Critical Issues Facing the U.S and their Solutions - Paper Sample

Introduction

America will be conducting elections come November 3rd, 2020 (Stricker, 2020). Citizens will be put a leader in a position who can address issues that the Americans are facing. The 2020 election will be vital in determining the nation's path to solving the most critical problems. The race is between Donald Trump for the republican party and Joe Biden for the Democratic Party. Both candidates have devised some mechanisms to deal with the issues affecting Americans. Now it is in the hands of the American citizens; they will have to determine which is the best way forward. This paper analyzes some of the U.S.'s critical issues, including jobs and employment, education, and income inequality. The research proposes some solutions that the leaders can devise to solve the problems.

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Jobs and Employment

The unemployment rate in America has been on the rise, especially in 2020, with the Covid-19 wave (Stricker, 2020). The U.S. market has been declining since February with the closure of businesses to cope with the Covid-19 situation. Social distancing measures have forced many companies into closing leaving millions of Americans jobless. The global economy is in recession; the government has initiated some mechanisms to support those adversely affected by the pandemic, but there is still a huge gap to close down. Millions even cannot afford to put food on the table daily because they have lost their jobs (Stricker, 2020). COVID-19 is shaking the economy; both the democratic and republican parties need to develop measures to ensure that Americans secure employment to bounce back from this devastating situation.

Solutions to Jobs and Employment

Revising the monetary policies can allow Americans to access development loans (Stricker, 2020). The state should intervene and subsidize money lending institutions such as banks to ensure that they extend loans to citizens at considerably lower rates. Accessibility to loans can allow Americans to self-employ themselves instead of waiting for the government to create employment for them. There are millions of Americans in need of jobs; obviously, the government cannot create all opportunities (Stricker, 2020). However, the government can create an enabling environment to ensure that citizens can access loans that they can use to develop themselves. Many Americans have brilliant ideas; but they lack the finances to execute them; extending financial support to these citizens can make them see their dreams come true. Low interest rates allow businesses to borrow for less, and this equips them with adequate capital that they can use to acquire more workforce.

The government should boost the manufacturing and technology sectors to create more opportunities (Stricker, 2020). The government should equip American companies and workers with the necessary tools to compete favorably in the global market. The government should put measures to support local businesses from external competition, for instance, tariffs and enhancing fair trade. A lot of things imported can be made locally; hence it is crucial to give the American citizens a chance to exploit their skills to create employment (Stricker, 2020). The incoming government should develop more innovative ideas that are labor-intensive to absorb the large number of people who have lost their jobs because of the pandemic.

Extending support to small sectors and self-employed can help them expand (Stricker, 2020). For instance, the government can offer grants and loans to these groups to acquire materials and labor. The government can exempt small businesses from paying taxes or reduce their taxation to support their to expansion (Stricker, 2020). The government can offer small entrepreneurs training to give them the skills and ideas needed to thrive in the competitive market. If the small businesses thrive, they help the owners and offer employment to other citizens in need. Through the government's support and hard work from the small companies, America can take a huge step in addressing unemployment.

Education

In the U.S., like any part of the world, people with high levels of education enjoy high status, power, prestige, and income (O'Day & Smith, 2016). People worldwide try to bridge the social hierarchy gap by acquiring knowledge to get better income opportunities. However, evidence suggests that people have unequal access to education in the U.S., which limits many young people from unlocking their potential. Issues such as racism have come into play and deprived young Americans of opportunities to lighten up their future because of their skin color (O'Day & Smith, 2016). In America, the government provides free education up to the 12th grade; the rest is up to the parents to dig deep into their pockets to provide tuition fees. Some parents are vulnerable and cannot afford that; hence, many children pay for their parents' misfortune. There are some strategies that the government can adopt to ensure that Americans access education equally.

Solutions to Education

Subsidizing the college fee can help some students proceed with college education (O'Day & Smith, 2016). Most vulnerable groups cannot go on with knowledge because they cannot afford to cater fully to their college education. The government should step in and make college free for some students under a certain income threshold. Low-income students should not be pushed to pay money that is well-known they cannot afford (O'Day & Smith, 2016). The loan portion for college students should also be increased to ensure that many students benefit. The currently available money cannot cater to all students in need. There should be free technical opportunities for students who cannot meet the college cutoffs to ensure that they engage in something constructive.

