The Friedmans's essay, "Created Equal," is about freedom of choice, freedom of opportunity, and the free capitalist market. The Friedmans state that liberty and equality are two of the main factors important to man trying to succeed in the U.S. liberty allowing the person to shape "one's own life." Equality, in turn, allows one to utilize his/her liberty to seize an economic opportunity and not be threatened of losing it because of race, religion, color, or creed. Moreover, the Friedmans believe in "laissez-faire," which in economics is used to imply that government shouldn't interfere with business. Overall, Friedmans's work is written to produce wealth and avoid poverty.
Reich's essay, Why the Rich Are Getting Richer and the Poor, Poorer," delineates the pattern of change and expectation of America's economic future. Reich observes the following three types of workers: routine workers, "in-service workers," and problem solvers. To describe the economic effect these workers have on America, Reich utilizes a description of a boat as a symbolic metaphor. He states that the "the boat containing the routine producers is sinking rapidly." Reich believes that due to technological advances in production facilities, the need for routine workers is dramatically decreasing. The main reason for this declination is the building and manufacturing of products in third-world countries where it is cheaper. The fact is: "people in other nations work at a fraction of the hourly rate of American workers, and because factories are relatively cheap to establish, they can easily be moved." Reich continues with the workers in restaurants, retail outlets, car washes, and other personal service industries. He implies that just as the machines are replacing the routine workers, they are replacing the "in-person servers" as well. Finally, Reich examines the "America's symbolic analysts": engineers, consultants, marketing experts, publicists, and those in entertainment fields.