Last night, about 1.7 million people saw Senator Elizabeth Warren, filmmaker Michael Moore, economist Darrick Hamilton, Senator Bernie Sanders, and others hold a town hall in the auditorium of the US Capitol about the growing economic inequality in this nation. The title of the town hall was “Inequality in America: The Rise of Oligarchy and Collapse of the Middle Class.” The town hall was live streamed on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube by Sanders, Warren, Moore, The Guardian, NowThis, The Young Turks and Act.tv.
Other guests speakers included Catherine Coleman Flowers, a founder of the anti-poverty Alabama Center for Rural Enterprise Community Development Corp., Cindy Estrada, a vice president of the United Auto Workers, and Gordon Lafer, a political scientist from the University of Oregon.
WASHINGTON ― Sen. Bernie Sanders’ televised town hall on economic inequality drew about 1.7 million live viewers during an online broadcast Monday night.
“What I would say to our friends in the corporate media: Start paying attention to the reality of how many people in our country are struggling economically every single day ― and talk about it,” Sanders declared at one point during the discussion.
HuffPo
This is a way to get around the corporate media and corporate blogs that refuse to discuss these issues.
I’ll be writing several posts over the next few days regarding the content of the discussion.
Today, I’d like to highlight some important points by economist Darrick Hamilton:
Hamilton suggested that the universal programs Sanders favors would not erase the racial inequities that follow black Americans at every level of socioeconomic and educational attainment. He noted that a black household headed by a college graduate has, on average, less wealth than a white household headed by a high school dropout.
“So when Sen. Sanders proposes that we should have tuition-free public education ― absolutely, but as an end unto itself. We exaggerate the returns from education, particularly to marginalized groups,” Hamilton said.
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Perhaps in keeping with his intersectional focus, Hamilton embraced more radical measures. His preferred solutions included the creation of trust funds for every American at birth, a federal job guarantee, the replacement of private payday lenders with postal banking and an end to academic tracking in grade school, which he argued often replicates racial segregation, even within relatively integrated schools.
You may or may not agree with the specific policy suggestions, but Professor Hamilton’s point is very important. Medicare for All, free college, and other social democratic reforms will help all and are good in and of themselves. But they won’t solve racial disparities on their own. We have to do additional things.