Boosting teachers' pay can help improve the education levels (O'Day & Smith, 2016). The U.S. has witnessed strikes from dissatisfied teachers before. In 2018, the RedforED teachers went on strike, and there have been strikes organized by the West Virginia teachers (O'Day & Smith, 2016). Both the Democratic and Republican parties must look keenly into the issue. Teachers need proper remuneration and suitable working environments to deliver. The government can boost teachers' morale by raising their pay, giving teachers tax credits, and improving the working environment. For instance, the classrooms should be improved to create an excellent working environment for both the teachers and students.

The U.S. should focus on a broader range of higher education (O'Day & Smith, 2016). Many job opportunities do not necessarily require college degrees. Students do not necessarily need to go through a four-year college period. For instance, students can go for employee-based training, apprenticeships, and associate degrees. These programs are less expensive, and they can provide a shortcut to get valuable skills for students who are not in college (O'Day & Smith, 2016). Federal funding can boost these areas and equip them to offer a wide range of platforms for Americans to get valuable skills.

The government should focus on enhancing education equality between all races (O'Day & Smith, 2016). Both the Democrats and Republicans should step in to fight the issue of racism. Skin color should not deter students from getting opportunities in any school in the country. Some rules, such as; the school-prison pipeline that targets students of color should be revised. All students in America should feel comfortable and enjoy equal learning opportunities.

Income Inequality

The income inequality in the U.S. keeps growing; the gap between the richest and the poorest keeps widening. The distribution of income between individuals, social classes, and groups in the U.S. is experiencing a considerable disparity. In 2018, 20% of the U.S. top class earned around 52% of the national income (Dean et al., 2020). 20% of the lower class earned around 3.1% of the national income (Dean et al., 2020). The disparity between the rich and the poor is shockingly wide. There is a need to devise measures to bridge the gap.

Solutions to Income Inequality

Improving human capital can help solve income inequality (Dean et al., 2020). Education can be an efficient tool for bridging the gap between the rich and the poor. The government can tax the rich heavily and use the income to bolster those who are lagging. Measures such as job training, apprenticeships, and vocational training can give Americans the much-needed skills in the market (Dean et al., 2020). The government should invest in education from lower grades to all levels to equip all citizens with the needed skills. Education alone cannot bridge the inequality gap, but it gives the poor a chance to bargain for better incomes.

Raising wages and returns can help to narrow the gap (Dean et al., 2020). The government can ensure that low-income workers reap benefits from their hard work by increasing their minimum earnings. The government can facilitate the raising of income by increasing the income tax credits. Simplifying the licensing processes can also allow citizens to take opportunities in well-paying jobs (Dean et al., 2020). Low earners need to receive fair pay so that they can work towards bridging the income inequality gaps.

End racial segregation in working environments (Dean et al., 2020). Racial segregation denies people of color opportunities to earn the same levels of income as their white counterparts. Employment and awarding of job opportunities should be based on merit rather than skill color. Economic inequality between whites and African Americans widens because many blacks do not get a chance in some white men's offices. Some Americans question the ability of workers because of their skin color (Dean et al., 2020). Even if people of color get jobs in white offices, they are not given high-profile jobs, which impacts the amount of salaries they can earn. It is vital to deal with racism issues in the office to allow all Americans to get fair opportunities regardless of their color.

Conclusion

To conclude, unemployment, education, and income inequality issues have been working against U.S. development efforts. Whether he is a Democratic or Republican leader, it is up to the incoming president to step up and devise mechanisms to solve the challenges. Some of the employment solutions include; revising the monetary policies, boosting manufacturing sectors, and supporting the self-employed. The government can improve education by subsidizing college fees, raising teachers' pay, and enhancing education equality. To fix the issue of income inequality, the government can improve human capital through training, raise wages, and deal with the challenge of racial segregation in workplaces. It is upon the American citizens to elect a leader who can address the issues affecting the nation.

References

Dean, E., Elardo, J., Green, M., Wilson, B., & Berger, S. (2020). Government Policies to Reduce Income Inequality. Principles of Economics: Scarcity and Social Provisioning (2nd Ed.). https://openoregon.pressbooks.pub/socialprovisioning2/chapter/14-5-government-policies-to-reduce-income-inequality/

O’Day, J. A., & Smith, M. S. (2016). Quality and equality in American education: Systemic problems, systemic solutions. In The Dynamics of Opportunity in America (pp. 297-358). Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-25991-8_9

Stricker, F. (2020). American Unemployment: Past, Present, and Future. University of Illinois Press.