Stratification Of Wealth

Reverse Robin Hood: Republican Class Warfare On The Middle Class And The Poor

Ronald Leave a comment

The Republican Party loves to accuse the Democrats and President Barack Obama of conducting “class warfare”.

In reality, what the GOP has been doing is conducting reverse “class warfare” on the middle class and the poor!

It is as if they are a reverse Robin Hood, and have no conscience about defending Wall Street, the banks, and the corporations, the one percent, against the 99 percent!

The only principle they have is to promote greater acquisition of wealth, and redistribute wealth to those who already have much more than anyone needs, and show no concern about those less fortunate, those unemployed due to their policies over a decade, those victimized by the stratification of society encouraged by these Republicans, as they believe in no regulations economically, but certainly wish to intrude on and control a person’s private rights and social existence!

The Growing Inequity Of Wealth In America: Unconscionable!

Ronald Leave a comment

The Congressional Budget Office confirmed this week what has been well known for quite some time: America has seen a concentration of wealth in the past thirty years as never before in American history.

Income for the top one percent increased 275 percent, while the top 20 percent went up 65 percent. At the same time, the 20th percentile to the 80th percentile went up about 40 percent, and the lowest fifth 18 percent.

The top one percent of income earners control as much of the nation’s total income as they had on the eve of the Great Depression. They had 23.94 percent of the national income in 1929 and 23.5 percent in 2007.

When one looks at the top one tenth of one percent, the richest of the rich, they controlled 2.8 percent of national income in 1913, when the income tax amendment was put into the Constitution. In 2007, the top one tenth of one percent earned 6 percent of national income.

One major difference today is that the wealthiest usually have it from being financial and corporate executives, while in earlier times, they were mostly living off inherited wealth.

These figures cry out on why the “Occupy Wall Street” movement resonates among many Americans, and calls for some kind of action to tax the wealthy more to help resolve the budget crisis and deal with the many social and economic problems we face today in 2011.

The Middle Class Alarm Bell: Declining Rapidly In America and Multiplying In Brazil, India, China, Russia!

Ronald 2 Comments

In the midst of the greatest economic crisis for America since the 1930s, the alarming reality is that the middle class, the backbone of America, is rapidly declining, as stratification of wealth has grown to be the greatest it has ever been in American history.

At the same time, we are witnessing the multiplication of the middle class in Brazil, India, China and Russia, and that is an alarm bell that this nation is in danger of a declining role economically on the world scene, in competition with these rapidly growing nations’ prosperity!

Who would have thought after World War II, that within two thirds of a century later, the concept of an American Empire that would be the world’s leader would come to a crashing halt, as the statistics now indicate is happening before our eyes?

This is not a time for accusations and for political points to be gained! Rather it is a time for all Americans to unite behind an economic program that promotes economic growth, rather than stagnation. Sadly, the likelihood of Congress working with the President when they come back after Labor Day is considered quite remote, and the losers will be all of us in this nation that deserves better!

The Texasfication Of America: Is This What We Want?

Ronald Leave a comment

Governor Rick Perry of Texas has come out charging like a bull as a Presidential candidate, offering Texas as a model for America, but is it?

Texas is low down in the list of states in the following areas:

1. Educational spending and attainments and curriculum accuracy
2. Health Care spending and coverage
3. Minimum Wage Jobs
4. Environmental Protection from pollution
5. Corporate Regulation in the public interest
6. Stratification of wealth between rich and poor.
7. Mistreatment of Mexican American citizens
8. A backward legal system with high crime rates and execution numbers.

Besides all of the above, Rick Perry would like to wipe out most of the reforms of the 20th century, including:

1. 16th Amendment–Federal Income Tax
2. 17th Amendment–Direct Election Of Senators
3. National Labor Relations Act
4. Federal Education Programs
5. Environmental Protection Agency
6. Consumer Products Safety Commission
7. Medicaid, Medicare as we know it, and Obama Health Care
8. Occupational Safety And Health Administration
9. Food Stamps and Unemployment Compensation
10.Corporate and Banking Regulations
11.Repeal of Social Security

We will be learning a lot more about Rick Perry as time goes on, and as research by journalists is completed, but is not the above enough reason to reject Rick Perry for President of the United States?

It is clear that Rick Perry would be the most reactionary, right wing candidate for President since Barry Goldwater in 1964!

Enough said!

Shocking Maldistribution Of Wealth Due To Great Recession Of 2008: Pew Research Center Report

Ronald 5 Comments

A new Pew Research Center report demonstrates the alarming fact of the shocking maldistribution of wealth among the major racial groups in America, due to the Great Recession’s effect, and the findings should ring alarm bells among all Americans in regard to the likelihood of social turmoil and disarray that could, sadly, lead to violence, if nothing is done about the reality of the failure of the “American Dream”!

The study shows that white households are TWENTY times wealthier than African Americans, and EIGHTEEN times better off than Hispanic families.

These statistics are staggering and unprecedented, and show the stratification of American society is the worst it has ever been, and far surpasses any democratic nation in Western Europe or Japan.

The median white household in 2009 had a net worth of $113,000 as compared to an average of about $5,700 for black families and $6,300 for Hispanic households.

At the same time, poor families with zero or negative worth were found in one third of black and Hispanic families, but only 15 percent of white families.

The average median wealth of black families fell by 66 percent between 2006-2009, 53 percent for Hispanic households, and only 16 percent for white families.

The housing and unemployment crises and declining income during the Great Recession also harmed black and Hispanic families much more than white households.

The real danger is that even lower income whites have been identifying with the Republican Party, while minority voters continue to connect to the Democratic Party, so the racial conflict that seems to be developing is endangering the country, and seems similar to the old North-South split on slavery in the 19th century and the civil rights movement in the 20th century, but now based on race nationally, instead of in geographical regions.

It has to make one fear for the future civil peace of the nation, if this manifestation is allowed to continue unabated!