I Want You to Run: American Inequality, Democracy, and Social Change 9/25/15

By Katerina Biancardi

Inequality in wealth and power upsets the balance essential for a democratic society, political economist Robert Reich told a University of Texas audience.

Globalization, technological changes, and demographics over time have enlarged the gap between the wealthy few at the top and the rest of the American public he said.

That might sound like a problem too difficult for anyone to handle, but Reich said that the American public need to dive into the political realm in order make the difference.

Presented by the Plan II Honors Program, the Liz Carpenter Lectureship every year brings thought provoking speakers. A half an hour before the lecture began, the LBJ Auditorium overflowed with more than 1,000 people.

The crowd came to hear what the political economist had to say. He served in three national administrations, formerly as secretary of labor under President Bill Clinton, and as most recently as member of President Obama’s economic transition board.

Reich explained that America’s disparity in wealth results from the middle and lower class not having enough purchasing power to keep the economy going. He said this causes all the wealth to go the top, which invariably triggers the political power goes to the top as well.

When Reich spoke to Congress in January, he presented data found by the Congressional Budget Office that displays the inequality of wealth. The study found that between 1979 and 2007 that the gap in income between the top 1 percent of the population and everyone else in has more than tripled. In 2007 the U.S. median household income was $52,673, while the top 1 percent of the population’s income was at least $347,421 according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

However, Reich asserted that “Every society, every economy needs some inequality. If you didn’t have inequality you wouldn’t have the proper incentives to invest and to work hard and save.

But when inequality is too out of control and so much of the income goes to the top you have some very large problems.”

To emphasis his point Reich told the University of Texas audience with a quote by former U.S. Justice Louis Brandeis.

“We have a choice, we can either have wealth in the hands of a few or we can have a democracy, but we can’t have both.”

The solution, Reich said, is to simply take action.

Like the changes in economy Reich has studied over time he has seen another change: a change in the American public. He said that complete strangers come up to him and ask, “What are we going to do?”

“I respond with ‘I don’t know,’ he then proposes the question, ‘What are you doing?’ ”

Reich said because today’s American people are cynical toward the political establishment they never want to do more.

Reich asserted that in order to solve the economic inequality and have a true democratic society, “We need fewer complainers and more doers.”

Phillip Dubov, alumni relations & development specialist of Plan II, has coordinated the speakers for the Liz Carpenter Lectureship for the past few years. He said he has noticed an overarching theme among these motivational speakers.

He recalls when Gale Collins, the first female editor for The New York Times came, she told the audience although journalism is now in a digital age, journalists must still get out there and write.

Dubov says Nicholas Kristof, American journalist and human rights activist, told the 2012 Liz Carpenter Lectureship audience that now is the time for activism.

While these impactful speakers come from various professions, Dubov says they all tell the audiences the same thing: “Get involved.”

As the Chancellor’s Professor of Public Policy at the University of California at Berkeley, Reich said he speaks to his students about commitment to public service. However, he said, when he suggests to his students about becoming involved with politics, they often are not interested.

He the audience that, “Positive social change can not be divorced from politics,” and he pointed out that “politics is one of the noblest forms of public service.”

At the end of the speech, Reich had a brief Q & A session. A UT student asked Reich about what is the reason to get involved with politics.

“You said people need to get involved in politics, and while I agree, most politicians don’t look like me, they don’t look like a lot of us,” she said. “They are mostly white straight men, so what is our incentive to get involved when don’t think our voices, our opinions, our points of view will be heard, listened to?”

“If you don’t think there enough choices, and mostly white straight men, then you run,” responded Reich. “I want you to run for office.”