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I could summarize this entire post in one sentence: Income inequality is real, and pointing that out is not engaging in class warfare. If you listen to Paul Ryan and other GOP mouthpieces charged with convincing the American Sheeple that dissent is anti-American, you’d think that they expect us to be happy that we’ve been allowed to have what we do. There was a time, not so very long ago, when most Americans would have agreed with Ryan, in contravention of their best interests. They believed and they did what they were told. After all, who really wants to be involved in a class war? That’s some awfully messy, nasty stuff that smacks of Socialism and Communism and unwashed hippies smoking dope in a drum circle, no?
Except that the class war has already begun, and it’s spread from coast to coast. No, Occupy Wall Street isn’t the modern manifestation of the Bonus Army, but it is based on a similar idea, that the wealthiest and most powerful among us are bent on aggregating all wealth and power for themselves. If you look at what’s happening in America today, and at virtually all the data on the subject, the gap between the “haves” and the “have nots” continues to widen at an alarming rate. Since the Reagan Administration, the income of the richest 1% of Americans has grown exponentially. The remaining 99%? Not so much. And the problem only continues to grow worse.
If the 99% majority doesn’t stand up and scream, “ENOUGH!”, then who will?
WE DESERVE BETTER.
Polls from various sources are beginning to indicate that Americans are becoming increasingly concerned about the unfairness of income disparity. It’s not that Americans are opposed to those who are successful. Far from it. But when the rules of the game are written by those whom the richest 1% have bought and paid for, and when they’re written specifically for the benefit of the richest 1%, one can safely assume that American democracy has gone off the rails. Democracy shouldn’t be for sale…and yet that’s exactly what’s happened. Whether you blame the problems on Republicans, Democrats, or a combination of both (my choice), the end result is the same. Since the Reagan Administration, the super-rich have become exponentially wealthier…and the rest of us are left to fight for whatever scraps hit the floor.
Americans are beginning to warm to the idea of distributing income more fairly. Though some (mostly those purchased by the richest 1%) will scream to the four winds against “SOCIALISM!!”, the majority of American are beginning to warm to the idea that “trickle up” economics benefits only those who have plenty and are looking for more.
At the beginning of the Reagan Administration, the top tax rate was 50%. Now it’s 35% (Rick Perry’s flat tax plan would drop that to 20%). For the Tea Party “taxed enough already” crowd, the reality is that our total tax burden is lower now than it was 30 years ago. Herman Cain and Rick Perry have both proposed flat tax plans, and Mitt Romney will likely do so before long. While couched in terms of fairness, the reality behind a flat tax scheme is that it lowers the burden on the upper echelon of earners and increases the burden on the lower echelon. Even in the face of a clearly unjust and inequitable system, Republicans (most of whom are owned by the richest 1%) continue to work towards reducing the tax bill of the wealthy and shifting even more of the burden to the poor and middle class.
Americans are not advocating for Socialism or Communism. No reasonable person would think that this is what the argument is about. It’s about fairness. The argument is with a systems that distributes ever-increasing amounts of money upward at the expect of the vast majority of Americans. The rich get richer…and everyone else is forced to do more with less. That’s not the American Dream; that’s greed run amok, plain and simple.
Redistributing income more fairly can be easily achieved. All it takes is structuring a tax system based on the premise that to whom much is given, much is expected. It’s not about “taking” from anyone; it’s about creating a system where those able to pay do. Does this mean that some won’t be paying taxes? Without a doubt…but whose shoes would you rather be in- Bill Gates…or a single mother trying to raise four kids on $20,000 a year?
If you’re wealthy, then good on you. Work hard. Create something positive. Prosper. Grow. Then remember that you didn’t get rich in a vacuum. Accept that you have a responsibility to the country who helped make your success a reality. Do the right thing.
Or would you rather run the risk of generalized and possibly violent socially unrest?? Without serious and significant changes, that could be our future.
WE DESERVE BETTER.
