Forum Post: I have been criticized (By a multi-millionaire) for being too harsh on the rich. This is my response.
Posted 12 years ago on Oct. 21, 2011, 3:32 p.m. EST by Mcc
(542)
This content is user submitted and not an official statement
Again, you absolutely refuse to acknowledge the primary issue. The single greatest underlying cause. This relentless concentration of wealth and resources has gone virtually uninterrupted for 35 Years now. That's half a lifetime. It started slowly in the mid '70's and accelerated under Reagan. It slowed under Clinton and accelerated again under Bush. Overall, its taken place under both Democratic and Republican rule. Now, it's at record levels. There is not one shred of evidence to suggest that it might reverse anytime soon. Not one shred. Its gone too God damn far. Period. Way too God damn far. That's not simple ideology. It's simple math. An absolute deal breaker.
I'm lower middle class but I'm OK with that. Its where I belong. Its where I feel comfortable. I have no dependents. I'm in perfect health. I'm doing fine. I'm not here for myself. I'm here for millions who struggle to make ends meet. Especially those who are trying to raise families under this record high cost of living. I'm not making excuses for their irresponsible spending habits but I am well aware of their hardship. Whats been happening for 35 years now is a profound injustice. An outrage. Meanwhile, you get even richer reducing their relative buying power in the process. I'm absolutely convinced that it's going to get worse.
So when you sit there and tell me that I should be willing to enter into a "meaningful discussion" with you, after 35 years of injustice from which you benefit and they lose, it's sort of like a rapist trying to negotiate with me over just how much my mother should bleed. The answer is 'no'. Stop concentrating so much God damn wealth. No? That's what I thought. Therefore, I have no choice but to persecute you and the rich in general until the lower 90 percent of Americans own a reasonable share of United States wealth. Until, you let go of your incredible greed. Until you have a little less and they have enough to get by in relative comfort. They God damn deserve it.
They did every bit as much as your bunch have to build this country. They built our roads, built our furniture, built our homes, taught our children, fought our fires, caught the criminals, picked up the garbage, fixed our cars, and fought our wars. Many gave their lives in the process. They God damn well deserve more than 10 percent of our nation's wealth. THEY GOD DAMN WELL DESERVE IT!
So don't you even try to negotiate with me unless you're willing to start with an admission that they deserve more than 10 percent of our nation's wealth. A lot more. If you are willing to admit that, then we can talk about 'growing the pie'. But don't even try to feed me some BS about a rising tide lifting all ships. It's not that simple and it never will be until you filthy rich pigs grow a spine and admit that it hasn't for the last 35 God damn years. Any growth must benefit the lower 90 percent more than it benefits you. A lot more. Otherwise, no deal.
I never said that the relentless concentration of wealth was the only factor driving up national debt. Of course, there are other factors. But if you are not willing to admit the COW as one factor, then you are a coward and a liar.
Of course, the corporations have rigged the system. But the corporations are run primarily by the richest one percent. Most members of congress are the richest one percent. Lobbyists, investors, bankers, developers, ect. All members of the one percent club. The motive is greed. Always greed. It's not the system. It's the people running the system. The rich. It's their motive. Greed. God damn spoiled rotten black hearted greed. Whatever takes to get more of our money. Whatever it takes to concentrate more wealth in their favor. Admit, that and maybe we can have a "meaningful discussion". No? That's what I thought.
The root cause sure as hell is the COW. Getting fatter by the day. The process in which that COW gets fatter. The intention to get fatter at our expense. GREED.
You're willing to pay more taxes? Enough to reverse the concentration of wealth for a few years? Bullshit. Your club lobbied for the current tax structure. Loaded with loopholes. Nothing but a room full of smoke and mirrors in which you get richer and the lower 90 percent get poorer. It's not the system. It's the people running the system. The richest one percent. Your club hired the corporate lobbyist. Not ours. Your club did do with one primary goal. To get even richer. To concentrate even more US wealth. To win the game.
If your club wants me to believe for one second that you want unity, then you must be willing to settle for less. At least until the lower 90 percent own a reasonable share of this nation's bottom line wealth. THEY GOD DAMN WELL DESERVE IT!
No? That's what I thought. No deal.
In fairness, I will repost the entry I responded to.
This is the criticism I was responding to. Just to be clear, I DID NOT write this message. The multi-millionaire did. I'm only reposting it to be fair:
Nice way to continue to create a large divide in OWS and cast out those that would help enforce chance that could lead to real discourse on these topics. As it stands, as long as our government is busy selling out the American populous to the highest bidders - we cannot have meaningful discussion or change.
I am part of the 1%. I am part of OWS. I support this movement for reform. With that said, I staunchly oppose your view and your vehement attacks that cause a divide along ideological nonsense.
I understand that these record highs and record costs are a problem. But so is the notion of entitlement that seems to have swept up the American populous. Only a generation or three ago, when these people were my age - they saved for a house and pinched pennies to buy a car or a new television. They didn't buy something obscene, but rather what fit their budget. This dynamic has changed and people expect to walk out of high school or college to a 6-figure salary and a brand new BMW 5-series. This "I deserve to have" x, y and z -- without earning it -- is assisting to skyrocket debt. Trying to point to one root cause is comical. It's a combination of factors.
This isn't to say that corporations don't have a nice spot firmly in the blame department. There is plenty to go around. But their blame comes solely at the ability to rig a process that we, the people, have allowed to be taken from us. So, who is this primary culprit in this whole charade? Our politicians. The government is the foundation to the issues that have been built upon it. They have sold the American people up the river. They have auctioned the power of American political process to the highest bidder.
This cause of these issues isn't "wealth concentration" - it's amassed wealth being used to influence our political system. It's wealth being used to rig our system with legislation and loopholes that allow this wealthy segment to run our country and siphon power and wealth away.
Until you quit blindly pointing a finger at the wealthy - who do a lot for society and do pay more in taxes than the rest of society - we will never have a solution. It's the exploitation and legal bribery that is killing this nation.
Being wealthy is a freedom this country allows. It isn't a crime nor should it be. For the most part, these people aren't at fault - and would gladly pay more in taxes should there be reform and accountability to how this money is used. We should be looking at both sides of the budget equation in order to maximize the health of this nation.
Any ideology that only focuses on one side of an equation is doomed to failure. Unity and an amalgamation of ideas is what is required. In some cases more conservative, in others more liberal. Sometimes it will personally hurt to see our pet programs get shafted or our least favorite get promoted. But we need to audit this and actually have a non-partisan effort to evolve the process.
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The democrats are every bit as sold out as the republicans. We can agree on that. Wealth was concentrated under Clinton, just not as fast. As far as I can tell it's concentrating faster than ever under Obama. That results is part, from the previous administration but Obama's no savior. That's for sure. Our leaders are more sold out than ever. What a train wreck. A giant red, blue, and GREEN train wreck.