Steven Torres

English-1010

Annotated Bibliography
Becker, Gary S., and Kevin M. Murphy. "The Upside of Income Inequality." They Say I Say with
Readings (n.d.): 581-89. Print.
This article focuses on the inequality that exists between income. An example is how one person
can get paid hundreds of dollars more just for having a degree. The main points being made surround the
idea of getting paid more and getting taxed less. Becker and Murphy back up their point with charts and
statistics that show the difference in pay from a graduate student to a college graduate. Therefore, creating
an inequality of income. No one person with the same degree makes the same, making the system flawed.
The article also presents us with a reason for why the earning gap is widening. There is a higher demand
for people with degrees which raises the pay making everyone who doesnt have a degree look like their
income is way less. It also provides a reason why kids from lower income based homes do not attend
college as much. Their families usually have more children making their resources slim and there for
cannot afford college. These authors believe that this is a problem and by raising taxes on people with
higher earnings and also to take advantage of opportunities granted by the system of higher education.
The information provided can be of very good use. It sums up they inequalities in pay and it
provides reasons on why it is this way. This source compares to others because it shows the lack of
resources for lower earning families that cannot afford college. As the middle class is disappearing, kids
who do not have any money will not be able to attend school leaving the people with money the only ones
who get degrees. Making the poor poorer and the rich richer.

King, Brandon. "The American Dream: Dead, Alive, or on Hold?" The Say I Say with Readings. N.p.:
n.p., n.d. 610-17. Print.
In the article The American Dream: Dead, Alive, or on Hold by Brandon King, He challenges
the notion of the American Dream being dead. King focuses on giving examples on how the American
Dream is very much alive. However, people are not striving to successes and make it possible. He uses
statistics on how in 2005 69% of the population own a home and how in 2010 it decreased to 66.5%. He
believes that the American economy has slowed down but has not fallen apart. He would argue that
people have become complacent on living a middle class life and do not strive for greatness leaving the
American Dream out of the question. Different views are put into prospective about the American Dream
but King will agree that it is 100% alive and well.
Brandon Kings article offers a different perspective on the American Dream. Many people would
argue that it is dead due to the loss of jobs and the need for higher education. While king would argue that
it is not. People need to get up and do something more with their lives not just be content with staying
middle class. This article is helpful by providing a different prospective of the American Dream. If you
dont chase it, you wont have it.
Mason, Paul. "The Strange Case of America's disappearing Middle Class | Paul Mason." The Guardian.
Guardian News and Media, 14 Dec. 2015. Web. 07 Apr. 2016.
 Paul offers great insight on the middle class. He states that the middle class is meant to be the
bedrock of the US economy however it seems to be disappearing. He talks about the governments need to
provide jobs for the middle class instead of outsourcing jobs that can be helpful to the economy. How
people are falling to extremes like being rich or being poor. Trying to connect our government to our
economy problems Mason delivers good point on how they need to up their game to support the middle
class. Not only for the sakes of people in the middle class but for the entire economy.
In this web article I can agree with the point being made. The middle class is the one who
supports our economy. If there is no middle class where are the rich going to draw their money from. The
government needs to step in and stop allowing companies to outsource so much so we can create more
jobs to boost our economy not tear it down. Mason delivers good point by the use of statistics. The middle
class needs help before the entire economy goes down.

Mcclelland, Edward. "RIP, the Middle Class: 1946-2013." The Say I Say with Readings. N.p.: n.p., n.d.
549-59. Print.
Mcclelands RIP, the Middle Class focuses on the loss of opportunities for the middle class from
1946 to 2013. His focus is mostly on the requirements that are needed and how they affect the middle
class. With more and more people getting degrees the more they make, making the middle class of this
country disappear. Mccleland compares and contrasts different scenarios from 1946 to 2013. He uses
personal stories about young uneducated people live in the 1960s to show us that even without education
you can make a great living. He states that because of outsourcing we have lost a lot of jobs that would go
to the middle class because people overseas are doing it for cheaper pay. His stance on this matter is that
he is against it. He finished his article with As far as Im concerned, its not fine for the middle class to
be one of the losers, either.
This article provided valuable information on what is going on in our economy. It points out the
outcomes of certain decisions the government and big companies have mad that directly affected the
Middle class. I believe that the author effectively for my purpose by showing real life examples. It
illustrates what we do not see in our daily lives. People may think times were always the way they are but
reading this article can open their eyes to a time when our middle class was thriving not fading away
hurting our economy.