Even Liberal Seattle is causing a gap between rich and poor

The Liberal cliché of standing up for the lower-class guy and the Conservative cliché of rising to the top because of independent hard work are myths, according to a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.

Richard Reeves, who recently authored the book “Dream Hoarders: How the American Upper Middle Class is Leaving Everyone in the Dust, Why That Is a Problem, and What to do About It,” argues that America has a strict class system and that birth influences a person’s success in life. In short, if you are born upper-middle class, you will likely stay that way. Policies will further keep others from joining you at that level.

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Reeves is not talking about millionaires. He’s not talking about the top 1 percent. Rather, the top 20 percent. It doesn’t matter how they define themselves politically, they are American dream hoarders.

“The top 20 percent – healthy six figure incomes, average income is about $200,000,” Reeves told Seattle’s Morning News. “That group has been pulling away economically, that is where the inequality kicks in. But also in neighborhood segregation, higher education, housing wealth … Some of the ways they are breaking away are unfair; they are opportunity hoarding mechanisms.”

Essentially, what is a glass ceiling for the lower 80 percent of America, is a glass floor for the top 20 percent. This is managed, for example, by maintaining neighborhood zoning codes, or legacy college admissions — policies that maintain a lifestyle for dream hoarders. Reeves points out that one need look no further than Seattle – and its Liberal residents – as an example.

“Seattle is a great example because in 2014 there was a task force appointed by the mayor to look at affordable housing, to look at more inclusionary zoning, to allow more duplexes and triplexes into these areas that are single-family zoned,” Reeves said. “And I think he had to kill it within a week of it coming out because it creates such push back.”

Or to put it more bluntly, Ross said, it’s like folks living in Queen Anne who raise their voice for more housing opportunities and homeless solutions.

“But this is coming from the same people who are living in single-family craftsman homes in Queen Anne and would raise hell if you tried to rezone that area for apartment buildings,” Ross said.

Say it together: I am rich

There are steps to address the issue, according to Reeves. As with many problems, you first have to admit you have one. In this case, it’s more of an issue of admitting you are rich before you can start contributing at your level. That contribution would likely be in taxes.

“You compare yourself to other people you know who are also upper-middle class; you don’t feel rich because the guy next to you has a beach house,” Reeves said. “You redefine what rich is depending on who you are hanging out with, and if you are only hanging out with your own class, then it’s easy to convince yourself you are an ordinary Joe.”

“So you get absurd statements like ‘We are the 99 percent,’” he said. “People who are well into six-figure incomes, above $200,000 per year, honestly believe they are ordinary members of the middle class. Until we get that right, there is no chance of getting better policies.”

On the other hand, there are those in America who argue that they worked for what they got. So they should keep it.

“’I’m not rich,’ or ‘If I am it’s only because of my brilliance and hard work,’ or ‘America is a Meritocracy so it’s because of my awesomeness,’” Reeves said. “I’m trying to disrupt those myths because they are myths that stand in the way of progress.”

People may have worked hard, but they had the opportunity for that hard work pay off, whereas others have not.

“I’m not expecting everyone to sell their house and go live in poverty, I’m asking people to pay more taxes …” Reeves said. “They can and should give up some stuff, including some money. We have to have that conversation directly now. We can’t do it by stealth, or appeals to self-interest anymore. It just needs to be a more direct conversation, which is ‘You are doing well, you can pay more, you should.’”

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