The American Path Forward (Part 2) — What We Can Win Now
“We don’t need a revolution to start reducing inequality. We just need to use the tools already in our hands.”
Yesterday, we explored high-impact solutions that strike at the heart of concentrated wealth—taxing capital, reforming inheritance, expanding ownership. But many of those proposals face stiff political resistance, especially from entrenched interests.
So what can we do now?
Today, we focus on policies that are politically feasible, broadly popular, and already being tested across the country. These solutions might not completely close the wealth gap, but they’re winnable, scalable, and—most importantly—build momentum for deeper structural reform.
Invest in Education for All
The problem: Education is one of the most powerful tools for upward mobility—but quality and access vary wildly by zip code and income level.
The fix:
Make community college and public universities tuition-free or debt-free.
Cancel or reduce student debt for low- and middle-income borrowers.
Boost funding for K–12 public schools, especially in underserved districts.
Expand early childhood education and universal pre-K.
Why it’s feasible:
There’s growing bipartisan support for reducing student debt and expanding public education access—especially among younger voters and parents.
Why it matters:
Education isn’t a magic bullet, but it remains one of the most consistent predictors of lifetime income and civic participation. More equitable access means more people gaining the tools to compete—and lead.
Build a 21st-Century Care Economy
The problem: Millions of Americans—especially women—are kept out of the workforce or pushed into poverty because of unpaid caregiving or lack of childcare.
The fix:
Subsidize childcare and eldercare, making it affordable and accessible.
Guarantee paid family and medical leave for all workers.
Raise wages and benefits for care workers, the majority of whom are women and people of color.
Why it’s feasible:
COVID-19 exposed the fragility of the care economy and created broad public support for reform. Paid leave, in particular, is overwhelmingly popular across party lines.
Why it matters:
Investing in care lifts working families, reduces gender inequality, and strengthens the economy by freeing people to participate fully.
Expand Affordable Housing and Homeownership
The problem: Housing costs are skyrocketing, and homeownership—the most common form of middle-class wealth—is out of reach for many.
The fix:
Increase funding for affordable housing construction and rental assistance.
Support first-time homebuyers, especially in communities historically excluded from ownership.
Legalize multi-family housing and address zoning laws that restrict supply.
Expand community land trusts and shared equity models that keep housing permanently affordable.
Why it’s feasible:
Housing policy is largely local, offering many avenues for change even when federal politics are gridlocked. Mayors and city councils are already experimenting with these ideas nationwide.
Why it matters:
Stable, affordable housing is the bedrock of wealth-building, educational success, and community stability.
Strengthen the Social Safety Net
The problem: Millions of Americans still fall through the cracks—facing medical debt, food insecurity, or poverty in old age.
The fix:
Expand programs like the Child Tax Credit, which has already been shown to reduce child poverty.
Protect and strengthen Social Security and Medicare.
Make healthcare more affordable, including expanding Medicaid and capping drug prices.
Why it’s feasible:
Many of these programs are already popular and politically entrenched. Expanding or improving them builds on familiar ground.
Why it matters:
A strong safety net reduces the volatility that can destroy middle-class lives overnight—and makes the entire economy more resilient.
Encourage Fairer Economic Development
The problem: Government investment often favors wealthy areas and politically connected corporations.
The fix:
Prioritize infrastructure and economic development in disinvested communities.
Support minority-owned and worker-owned businesses through public contracts and funding.
Make public banking and postal banking available to serve the unbanked and underbanked.
Why it’s feasible:
These ideas are already in motion in cities and states, and they appeal to both economic populists and equity advocates.
Why it matters:
Wealth doesn’t just need to be taxed—it needs to be built. Targeted public investment can repair generations of exclusion.
Building the On-Ramps to Bigger Change
None of these policies will dismantle inequality overnight. But that’s not the point.
These solutions:
Build trust in public institutions,
Deliver material improvements in people’s lives,
And create a foundation of economic security and civic engagement that makes deeper reform possible.
In other words, these are on-ramps to a more equitable democracy—not substitutes for bigger changes, but steps that bring them within reach.
Tomorrow: Choosing Democracy Over Despair
In the final post of this series, we’ll bring it all together—why inequality threatens democracy, how authoritarianism exploits it, and what it means to choose equity, inclusion, and justice as national priorities.
Because the future isn’t written. It’s decided—by what we’re willing to fight for.