The United States leads the world in economic productivity and innovation, particularly in lucrative sectors like technology and artificial intelligence. However, the benefits of this immense wealth creation have failed to translate into widespread well-being, especially for the four million Americans living on less than $3 a day.
The failure is rooted in political choices that manipulate market outcomes. Decades of policies, including cuts to safety nets and tax laws favoring the richest, have ensured that American prosperity remains concentrated at the top, a structural choice that directly contrasts with China’s successful drive to eliminate extreme poverty.
The result is a severe income skew: the poorest 10% of Americans receive a tiny 1.8% slice of the national income pie. This level of inequality, worse than in many developing nations, is the direct consequence of legislative and trade decisions that systematically harm lower-income households.