Summary

Desmond begins Chapter 8 by reflecting on the fact that "Choice is the antidote for exploitation" (139). Allowing people to make choices about how they live means that all are free. Workers should be able to choose a job that pays a living wage, and unions are helpful in achieving that wage even though many unions have lost power in the last century. Workers should also be able to choose safe and affordable housing. The United States has a long way to go in search of this goal, and Desmond suggests a greater investment in solid public housing. He also suggests affordable private housing and housing cooperatives in which the tenant owners manage their own buildings. Furthermore, banks must also play fair and immediately end the practice of high overdraft fees which unfairly target the poor. Even more predatory are payday loan lenders, and their...