Forum Post: It's not fair that others have more money and stuff than me.
Posted 12 years ago on Dec. 12, 2011, 10:10 p.m. EST by TheMaster
(63)
This content is user submitted and not an official statement
The essence of the OWS argument. Shiftless and lazy morons.
Its a bit deeper. For example:
The ugly truth. America's wealth is STILL being concentrated. When the rich get too rich, the poor get poorer. These latest figures prove it. AGAIN.
According to the Social Security Administration, 50 percent of U.S. workers made less than $26,364 in 2010. In addition, those making less than $200,000, or 99 percent of Americans (actually more like 98%), saw their earnings fall by $4.5 billion collectively.
The sobering numbers were a far cry from what was going on for the richest one percent of Americans.
The incomes of the top one percent of the wage scale in the U.S. rose in 2010; and their collective wage earnings jumped by $120 billion. In addition, those earning at least $1 million a year in wages, which is roughly 93,000 Americans, reported payroll income jumped 22 percent from 2009. Overall, the economy has shed 5.2 million jobs since the start of the Great Recession in 2007. It’s the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression in the 1930’s.
Another word about the first Great Depression. It really was a perfect storm. Caused almost entirely by greed. First, there was unprecedented economic growth. There was a massive building spree. There was a growing sense of optimism and materialism. There was a growing obsession for celebrities. The American people became spoiled, foolish, naive, brainwashed, and love-sick. They were bombarded with ads for one product or service after another. Encouraged to spend all of their money as if it were going out of style. Obscene profits were hoarded at the top. In 1928, the rich were already way ahead. Still, they were given huge tax breaks. All of this represented a MASSIVE transfer of wealth from poor to rich. Executives, entrepreneurs, developers, celebrities, and share holders. By 1929, America's wealthiest 1 percent had accumulated 44 percent of all United States wealth. The upper, middle, and lower classes were left to share the rest. When the lower majority finally ran low on money to spend, profits declined and the stock market crashed.
Of course, the rich threw a fit and started cutting jobs. They would stop at nothing to maintain their disgusting profit margins and ill-gotten obscene levels of wealth as long as possible. The small business owners did what they felt necessary to survive. They cut more jobs. The losses were felt primarily by the little guy. This created a domino effect. The middle class shrunk drastically and the lower class expanded. With less wealth in reserve and active circulation, banks failed by the hundreds. More jobs were cut. Unemployment reached 25% in 1933. The worst year of the Great Depression. Those who were employed had to settle for much lower wages. Millions went cold and hungry. The recovery involved a massive infusion of new currency, a World War, and higher taxes on the rich. With so many men in the service, so many women on the production line, and those higher taxes to help pay for it, some US wealth was gradually transferred back down to the majority. This redistribution of wealth continued until the mid seventies. By 1976, the richest 1 percent held less than 20 percent. The lower majority held the rest. This was the recovery. A partial redistribution of wealth.
Then it began to concentrate all over again. Here we are 35 years later. The richest one percent now own over 40 percent of all US wealth. The upper, middle, and lower classes are sharing the rest. This is true even after taxes, welfare, financial aid, and charity. It is the underlying cause. No redistribution. No recovery.
The government won't step in and do what's necessary. Not this time. It's up to us. Support small business more and big business less. Support the little guy more and the big guy less. It's tricky but not impossible.
For the good of society, stop giving so much of your money to rich people. Stop concentrating the wealth. This may be our last chance to prevent the worst economic depression in world history. No redistribution. No recovery.
Those of you who agree on these major issues are welcome to summarize this post, copy it, link to it, save it, show a friend, or spread the word in any fashion. Most major cities have daily call-in talk radio shows. You can reach thousands of people at once. They should know the ugly truth. Be sure to quote the figures which prove that America's wealth is still being concentrated. I don't care who takes the credit. We are up against a tiny but very powerful minority who have more influence on the masses than any other group in history. They have the means to reach millions at once with outrageous political and commercial propaganda. Those of us who speak the ugly truth must work incredibly hard just to be heard.
The real truth is that you can make it in this country if you have the balls to do it. Worrying about what others make or don't make will drive you crazy. Self interest is the mother of success.
Like I said, its a bit deeper.
The FED is a private banking cartel, not a government entity. Most people don't realize this. Goldman, Merrill, Chase, etc are all part of the cartel. They get the money. This is the movement, people we need to find another way to get the message http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=id04EMU6OIw
You are the "reserve" Your property is the "reserve" you are property and own nothing. Look at a deed to your home, if you own one, you are a tax paying "tenant" to the county.
