Monday, April 4, 2011

We have no one to blame but ourselves

In what twisted reality does the worker become the enemy of freedom? How is that the needs of the working man have turned into "socialism"? Why is it that the huge majority of wealth is concentrated in the hands of the wealthiest and all they ask for is more, more, more? When you have 10, 20, 50 or 100 million dollars a year and you're taxed at say 35%, that's not a huge deal, especially when you can afford accountants and lawyers who When you're a working class person like me, that's the difference between having a roof over your head or living under a bridge.

The theory of "trickle-down" economics has not really worked out, it's more "trickle-up" or "trickle-parallel" when you really think about it. There is only so much a person can consume, there is so much they can lend to the economy before they plateau and that money piles up in bank accounts somewhere just collecting interest. I'm not saying seize money from the rich, I'm saying that at some point, you have enough money and you have a moral responsibility to start spreading the wealth around. Yes, I said "spread the wealth around". I'm somewhere around upper lower middle working class and I put my money back into the local economy. I also have no problem sharing it with those I consider less fortunate because I feel that it really is a moral responsibility to do so.

So when I see the wealthiest people, their lobbyists and political puppets asking us to give more and accept slashes to public education or any other programs that provide for the common welfare and allow for the chance at upward mobility, righteous indignation sets in. You can only push people so far down before they rise up and demand change. Look at the Middle East right now. Those are examples of wealth disparity in America in just a few more years if the current trend of union-busting, outsourcing and political gerrymandering continues. The political manipulation has been very effective in making the voter the instrument of their own oppression. There are many ignorant people who go to the polls year after year to vote for someone who promises to save them from foreign terrorists, gay marriage or other hot button issues but is really in the pocket of the same companies that just shipped that voter's job off to someone in Asia for a fraction of the cost of honest labor here in the US.

I always hear people bust out the examples of auto industry union laborers who make 6 figures a year assembling cars and say that's not right. Why is that not right? How is that wrong when that person has worked decades to achieve that seniority and pay grade, yet someone who has never gotten their hands dirty can make millions a year sitting in a board room? People say they've earned it. Really? So when did learning to game the system and negotiate your way to the top become more honorable than an honest day's labor?

That's just my rant for tonight, I can always elaborate more on it later.

1 comment:

  1. taxes aren't to high, its wages that are too low. America needs a raise big time and the people at the top have to stop paying themselves at the expense of all the people who work hard to earn that money for the company. Until there is a moral awakening at the top the middle-class will be nothing but a commodity to be harvested by the wealthy and the politicians

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