To Barbara Ehrenreich, the problem is obvious. There's something tremendously wrong with entertainers, athletes, and corrupt CEOs holding the majority of the wealth in our country.
The third speaker in this year's Distinguished Speakers Series, Ehrenreich told audience members at Alumni Arena Wednesday night that they can help close the gap between the rich and poor, but first they must open their eyes to the economic problems that affect everyone.
The author of "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America," Ehrenreich couldn't help but point out to the audience the irony of her participation in this year's Distinguished Speaker Series.
"This is the first thing I've ever shared with Donald Trump," Ehrenreich said of the man who is seemingly the antithesis to everything she stands for. "It is an interesting feeling."
Sarcastic and politically charged, much of Ehrenreich's concern is grounded in the great division between the rich and the poor. To illustrate her point, she compared her income when she was an undercover journalist working as a Wal-Mart employee to that of Sam Walton, the founder of Wal-Mart.
"I calculated that I would have had to work 5,000 years to make how much he makes in one year," she said. "And you know, the sad part is that I could have worked 5,000 years and I probably would not have gotten a promotion."
Ehrenreich said this divide in America is related to the fact that the minimum wage is too low. Although in her undercover experience she primarily worked in jobs where she made more than the minimum wage of $5.15, she still had difficulty in earning sufficient funds.
"I was not so successful in making ends meet," Ehrenreich said. "I could not handle rent."
According to the author, she was looking for one-room apartments with only a refrigerator and a microwave, but she had difficulty in finding any for less than $800 per month in the Minneapolis, Minn. area.
Although the cost of living here in Buffalo is much less expensive than that, by no means does that exempt the city from poverty, Ehrenreich said.
Ehrenreich explained that the federal government's estimate that 10-12 percent of the nation lives in poverty is inaccurate. This is because their estimate is based on the cost of food, and there has been very little inflation in the cost of food over the years, so it is an unrealistic measure of poverty.
Rather, she asserts that the actual poverty is 25 percent, more than double the official estimate.
To bring the subject closer to home, Ehrenreich made a point about Buffalo.
"Twenty-seven percent in this city are poor according to the federal government, which means it's more like half of the people," she said.
Ehrenreich told the audience that poverty and class polarization are not natural. "It is the result of policies that can be reversed," she said.
Ehrenreich also touched on next Tuesday's election, saying the future of America's economic divide depends on it.
"John Kerry said he wants to increase the minimum wage to $7 per hour," she said, adding that such an increase will help. "We need to redistribute the wealth some way or another downward."
Ehrenreich said she has three major solutions to minimize the division between wealth and poverty: reinstate usage of unions, increase affordable low-income housing, and create universal health insurance.
Ehrenreich acknowledged that most people can't help change healthcare, but everyone can help improve the situation in even the smallest way.
"The least you could do is don't be a snob," she said. "Talk to these people. Get to know them."
Students who attended the event said they were motivated and intrigued by what Ehrenreich had to say.
"She got me to start thinking about a lot of different things, which is good, especially in the upcoming election," said Meghan McAdam, a junior theater major. "It is very important and it needs to be talked about in the college setting where so many people are undecided and misinformed."
"The things she is talking about are taboo," said Arianna Grassia, a junior global science major. "I was impressed with how receptive the audience was to her thoughts and ideas. She really gave me hope for this coming Tuesday."