Seek truth and ye shall find. It may not set us free now, but we need to realize this.
You're missing the point. It is not that they have more stuff, it is that they are using the "more stuff" to buy off our politicians and slant our political process in their favor.
There are a lot of improvements that need to be made. The list reforms people Americans want to see is long and varied depending on who you talk to. That said, I believe there is one reform that would provide the American people the best chances of seeing other meaningful reforms actually happen - that is REAL, loop-hope free CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM! I have seen others on this site calling this the "fulcrum" or pivotal issue. Right now the current legalized bribery, pay-to-play system of campaign donations and paid lobbyists has disenfranchised the American voter. Until this is fixed, any other reform the politicians may try to placate us with (be it a change to healthcare, clamping down predatory school loans, new financial regulations, etc.) will be about as effective as a farmer putting a new roof on his CHICKEN COOP, but still letting the FOX guard it.
We need to go back to the original political currency. Instead of the current system of who can collect the most money from corporations and special interests it should be who has the BEST IDEAS to EFFECTIVELY RUN THE COUNTRY (we don't need "Wealth Redistribution," what we need is "Political Influence Redistribution")!
For the sake our our children and future generations of Americans, we need to take back our democracy from the rich and powerful who are using their vast sums of money to "speak" as if they represent millions of Americans. This "Corporate Personhood" that has crept into our laws is allowing them to manipulating our policies in their favor at the expense of the average American (the recent "Citizens United" Supreme Court ruling is a miscarriage of justice and must be reversed. The $50 or $100 a normal American may give to a political campaign becomes meaningless when corporations or other special interests are handing our millions to buy political access to the decision making process.
For decades now the corporations and special interests have had our "representatives" bought and paid for (both on the right and the left). Concentrating our efforts on getting the money out of our politics is the best way we can create an environment in which further reforms can be realized. Until we end the current system of legalized bribery (campaign donations) and paid lobbying our politicians will continue to be the LAP DOGS of the corporations and special interests. What we need first and foremost is real, loop-hole free CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM!!!! If the corruption is not dealt with first, the chance of any other meaningful reforms becoming a reality is almost zero - the special interests will just use their money to buy votes and put forward bills that create loop-holes or otherwise twist the law in their favor. If we want our children to live in a country where there vote matters, we need to get the money out of our politics, otherwise they will increasingly become the 21st century version of the "landless peasant." Spread the word - End the LEGALIZED BRIBERY!!! CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM needs to be THE main goal of the protests!!!
YOU ARE MISSING THE MESSAGE. It is not about stuff, etc. Look at the context. Yes some are lazy and want a handout, etc. Everyone likes to take the blame pie and throw it in someones face. The banks own us and are selling us & our jobs out overseas in the name of greed. They are inflating costs of energy via "commodities" and lobbying for tighter controls so the little guy cannot ever compete. The FED is a FRAUD. It is not that the money is based on nothing, its collateral is you me, and our children. We will have to work for the plantation masters (globalists/bankers) We are their slaves. HJR 192 under FDR allowed this to happen. It was engineered to fail. The real depression is yet to come people. Things are going to get worse before they get better.
http://www.truthsetsusfree.com/HJR192.htm Two party system works together to one goal. /\ (/=right leaner R) (\=left leaner D) We technically are a one party system, they parade canadates, and give us the choices. The end result is always the same. Over 40% of this nation is on some sort of government subsidy, EBT,SNAP, unemployment, fuel assistance, section 8 housing, SSI, SSDI, etc. Not to say those programs are bad, but they are "enablers" for those "hooked" on the system, or who are using/abusing it. They will make it harder until the majority is dependent. Then they will scare this majority that they will lose these benefits and they get their votes. Example elderly are scared of losing social security so they get targeted. They will just keep the printing presses running and the digits going in the computer to keep commerce flowing. Too bad the greatest ponzi scheme of all times is about to collapse. A house of cards that only delayed the inevitable greatest depression and oppression of all time. The dark ages are returning. I am not trying to be negative, just truthful - the truth hurts.
Yep. They are mad at (mostly) the wrong people for the wrong reasons. They can't even name any that aren't in the news more than twice a year. When called on this they start yelling about Goldmann Sachs. When you tell them Goldmann Sachs isn't as bad a some other companies, they call you misinformed, a Republican, idiot, or one of my favorites, a 'bot. Some of them actually can think, and have good ideas. But most of those people aren't found here.