For me, the issue with economic inequality in the US is that somehow it has lead to INEQUALITY OF OPPORTUNITY, which makes our economic system unfair. Sample e

For me, the issue with economic inequality in the US is that somehow it has lead to INEQUALITY OF OPPORTUNITY, which makes our economic system unfair. Sample evidence: * US children of wealthier parents grow up to be wealthier than US children of poorer parents, regardless of whether the child was adopted or not.[1] * US children whose families are in the bottom income quartile are eight times less likely (!) than children from the top quartile to get a college degree by age 24.[2] * According to test scores of US children in public school, those from low-income families are far less proficient in math and reading than their better-off peers.[3] * Poorer US children eat a poorer diet, with negative consequences for brain and body development.[4] * Poorer US children are more exposed to lead, with negative consequences for IQ and behavior.[5] I gathered this evidence through a quick Google search, but there are lot of other data points out there suggesting we have a real problem: if you are born poor in the US, the odds are stacked against you -- you get worse healthcare, a worse diet, worse parenting, worse teachers, a poorer education, less support of all kinds... the list goes on. WHY should wealthier children, who simply got lucky and won the "ovarian lottery," have more and better opportunities than poorer children? Wouldn't we able to create EVEN MORE WEALTH if our economic system offered the same degree of opportunity and support to every child, regardless of parental status? -- [1] http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/07/rich-people-raise-kids-family-wealth/399809/ http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/07/rich-peo... [2] http://www.forbes.com/sites/eriksherman/2015/02/05/wealthy-college-kids-8-times-more-likely-to-graduate-than-poor/ http://www.forbes.com/sites/eriksherman/2015/02/05/wealthy-c... / http://www.pellinstitute.org/downloads/publications-Indicators_of_Higher_Education_Equity_in_the_US_45_Year_Trend_Report.pdf http://www.pellinstitute.org/downloads/publications-Indicato... [3] http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/09/140901-american-diet-obesity-poor-food-health/ http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/09/140901-ameri... [4] http://money.cnn.com/2015/01/29/news/economy/poverty-schools/ http://money.cnn.com/2015/01/29/news/economy/poverty-schools... [5] http://www.environment.ucla.edu/reportcard/article3772.html http://www.environment.ucla.edu/reportcard/article3772.html