Wealth Disparities in America (wages, drugs, lawyers, Christmas)
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You have no idea how much money and time that CD posters give to charity.
Here is the difference between a liberal and a conservative;
Liberal: I am compassionate, therefore I advocate taking other people's hard earned money and giving it to people who have less. I may not give any to charity, but I support higher taxes so that more money can be taken from hard working tax payers and given to those who don't work.
Conservative: I show my compassion by giving my time and money to charities because I believe compassion is only expressed by giving of my own resources. I don't believe taking the hard earned dollars from one person and giving it to others is an expression of charity or compassion at all.
Like I said, it's a difficult situation to fix and each one is different. You also just reiterated exactly what I just stated. We're asking unions and middle class workers to make concessions while the wealthier keep their bucket of money and compensations.
Exactly what do you not get aboutunion pension funds being the biggest US investors (shareholders)?
the government will suppress uprisings due to inequality by arresting people and throwing them in jail. .
That's what we pay them to do. To keep the losers from stealing from the winners.
Do you have a problem with that?
If you do, you know what category you are self-defining yourself into.
In America, you are free, by your efforts or lack thereof, to put yourself in whatever class you wish, and at any level you wish. The fact that some do and some don't, is a result, overwhelmingly of "choice". They chose NOT to do that which will make them a success.
"Americans know there are significant disparities of wealth, between small numbers of extremely wealthy Americans and the rest of us – the 99% who do not have extreme wealth. The 400 wealthiest Americans have wealth equal to 150 million Americans. This richest 400, whose average income was $270.5 million, paid a tax rate of 18%; yet someone who earns $60,000 finds themselves in the 25% tax bracket…" from October2011.org./standwiththemajority.(emphasis mine)
You know, I don't think anyone would have problems with their being wealthy individuals if everyone had enough. Why would I care if someone had millions more than me if I knew that all people were guaranteed well paying, meaningful jobs, affordable or free college education, adequate and affordable health care, enough food so as to never suffer malnutrition or food anxiety, a home to call their own that could never be foreclosed upon and the knowledge that they could retire comfortably and enjoy their golden years. BUT, and it is a BIG BUT, that is not the reality in this country today nor in the world at large. And that is why these enormous disparities in wealth MUST NOT be tolerated!!
But what will our lawmakers do? They'll do the wrong thing as usual. Instead of ensuring that everyone has enough even if it means (and it will) redistribution of wealth, the government will suppress uprisings due to inequality by arresting people and throwing them in jail. If someone steals a loaf of bread because they and their families are starving, they will arrest that person. Because the profits of the food market are protected by "law" but our empty stomachs are not (why isn't hunger illegal or homelessness illegal?).Did it ever occur to them that the unrest could be eliminated in a day if everyone had enough.
And the lie that there is not enough has been exposed. People aren't starving, or homeless, or without medical care because there isn't enough. They are without because the wealthiest 10 percent of the population have 2/3 (73%) of the wealth while the 90% of the rest of us have to fight for the remaining 1/3 (27%). And fight is there operative word here. We fight amongst ourselves and look for scapegoats like "illegal aliens" or "welfare mothers." Trust me, those people aren't the problem. No, we should be directing all our anger, rage, and vitriol at that 10% who have so much more than they could spend in a hundred lifetimes. And the government that allows this and even taxes these greedy leaches at a lower rate with the EXCUSE that these wealthy few are the job creators. Well, perhaps they are job creators…….for China! With unemployment at 10% and expected to rise, we no longer need to be giving these wealthy individuals lower tax rates.
However, we shouldn't look to the government to tax these super wealthy people or cut military spending. No, they would rather cut or eliminate benefits to the people, again because the PEOPLE ARE NOT WHO THEY SERVE. I believe what Chris Hedges says. The institutions that were designed to protect us have sold out to the corporate and financial elite. Our only recourse is civil disobedience. We owe no allegiance to the government as they have abandoned their allegiance to the people. When and if they begin to represent US again, then we can again return our allegiance and support. In the meantime, we must do whatever we can to frustrate the plans of the corporate elite and the government. Non-cooperation, providing false information, tax resistance, and non-participation are all peaceful ways to help weaken the apparatus that has us miserable, destitute and enslaved.
Common sense and inteligent thought is not the "norm" on CD but this thread has both.
America is beggining to look more like Russia everyday...... The Elite few having it all while the poor get poorer and poorer and poorer. A huge wealth divide now thrives in the USA.
Watching both parties shoot down ideas from the opposing parties to the detrement of over 90% of Americans reminds me of Russia under Kruschev, where the only good ideas where ones that benefitted the Elite.
America was a Country that firmly believed in fairness for ALL now it is a Country of fairness just to the wealthy and the divide IS getting wider.
To give good education to ALL is NOT wrong. To give good health care to ALL is NOT wrong. To have the wealthy paying the same proportion of tax as the poor is NOT wrong. To secure the American Borders is NOT wrong. To encourage small business is NOT wrong. Oh i forgot... al of these things do NOT help the Wealthy get Mega Mega Rich at the cost to Millions of good everyday Americans who are not important to the Elite because they do NOT have enough "skin in the game" to qualify for a decent life in America.
That's what we pay them to do. To keep the losers from stealing from the winners.
Do you have a problem with that?
If you do, you know what category you are self-defining yourself into.
In America, you are free, by your efforts or lack thereof, to put yourself in whatever class you wish, and at any level you wish. The fact that some do and some don't, is a result, overwhelmingly of "choice". They chose NOT to do that which will make them a success.
Their choice, their problem.
What a load of Rubbish.
Many poor Americans work a damn site harder than the rich Bankers, Doctors, Lawyers and Law makers yet work for pennies and pay and pay and pay again just to keep their heads above water.
WHY?
Because the system now in place in the USA makes it a absolute eutopia for the greedy and corrupt.
If people did get payed for actual work done.... their would be a lot of multi million dollar earners in the poor areas.
In America, you are free, by your efforts or lack thereof, to put yourself in whatever class you wish, and at any level you wish. The fact that some do and some don't, is a result, overwhelmingly of "choice". They chose NOT to do that which will make them a success.
So you yourself choose not to be fabulously wealthy?
Or are you really Larry Ellison and just slumming here?
The biggest disparity in American society is not wealth, but work ethic. We are pounding the heck out of people who are cursed with a strong work ethic, but doing little to encourage people with a poor work ethic to develop a stronger one.
In a nutshell. Bravo!!
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