I’ve met well-off Democrats who could buy me with their sofa cushion change, while we work together to help our ruptured middle class and the increasing ranks of the poor. Yet, one of the hoariest tropes grunted repeatedly by conservatives is that Liberals Hate the Wealthy, and it’s inverse corollary, The Wealthy Should Fear Liberals.
The Koch brothers, or Wall St. overlord Jamie Dimon, or their camera-ready mutations like Willard Romney, are not menaces to society because they’re wealthy. No, those swells must obsessively snake without conscience every last dollar from our pockets because they are sociopaths; they don’t care how their greed degrades life for everyone else. Being incredibly wealthy makes them exponentially more dangerous, when they want it all badly enough to buy a cable propaganda network, a Republican Congress and a few of the worst Democrats as insurance, to get it. We’re told to eat it and say thanks, because these titans of success decree that this is How It Must Work. Really? These greed heads exemplify the outlook of America’s most successful?
The Spectrum Group specializes in market research on the wealthy – and not just totting the demand for caviar forks, offshore power boats, and jewel crusted flip-flops. They recently undertook to perform the CNBC Millionaire Survey. All ages and genders, all political persuasions, as long as they had a Thousand Large available to invest. 94% surveyed believe the American Dream can still be attained, and they tend to define that dream as prosperity and success. Well, okay.
Now get this: 51% of the seven-digit club says income inequality is the biggest domestic problem in America!! Torches and pitchforks, tentatively at ease. For the roots of that economic inequality, about half look at family and cultural influences, 65% fault low financial literacy and 78% a deficient school system. Oh, and for those who insist that shiftless triflin’ by takers who’d rather twerk than work is the only barrier to success, only 6% of our top-shelf imbibers said people worth less don’t work as hard as the wealthy. Those are not the sentiments of platinum card creeps!
Then why are we continually offered the government of a few sociopathic billionaires, and told that their road to success, over the bleached remains of a broadly productive and contented society, is the only way to a vigorous economy? What about the insight of 9.6 million millionaires, many of whom apparently align with progressive policies? Why are they ignored, in favor of the greed of a few dozen Citigroup and Goldman execs, the wingnut sugar daddies whose appetites have so molested our economy?
What do our millionaires see as the solutions? Hang on to yer top hat, Uncle Scrooge!
63% support an increase in the minimum wage!
64% recommend higher taxes for the wealthy!
64% back enhanced saving incentives and opportunities for the lower brackets! 83% back increased support for education!
Mother, I’ve put the guillotine back in the barn; maybe we can work with these folks…
Stuart Godwin says
A tad vitriolic, but obviously well intentioned.
One key stat he missed was a recent revelation that the 87 ricjest people in the world controll as much wealth as the poorest 3,500,000,000 (just abouy one-half of the world’sopulation. Don’t misread that. It doesn;’t mean they control half of all wealth, but it still sorta sickens the soul.
There is nothing at all wrong with making money, but the manner in which it is made and/or spent can be evil.
Ed Plaisance says
Valid points if a trifle overblown in the prose.
In reading it again, the thought occurred to me: Why do we as a nation continue to elect people who are willing to promote the dystopia described here? If so many millionaires are in favor of the liberal/progressive agenda, why are so many less-than-millionaires against it?
As a nation overall, it seems there is a psychological disorder we suffer from (I am sure there is a good name for it) which leads us to send a group to Washington that we know full well will be dysfunctional, and then we give them an approval rating of cockroaches.
Gerald.maynes says
Gee Here we go again. The evil Koch Brothers, so vile that they underwrite every major museum in New York City. These rotten people apy for surgeries at the Ny City Municipal Hospital System for the indigent . They even have sunk so low as to under write the pre school program for poor children that the far left Mayor of New York established but did not have the cash to pay for. Evil, Evil People These folks have done far more for the middle class by creating Jobs then socialist like Mr Obama or Elizabeth Warren ever could.
So Why is the Middle class falling? Lets start with the fair trade programs that the Clintons pushed for and gave the show away and our jobs to places like Mexico, to the Canadians and to China. Lets ad the failure of corrupt unions to organize Walmart, Food Lion, and other employers in retail, which drove down retail wages and benefits. ( Gee, when gov. Clinton lost his original reelection campaign in Arkansas , he saw the light and gained a ton of Walton and Tyson Foods money and reclaimed his job. These things are the major reasons we are where we are As for rich people who care for those they employ look to the Mass. Food Chain Market Basket recent history and Arthur T Demolis, who replaced the lost funds from his workers pension funds out of his families corporate pockets. His cousin last year forced him out. His workers and management team as well as his customers held mass ralies. He purchase his cousins share of the company back. Rehired those who lost their jobs. Six months later they regained their market share , opened 3 more stores , gave back lost wages and benefits. This past week paid them all their Christmas bonuses . They are and 83 store chain. Supermarket Ceos are worried , that they may have to follow suite. He grew his business by increasing his workers pay and benefits.
James Nick says
When it comes to identifying the root cause of our economic woes Mr Maynes seems to be a one trick pony. More than once in this forum he has fingered US trade policies as pubic enemy number one; the bogeyman that gave away all our jobs to Mexico, Canada, and China. And his ire seems to be almost exclusively directed at Democrats.
Instead of drinking the FOX News Kool-Aid, Mr Maynes needs to come out of the echo chamber and do a little of his own research. Perhaps he should point his browser to https://www.citizen.org/trade/article_redirect.cfm?ID=7170.. This site summarizes the 23 congressional trade voting records covering the 14-year time period from the 1993 vote to fast track NAFTA to the 2007 vote on the fair trade agreement with Korea.
For the sake of argument, if it is accepted that our trade policies are the main cause of all that ails us, then it would be most instructive to see which political party is looking out for the middle class by voting against these trade pacts. As provided by the referenced website, the congressional tallies of the nay votes for NAFTA (which set our trade policy with Canada and Mexico) in the House were 43 Republicans and 156 Democrats. In the Senate, the nay votes were 11 Republicans and 27 Democrats. Five years later, the nay votes in the House for the China Permanent Normal Trade Relations Act were 57 Republicans and 138 Democrats and 8 Republicans and 7 Democrats in the Senate. And if you examine the votes for the other 21 trade acts you will see that on all the votes except those for withdrawal from the World Trade organization, House and Senate Democrats almost always cast the overwhelming majority of the nay votes. This is a voting pattern that persisted across a sustained period of time. So if protectionists trade policies are Mr Maynes’ cup of tea, then Democrats are his friends, not the Republicans.
Gerald maynes says
Oh: One Trick Pony I may be. But you cannot refute the destruction that these acts have caused the middle class. Perhaps the progressives should realize in the entire history of the world socialism has not worked to create a viable middle class. But perhaps you would know this if you spent as much time reading as I do and less time watching a the MSNBC comedy network that passes it self off as a news organization. The only way to help the middle class is via free enterprise. Phony redistribution programs will only lower the standard of living. Remember what Abe Lincoln said You cannot raise the poor man by pulling down the rich man. The second quote I strongly believe in was from Teddy Roservelt who was asked to endorse the Progre4ssive candidate for the presidency in 1916 refused, saying that the progressives were against any form of reasonable government and would in the end starve and wind up killing each other
Also, Why is it when some one does not agree with a liberal he or she is accused of watching Fox news or being a member of the Tea Party. It seems to me , that you simply belittle yourself and not the person that you may have and honest disagreement with. . Have a Great Holiday Season One In All