Economic Inequality PBATs
Background Resources
The World’s Wealthiest Family Makes $4 Million Every Hour
Newsela - Issue Overview: Income Inequality
Los multimillonarios tienen más riqueza que el 60% de la población mundial, según un informe
Our Broken Economy, in One Simple Chart
Column: The truth about income inequality, in six amazing charts
This cartoon explains how the rich got rich and the poor got poor - Vox
Inflation Inequality' Makes Life Harder for Workers - The Atlantic
This chart is the best explanation of middle-class finances you will ever see
Question 3: Should the federal minimum wage be increased to $15?
Background on Minimum Wage
You must answer the following questions in the background section of your paper:
What is a minimum wage?
What is the federal min wage?
When was it last changed?
What is a living wage?
Should the minimum wage also be a living wage?
Data Sources/Surveys
Data 1 - The US minimum wage through the years
Pew Research Center - Two-thirds of Americans favor raising federal minimum wage to $15 an hour
Gallup - U.S. Small-Business Owners Split on Raising Minimum Wage
U.S. Department of Labor - Minimum Wage Overview
Connection to Covid-19 Stimulus Payments
Opinion: Raise the minimum wage so working pays more than being unemployed
Pro
Pro 1 - It’s not just paychecks: The surprising society-wide benefits of raising the minimum wage
Pro 2 - They Said Seattle’s Higher Base Pay Would Hurt Workers. Why Did They Flip?
Pro 3 - Almost half of all Americans work in low-wage jobs
Pro 4 - Minimum wages and the distribution of family incomes in the United States - Equitable Growth
Pro 5 - Higher state minimum wage tied to lower suicide rates
Pro 6 - VIDEO - Con el año nuevo llega la subida del salario mínimo a 21 estados y 26 ciudades y condados
Pro 7 - Minimum wage doesn't cover the rent anywhere in the U.S.
Pro 8 - (VIDEO) Democrats, keep your promise on the $15 minimum wage
Con
Con 1 - When does a minimum wage become too high?
Both
Both 1 - What does a $15 minimum wage do to the economy? Economists are starting to find out.
Both 3 - VIDEO - Así será el aumento del salario mínimo en California que entrará en vigencia a partir de 2019
Both 4 - Ventajas y desventajas de subir el salario mínimo
Both 5 - VIDEO - Opiniones divididas entre empleados de pequeños negocios por aumento del salario mínimo en Nueva York
Videos
All videos are available on Google Drive at this link.
Question 4: Should public college be free in the United States?
Background on Public College
You must answer the following questions in the background section of your paper:
What is public college vs private college?
Why are people talking about free public college?
Pro
Pro 2 - Price Of College Increasing Almost 8 Times Faster Than Wages
Pro 3 - I'm Drowning': Those Hit Hardest By Student Loan Debt Never Finished College
Pro 4 - Tuition or Dinner? Nearly Half of College Students Surveyed in a New Report Are Going Hungry
Pro 6 - The Education Scandal That's Bigger Than Varsity Blues
Pro 7 - The New Toll of American Student Debt in 3 Charts
Con
Con 1 - ‘Free College for All’ Is an Experiment That Has Already Failed
Con 2 - The Hidden Cost of Free College
Con 4 - R.I. governor wants to expand free college program, but some question price tag
Con 5 - How progressive is Senator Elizabeth Warren’s loan forgiveness proposal?
Con 6 - Here’s what it would take to make college tuition-free
Both
Both 1 - Procon.org - Free College
Both 2 - These five charts show how bad the student loan debt situation is
Videos
All videos are available on Google Drive at this link.
Question 5: Should the United States provide universal healthcare?
Background on Universal Healthcare
You must answer the following questions in the background section of your paper:
What is universal healthcare?
What is the American system? Do we have universal healthcare?
What is Obamacare?
When did Obamacare become a law?
What is a "preexisting condition"? How did it affect people's ability to get insurance?
What effect did Obamacare have on the number of people who were able to get insurance?
What do other countries do to provide healthcare? You can cite to the movie Sicko for examples.
Sicko es un documental de 2007 del director Michael Moore en el que compara el sistema de salud estadounidense con los sistemas de otros países.
Puede utilizar la película en su artículo. Debes ver el papel en los EE. UU. Y al menos en otro país.
Estados Unidos
0-41:43
1:08:13 - 1:12:20
1:28:00 - 1:41:07
1:55:28 - end
Canadá - 41:43 - 53:00
Francia
1:10:19 - 1:12:20 (esta parte tiene lugar en los EE. UU. pero se usa para comparar lo que sucede en Francia)
1:12:20 - 1:28:00
Cuba
1:28:00 - 1:41:07 (esta parte se lleva a cabo en los EE. UU. pero se usa para comparar lo que sucede en Cuba)
1:41:07 - 1:55:28
Sicko is a 2007 documentary by director Michael Moore in which he compares the American healthcare system against the systems in other countries.
You can use the movie in your paper. You should watch the part in the U.S. and at least one other country.
United States
0-41:43
1:08:13 - 1:12:20
1:28:00 - 1:41:07
1:55:28 - end
Canada - 41:43 - 53:00
France
1:10:19 - 1:12:20 (this part takes place in the U.S. but is used to compare what happens in France)
1:12:20 - 1:28:00
Cuba
1:28:00 - 1:41:07 (this part takes place in the U.S. but is used to compare what happens in Cuba)
1:41:07 - 1:55:28
Connection to Covid-19
July 13, 2020 - Millions Have Lost Health Insurance in Pandemic-Driven Recession
Pro
Pro 1 - WHO definition of Universal Health Coverage
Pro 2 - Commonwealth Fund - Administrative Costs article
Pro 3 - An Elderly Couple Who Died In A Murder-Suicide Said They Could No Longer Afford Health Care
Pro 4 - Obamacare is closing the coverage gap between rich and poor, black and white - MarketWatch
Pro 6 - How Healthcare Costs Hurt American Workers and Benefit the Wealthy
Obama, Endorsing Biden, Says Obama Policies Aren’t Good Enough Now
America Can Afford a World-Class Health System. Why Don’t We Have One?
Con
Con 1 - Newsela article - Are there enough doctors for the newly insured?
Con 2 - Why is U.S. Health Care So Expensive? Some of the Reasons You've Heard Turn Out to be Myths
Both/Data
Both 1 - WaPo article - Does Bernie Sanders's plan cost $33 trillion or save $2 trillion?
NYC Community Health Profiles
Videos
All videos are available on Google Drive at this link.