the processes in which someone becomes an owner. One of the main stances Locke outlines in his theory of property is that he equates property to being a natural right. Locke deems the right to private property to be equally important as life and liberty, however they cannot be
Wealth inequality is a real issue that needs to be fixed. The imbalanced growth of the upper class compared to the middle class is a danger to American society as a whole. The rich becoming richer while the middle class remains the same leads to a power imbalance, with the rich using their money to run the country the way they see fit while the middle class speaks to ears that do not listen. The issue of wealth inequality needs to be fixed by raising taxes on the rich.
Income inequality not only harms us fiscally, but also affects our mental and physical wellbeing; therefore, it is important to identify the right ways to control wealth distribution among people.
Black people tend to want the same. Society tends to find danger or a sense of uncomfortableness when dealing a race that is not their own. Therefore, Cashin insinuates that the supposed “segregation” is actually coming from society itself. However, Cashin does provide examples countering the argument that it all stems from the home buyers. She discusses various lawsuits in which the realtor is the guiding hand in perpetuating these non-diverse communities. Cashin also explores integration with African Americans and white neighborhoods. Ultimately, those who try to integrate suffer more struggles and racism than their white counterparts. Lastly, Cashin concludes her findings by providing ways in which cities have tried to integrate neighborhoods. She specifically applauds public works
In this state of nature, according to Locke, men were born free and equal: free to do what they wished without being required to seek permission from any other man, and equal in the sense of there being no natural political authority of one man over another. He quickly points out, however, that "although it is a state of liberty, it is not a state of license," because it is ruled over by the law of nature which everyone is obliged to obey. While Locke is not very specific about the content of the law of nature, he is clear on a few specifics. First, that "reason, which is that law, teaches all mankind who will but consult it" and second, that it teaches primarily that "being all equal and independent, no one ought to harm another in his life liberty or possessions." Hence, right from the beginning, Locke places the right to possessions on the same level as the right to life, health, and liberty.
Locke theorizeds extensively on property, privatization, and the means an individual can use for increasing his property. Initially, in the state of nature, man did not own property in the form of resources or land. All fruits of the earth were for the use of all men,“and nobody has originally a private dominion, exclusive of the rest of mankind, in any of them, as they are thus in their natural state” (Locke 353). In this state, people could appropriate only what they could make use of. It was unfair for one person to take more than he could use because some of that natural commodity would go to waste unless another man might have made use of it for his own benefit (360). Locke felt that God gave the bounties of nature to the people of earth and they, by default, should treat these bounties rationally. This rationalistic theory discourages waste.
In preparation for this paper I listened to this American life’s 512th podcast house rules, reviewed 3 peer reviewed articles and also reflected on the circumstances of my own life. Before doing research on segregated housing I was completely biased on the topic, but prior to doing research I gained a whole new perspective on the idea. As a young black girl growing up in a black community I always wondered what was the reason for ghettos why is it that although racism has been abolished African Americans and Caucasians in most cases still live in separate neighborhoods, with Caucasian neighborhoods having better living conditions, schooling, and even opportunities. Growing up in a black community I grew up in a neighborhood with
Soon they'll be displaced due to high rent and gentrification of their neighborhoods. Gentrification is described as the process of renovation and improving a district so that it conforms to a middle-class taste. When wealthier people start moving back into urban district, there is an increase in rent and property values, and changes in the district's character and culture. Often it is used negatively it has been the cause of painful conflict in many American cities often associated with race and economic fault lines. These neighborhood changes are viewed as a failure of social justice, in which wealthy people, usually White Americans are praised for “improving” the poor neighborhoods. At the same time displacing minorities low income residents by skyrocketing rent and economic change. Many aspects of the gentrification process are desirable. Who wouldn't want to see reduced crime, new investment in buildings and infrastructure, and increased economic activity in their neighborhoods? However, it is a problem when low-income residents are pushed out of their homes. Although, Gentrification has been affecting many urban cities racially and economically.Where are the displace low income minorities going to go? You need the first month’s rent, the last month’s rent, and a security deposit. Then there’s the cost to move, if they they already can't afford the rent or save enough money for a down payment on a house where is the money going to come
Taking this class is one of the best decision that I made. At first I was hesitant to take this class and simply just want a credit. All of the topic that we discussed in the class are mind blowing and increasing our awareness about our society.
Housing and Urban Development decided that there needed to be some changes within their own system, this resulted in major cutbacks in staff and reorganization. This was known as the 2020 Management and Reform Plan of 1997. The plan was to cut staff and mold 300 HUD programs down to 70 programs. This is not too successful (HUD, 2007). According to Morton J. Schussheim's (1999), “housing is a tale of two cities”. In one city there are the American success stories of the two in three families that are owners of their own homes. The other city is full of those who live below the poverty line and finding affordable shelter is still an issue (p.31). Those that suffer from working low wages and rent burdens, overcrowded living quarters are usually residents of large cities such as Los Angeles and New York City but also in small rural towns and areas as well (Schussheim, 1999, p.31). Segregation also plays a huge part in the topic of housing. Low-Income families are heavily segregated throughout cities (Schussheim, 1999, p.