Inequality of income, wealth, and opportunity in America is wider now than it's been since the 1920s, and by some measures since the late 19th century. Yet the nation seems unable or unwilling to do much of anything to reverse these trends. What happens if we allow the trends to continue? Will they "naturally" reverse themselves? Or will we get to a point where disparities are so wide that we finally find the political will to take action? Alternatively, will the disparities themselves grow so wide as to discourage action, by fostering resignation among the losers and indifference among the winners? And if the latter, where will it all lead?

Robert B. Reich is University Professor of Social and Economic Policy at Brandeis University and currently a visiting professor this semester at UC Berkeley's Goldman School of Public Policy. He has served in three national administrations, most recently as Secretary of Labor under President Bill Clinton. He is also the author of ten books, and his commentaries can be heard weekly on public radio and read often on the oped pages of the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal.

This event took place on April 5, 2005 in Wheeler Auditorium, UC Berkeley.