In a Capitalist society, there will always be differences in wealth as a byproduct, even when accounting for measures of fairness and equality. However, since the 1980s, our Country and specifically the Republican party have grossly bent the rules of Capitalism towards the wealthy. There is no better illustration of this than in the massive ballooning of the Income equality gap, the difference between our most wealthy and most poor. This has been done by drastically reducing taxes on the wealthy, both income and estate, which has created massive deficits that will pass to our children. This wealth gap has been further widened by lowering taxes on investments through the Long-Term Capital Gains (LTCG) tax, that rewards those who watch their money rather than those who earn it, and by implementing the 401(k)-tax code, that greatly benefits high-earners and drastically hurts those who aren't. Finally, by favoring large corporations over the small business owner through lowering Corporate taxes and regulation, the government created huge disadvantages for small businesses to compete with corporations.
We can begin to decrease this gap by implementing some innovative and common-sense solutions like eliminating income taxes for those Americans struggling below the poverty line, phasing out the 401(k) provision while still allowing IRA contributions, and implementing a voluntary national pension, Social Security Plus (SS+), to run parallel to Social Security. In addition, by establishing the American Profit Sharing Plan (APSP), we can pay a monthly amount to all Americans over 18, and by rolling back marginal tax brackets to pre-1980 levels, we can reverse the adverse effects of 40 years of "trickle-down" economics. By implementing these measures, we can begin closing this irreversible gap and put dollars into the hands of ordinary Americans, which has proven to be the best catalyst for a consumer-based economy.