Did you know that in the land of the free and brave. Where everyone is cherished equally. Where talent and hard work is rewarded. Where everyone can live the American Dream. Where entrepreneurialism thrives. Where everyone can be a millionaire. It's all bullshit!
I came across these recently. The first graph shows that the bottom 80% in America (that's pretty much everyone!) got relatively poorer over the boom years. They did so in order to ensure that the Top 20% and in particular the Top 1% got richer. Far richer! Now that is stupid! Unless of course you are in the top 1%!!
This graph shows that Americans don't think they are stupid. They think that wealth is distributed more evenly. But it's not. Not by a long way. It also shows how they would like wealth to be distributed. So why don't they make it happen?
By the way this information is a little old (2007/8). The situation is far worse now because of lay-offs and the fact that most of the ordinary American worker's wealth is tied up in property i.e. his/her house. And we all know which way property prices went over the last 3 years. It hasn't been a Tea Party over the last few years. Has it?
Data out this week shows that more Americans are falling into poverty. Did you know that 46 million Americans now live below the poverty line? This is the highest figure for 52 years since records began. And while all Americans are poorer in recent years, it's those at the bottom who have fared worse.
With elections due in 2012, the simple message is: Tax the Wealthy! Despite what all these rich Republican folk think (I wonder if they are in the 1% .....hmmmmm. Makes ya think, doesn't it!) it would be stupid to do anything else. But Americans aren't that stupid? Are they?
So instead of "It's the economy, stupid!" it should be "It's the inequality, stupid!"
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