China began the 1990s with mass extreme poverty. Through aggressive reforms and targeted policies, it reduced the number of people living on less than $3 a day from 943 million to zero.
America’s path was the inverse. Extreme poverty grew to more than 4 million people, despite the nation’s immense wealth and global economic dominance.
Productivity in the U.S. continues to soar, but the distribution of gains is increasingly skewed. The upper class reaps the majority of benefits, while poor and middle-income households fall behind.
Income inequality has reached startling levels. The bottom 10% of Americans earn just 1.8% of national income—mirroring distributions in low-income countries.
Cuts to healthcare subsidies, food programs, and safety nets have magnified hardship. Policy choices—not market forces alone—explain America’s widening economic divides.
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