Disposable Americans ─ Extreme Capitalism and the Case for a Guaranteed Income

Inequality has dramatically increased in America, with few solutions on the horizon. Serious social inequalities persist. For example, the 14 richest Americans earned enough money from their investments in 2015 to hire two million pre-school teachers (while the USA ranks low among developed countries in pre-school enrollment). Following the Great Recession, the richest 1% took 116 percent of the new income gains, a statistic caused by so many middle class Americans moving backward, many losing investments in property and experiencing interruptions in work. Author Paul Buchheit looks hopefully to solutions in a book that vividly portrays the rapidly changing inequality of American society. More Americans have become "disposable" as middle class jobs have disappeared at an alarming rate. Buchheit presents innovative proposals that could quickly beging to reverse these trends, including a guaranteed basic income drawn from new revenues, including a Financial Speculation Tax and a Carbon Tax. Discussing the challenges and obstacles to such measures, he finds optimism in past successes in American history.

Ideal for classroom assignment, the book uniquely pairs historical events with current, real-life struggles faced by citizens, pointing to measures that can improve person and social well-being and trust in government.

Paul Buchheit taught economics at De Paul University and also has formal training in language development and cognitive science. He is the founder and developer of social justice and educational websites (UsAgainstGreed.org, RappingHistory.org, PayUpNow.org), and the editor and main author of "American Wars: Illusions and Realities" (Clarity Press).