Income Disparity in America - Shocking!

Originally posted by ChaoticOrder

Originally posted by camaro68ss
start your own company if you dont like the wages.

What, so he can employ his own team of slaves and keep most of the profit for himself? Capitalistic business is stupid, it's the whole problem imo.

Do tell, what isn't stupid in your world? Government ownership of all the businesses? That may work in Russia, China, Cuba, North Korea...wait...it doesn't work.

/TOA

This is part of a boom bust cycle endemic to capitalism. We need a trust buster like Republican Teddy Roosevelt! We need the WPA program of FDR. Enforce the Sherman antitrust Act! Don't let Ronald Reagan trickle down into your mind and convince you unions are bad! Don't you see it is the robber barons all over again, they are back and they want everything! Get the money OUT of politics with publicly financed elections. Revoke NAFTA and GATT and restore tariffs. Fair Trade not Free Trade. Outsource CEO's and PUNISH anti- american corporations that export jobs to exploit poor people in order to line their pockets. Organize and support each other, Local businesses, American businesses! Things were pretty good when we had a middle class. I don't want to live in a Banana Republic with the wealthy, the poor and the military.

reply to post by americanbuffalo1


I don't think we are weak now. I think we work harder than ever as Americans. Am I crazy or did we surpass the Japanese in more hours worked in a week and least amount of vacation days ? Shoot, I started at 9am and got home a couple of hours ago from work.
When I think back to the heydays of America,I think of post WWII .
Corporations were frying the **** taxed out of them back then.
And you know what? It worked. We didn't become socialist or commie or bohemian.
One Job,One, held down a household, a car, a vacation with the whole family, and shoot, sometimes a boat.
Many more jobs back then were Union with collective barganing rights that could make a difference.
Off the top of my head I remember a stat like 30% of jobs then were Union Jobs as apposed to now like 9 or 11% that are Union jobs now.
Right now, I believe it's the tea party and neo cons that are doing the corporations bidding of keeping the jobs overseas and making sure they don't pay more taxes.( if they pay any at all)
If I was a CEO,I would certainly want good disinfo like "Unions being commies" and "secretly running the country", to be on the lips of all my paid shills on Talk Radio.
Heck maybe throw in that "Obama's the devil" while they are at it, couldn't hurt?
So I actually agree and understand your feeling of being a proud hard working American , because I'm one too.
We need to build infrastructure, high speed rail and have better stronger unions ;because that's good for America. So yeah,we need to build America again,buts let's work as smart as we do hard.
I think we just need one thing.....Ingenuity.
Well Ingenuity and taxing the **** out of the corporations.

reply to post by americanbuffalo1


And sorry AmericanBuffalo I know you didn't bring up the unions or the corporations ,I just got carried away!

It is ridiculous. Smarter men than myself have said time and time again that capitalism will eventually play out, paving the way for a version of communism. I have always thought that capitalism was a doomed system. Is socialism any better?

That is a big yes, IF, and only if, the government does it correctly. There can be socialism or communism unlike what we see from places like Cuba, the former Soviet Union, or North Korea. I honestly believe this is the direction we are heading.

People like to blame those on welfare, etc, for "taking," but fail to realize that the whole system, from the very top, is all about "taking." The super rich do it everyday.

Why is any talk of income disparity automatically answered with claims that anybody who doesn't like it must support socialism or communism?

Complete nonsense. There are ways of reducing, stopping or at least slowing down the gap between the rich and the poor - many ways, some of which are pointed out by economists who do not support any kind of socialism.

The greatest benefit of ensuring that the poorest have more income is that they will spend that income more readily, whilst the rich tend to save more as a proportion of their income. This increase of consumer spending by the less well off would boost the economy. It follows that the increasing wealth gap makes any (future) recession deeper and more long lasting.

Finally, if income disparity increases at this current rate, in the end what will we have? I put this question to all supporters of the current system. Do you want this system to fail?

reply to post by GeorgiaGirl


That economics professor was describing communism not socialism a distinction folks in the US just don't seem to grasp, you group them all together, even your dictionaries do so ?!?!?!

Socialism is NOT about everybody getting the same it is about an equitable distribution of limited resources to reflect effort.

In my opinion when a country has enough wealth to ensure nobody goes hungry and you have soup kitchens there is something very seriously wrong. When some people earn so much money they could not literally burn it fast enough (never mind spend it) !!!!!! and people are going hungry it is obscene and immoral. But that is the consequences of laissez-fair capitalism which we are now seeing in all its glory.

