have to perform all sorts of dubious mental gymnastics in order to hold on to a cosmological view of God in a scientific age.And the Great Recession didnt help an already bad situation The average net worth of households in the upper 7percent of the wealth distribution chain increased 28percent during the first two years of the recovery from the downturn compared with a 4percent drop for households in the lower 93percent according to Pews analysis of data from the Census BureauAnother Pew report found that the decline in housing prices had a much greater impact on the net worth of minorities relative to that of whites because housing assumes a larger share of their portfoliosThe Urban Institutes recently issued a report that similarly examined the chasm that separates the haves and the have-nots In 2010 the average income for whites was twice that of blacks and Hispanics $89000 compared with $46000 Whites on average had six times the wealth of blacks and Hispanics $632000 compared with $103000 according to the Urban Institute But its the wealth gap that the authors of the report rightly focus on Over the past 30 years Americans in the top 20percent saw their average wealth increase by nearly 120percent while families with wealth figures in the middle quintile saw growth of only 13percent The folks in the bottom 20percent saw their net worth drop below zero meaning their debts exceeded their assets"When it comes to economic gaps between whites and communities of color in the United States income inequality tells part of the story" the authors of the institutes report wrote "But lets not forget about wealth Wealth isnt just money in the bank its insurance against tough times tuition to get a better education and a better job savings to retire on and a springboard into the middle class In short wealth translates into opportunity"The great wealth gap helps explain "why many middle-income blacks and Hispanics havent seen much improvement in their relative economic status and in fact are at greater risk of sliding backwards" the report says Poverty rates for blacks and Hispanics seriously exceed the national average according to the In 2010 274percent of blacks and 266percent of Hispanics were poor compared with 99percent of non-Hispanic whites and 121percent of Asians About 38percent of black children and 35percent of Hispanic children live in poverty compared with about 12percent of white children"In hindsight the organizers of the march were correct: Achieving rights without fully obtaining the resources to actualize them is only a partial victory In this 50th anniversary year of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom we can best pay tribute to the march and all that it stood for by recommitting to achieving its unfinished goals" wrote Algernon Austin director of the Economic Policy Institutes The institute has issued a series of reports examining what it would take to achieve each of the goals of the