Page 14 - Freedom in the world_Neat
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Furthermore, the era that followed World War II brought the promise of equal opportunity
               much closer to reality for groups that had historically been excluded from the American
               Dream. The civil rights revolution ended legal discrimination against native-born blacks,
               nonwhite immigrants, and women. The explosive growth of higher education enabled the
               children of working-class families to pursue college degrees for the first time. New laws
               and policies enhanced the role of merit in decisions on hiring, firing, promotions, and
               university admissions.

               For evidence of America's enhanced commitment to equality of opportunity, one need go
               no further than the local hospital or courthouse. In both, jobs that were once monopolized
               by white men are now held by a diverse group of blacks, Latinos, Asians, immigrants (in
               the case of hospitals), and of course women. Indeed, women are almost as likely to enroll
               in medical or law school today as are men.

               Not only did the United States make significant progress toward equality of opportunity
               during the civil rights era, it also significantly equalized outcomes, especially among the
               races. High rates of growth and industrial expansion during the 1950s and 1960s
               facilitated the entry into the working class of millions of black workers, who found jobs
               making automobiles, processing steel, or building machine tools.

               Since the early 1970s, however, the American economy has experienced something of a
               transformation. The old industry-based model has been supplanted by a model based on
               education and technological expertise, along with services. The result has been a growth in
               opportunity for those with the relevant credentials and abilities, and stagnation or decline
               for those who lack such skills.

               As is always the case during periods of economic change, there have been winners and
               losers. But the bulk of the evidence suggests that in the current transition the winners are
               restricted to a small proportion at the top while everyone else is experiencing economic
               stagnation or decline. Over the past decade, economic gain has been limited to those in
               the top ten percent while conditions for the vast majority have been flat or declined. Some
               statistics even suggest that, looked at from the perspective of educational attainment, only
               those with advanced degrees are moving ahead while those with a college degree or high
               school education are treading water or losing ground. Some critics further contend that the
               losers include many workers who have been consigned to the substantial and growing
               low-wage economy. Others go further, arguing that in recent years equality of opportunity
               has diminished both as an ideal and as an on-the-ground reality in the United States.
               Although this criticism comes principally from the left, some conservatives have also
               acknowledged that the United States has become a more unequal society as a result of
               such trends as globalization and technological advancement. Alan Greenspan, the former
               chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank, has gone so far as to assert that the capitalist
               system is threatened by growing inequality.

               The question of whether American workers "need a raise," in the words of John J. Sweeney,
               president of the American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-
               CIO), has entered the political debate. During his initial presidential bid in 1992, Bill
               Clinton campaigned on the theme that most Americans were not sharing in the riches


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