Originally posted by JiggyPotamus
It is ridiculous. Smarter men than myself have said time and time again that capitalism will eventually play out, paving the way for a version of communism.

Who has ever said that? Capitalism can never pave the way for communism. The last thing private owners want is communism or socialism. They want fascism, and totalitarianism, because the more authority there is, the easier it is to manipulate, and exploit, the people.

I have always thought that capitalism was a doomed system. Is socialism any better?

Socialism is whatever we make it, not what some private owner dictates. Under true socialism we have the power over our own lives, our own communities. We would have direct democracy, access to the means of production to produce what we need. No need for anyone to go without anymore.

Originally posted by daggyz

There are heaps of people who were once poor and made themselves rich. What the poor want is for others to make them rich.

That's really funny! Is that statement designed to be part of your "divide & conquer" strategy? I haven't heard one single poor person ask to be made rich. I haven't seen any signs at any of the protest asking to make them rich either. I've never seen a panhandler with a sign reading; "Please Help Me Get Rich." Most of the signs I see usually say something like; "Will Work For Food" or "Homeless Veteran, Please Help."

No one is asking to be made "rich," they're only asking to be treated fairly, plain & simple.

Originally posted by camaro68ss
reply to post by ofhumandescent

 

Heartless, hahaha. I guess your in the Socialist camp as well? Again i said Capitalism is not perfect but its the best we got!

Now lets look at socialism, one being placed onto the American people slowly but surely, A once thriving and growing country now being brought down by the shackles of socialism! You call Capitalism greedy, I call socialism a nightmare and an end to humanity as a whole if we keep going down this path. You cry for the few, well under socialism the many will be crying in hunger!

This socialist path is enslaving this nation! Granting entitlements and hand outs. Did you know that 47% of Americans no longer pay taxes!!! What happens when we reach 51% and the many enslave the few to higher taxes. Ill tell you, those still working will stop because why work if im going to get food stamps and cash every month from the goverment? What happens after, less and less people pay taxes and more and more people get hand outs.

Look at greece, going up in flames, look at Europe as a whole, going up in flames under the Socialism flag. Now take a look at america. Now 100% debt to GDP ratio. 15 trillion in debt with no mathamatica way to pay it back. Your socialist ideas have inslaved this country in debt! and once this county falls economically because of it, then we will see how many people are crying in the streets in hunger. It will be 300 million more then the amount now!

Again Capitalism is not perfect but its alot better then the path we are heading down now! the path of the whole county in hunger.

Have you ever heard of Denmark? If not, you might want to check it out. Here's a few facts regarding their "going up in flames" socialistic democracy that you might find enlightening.

en.wikipedia.org...

Denmark, with a mixed market economy and a large welfare state,[6] ranks as having the world's highest level of income equality.[7] It has frequently ranked as the happiest[8][9] and least corrupt country in the world.

Denmark's mixed economy features above average European living standards[69][70] and high amount of free trade. Denmark ranks 16th in the world in terms of GDP (PPP) per capita and ranks 5th in nominal GDP per capita.

According to World Bank Group, Denmark has the most flexible labour market in Europe; the policy is called flexicurity. It is easy to hire and fire (flexibility), and between jobs, unemployment compensation is very high (security). Denmark has a labour force of about 2.9 million. Denmark has the fourth highest ratio of tertiary degree holders in the world.[71] GDP per hour worked was the 13th highest in 2009. Denmark has the world's lowest level of income inequality, according to the UN, and the world's highest minimum wage, according to the IMF. As of June 2010 the unemployment rate is at 6.6%, which is below the EU average of 9.6%.[72]

After deregulating the labour market in the 1990s, Denmark has one of the most free labour markets in European countries. According to World Bank labour market rankings, the labour market flexibility is at the same levels as the United States. Around 80% of employees belong to unions and the unemployment funds that are attached to them. Labour market policies is mainly determined in negotiations between the workers' unions and employers' unions, and the government only interferes if labour strikes extend for too long.

The Danish education system provides access to primary school, secondary school and most kinds of higher education. Attendance at "Folkeskole" or equivalent education is compulsory for a minimum of 9 years (aged 7 to 16). Equivalent education could be in private schools or classes attended at home. About 99% of students attend primary school, 86% attend secondary school, and 41% pursue further education. All college education in Denmark is free; there are no tuition fees to enroll in courses. Students in secondary school or higher and aged 18 or above may apply for student support which provides fixed financial support, disbursed monthly.

Those damned democratic socialist, how dare they be so happy!