Showing posts with label income inequality. Show all posts
Showing posts with label income inequality. Show all posts

Thursday, October 27, 2011

New Report Reveals U.S. Ranks Worse Than Most Developed Countries In Social Justice

According to Rush Limbaugh, the Occupy Wall Street movement is full of "smug, stupid idiots" who are being used. Perhaps. But according to a report released today by the Bertelsmann Foundation, the United States ranks under 26 other developed nations in social justice. Huffington Post reporter Dan Froomkin explains:

"It's one thing if you live in a market economy where everyone has the same shot at success. It's quite another if fortune favors the fortunate. And the new survey found that when it comes to 'equal opportunities for self-realization,' the U.S. ranks 27 out of 31 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development member states, well behind not just Northern European countries like Norway and Denmark, but even countries like Hungary, Poland, Italy and France. The only countries whose citizens fare even worse are Greece, Chile, Mexico and Turkey."

This comes only a day after the Congressional Budget Office confirmed that the rich keep getting richer.

Maybe I'm just a biased liberal, but it seems to me that those "smug, stupid idiots" from the Occupy Wall Street movement are making a pretty damn valid point about the state of affairs here in the good ol' USA.

You can read the report in its entirety HERE.

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Non-Shocking News: The Rich Are Getting Richer



A report released by the Congressional Budget Office today reveals what we all already knew: the rich are getting richer. Based on an analysis of IRS and Census Bureau data from 1979 to 2007, the Bureau discovered that after-tax income for the top 1 percent of Americans almost tripled, whereas after-tax income for the Middle Class went up by about 40 percent, and after-tax income for the ever-so spoiled poor rose by approximately a meager 18 percent.

Reasons for this unequal distribution of wealth include "the structure of executive compensation; high salaries for some superstars in sports and the arts; the increasing size of the financial services industry; and the growing role of capital gains, which go disproportionately to higher-income households."

Meanwhile, House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis) once again reiterated his accusation that President Obama is waging "class warfare."

"Instead of appealing to the hope and optimism that were hallmarks of his first campaign, he has launched his second campaign by preying on the emotions of fear, envy and resentment."

Idiot!

Check out the report on REAL CLASS WARFARE HERE.

Sources: Morning Joe, Hardball, New York Times, Huffington Post

Monday, October 24, 2011

Michael Moore On Income Inequality, No Thanks To The NYSE

The parasitic life-form known as the New York Stock Exchange (worse than cockroaches, if you ask me) successfully managed to persuade CNBC to not film an interview with Michael Moore in front of its headquarters on Monday. The interview was moved a few blocks over to the corner of Broadway and Wall Street, but not without Moore expressing his frustration.

"They don't own, the New York Stock Exchange doesn't own the streets of New York. Or at least supposedly they don't."

Sorry to break it to you, my friend, but assholes like them own the world . . . not for much longer, though. Tune in to the video below to hear Michael's stance on CNBC's refusal to talk about income inequality in America.


Sources: Huffington Post

Friday, October 21, 2011

Transcript Of Eric Cantor's Cancelled Speech

This should be interesting! You can read it HERE. Below are some quality rebuttals.

"My grandmother and her family fled religious persecution to come here at the turn of the last century. Like so many of her generation in Eastern Europe, my grandmother faced a future where no matter how hard she worked, no matter how much she studied or learned, no matter how smart she was, there were limits. Just because of who she was, who her parents were, and where she was born, there was only so far she could go, only so much she could do. But our country isn’t like that."

I admire your grandmother's tenacity, but the same sort of religious persecution is occurring here in the United States. Many Americans have been deceived into thinking that make all Muslims are proponents of Sharia Law, that all homosexuals are perverted heathens and that all non-Christians are anti-American degenerates. And who is leading these charges? Those from your own team. How do you explain that, Sir?

"We need to be sure that the opportunity my grandmother realized is here for all of us in deciding as a country who we’re going to be. It really is about that fair shot – no matter who you are or where you’re from, all of us should have access to the opportunity to earn your own success. The basis upon which America was founded and the basis upon which America thrives is providing people with the equality of opportunity – not equality of outcome."

Where, Sir, is the equality in continually bailing out Wall Street and reducing taxes on the most wealthy, while simultaneously cutting more and more benefits to the poor, disabled and elderly?

"We know that we all don’t begin life’s race from the same starting point. I was fortunate enough to be born into a stable family that provided me with the tools that I needed to get ahead. Not everyone is so lucky. Some are born into extremely difficult situations, facing severe obstacles. The fact is many in America are coping with broken families, dealing with hunger and homelessness, confronted daily by violent crime, or burdened by rampant drug use. Recently I was asked, 'What does your party say to that 9-year-old, inner city kid scared to death, growing up in a life of poverty? What can you do for that little girl?'"

Perhaps you could invest more money toward providing a "hand up" for those facing these "severe obstacles," i.e., investing in education, investing in jobs training and investing in infrastructure jobs? This seems like a lot wiser plan than reducing corporate taxes and persecuting rape victims who desire an abortion.


"As students at Wharton, you will be much better positioned than most to land a job of your choice after graduation. But for the majority of young people, small businesses will give them their start. These employers are the restaurant owners, health care providers, or small high tech start-ups."

According to a study conducted by the Office of Tax Analysis at the U.S. Treasury in 2011, only 3.3 percent of all small business owners in 2007 had adjusted gross incomes of more than $1 million. Yet, you cite these small business owners as reasons for why millionaires should not be taxed at higher rates.

"Think about it, in America, starting a business isn’t something that’s only possible, it’s something that’s expected. However, today that is now being questioned. People have become afraid to take a risk. Many have lost their optimism about the future. They are frustrated and the core of this frustration stems from a belief that the same opportunities afforded to previous generations no longer exist today."

And this frustration stems from your party's promotion of policies that help GE and Exxon instead of the millions of small-business owners who need a break from the recession.

"There are politicians and others who want to demonize people that have earned success in certain sectors of our society. They claim that these people have now made enough, and haven’t paid their fair share. But, pitting Americans against one another tends to deflate the aspirational spirit of our people and fade the American dream."

We are not purposefully demonizing them. But we are wondering why, after 10 years of Bush Era tax cuts, unemployment continues to rise. And why the Tea Party Nation is encouraging its members to stop hiring more workers. Meanwhile, you cite these arguments and then claim that we are perpetuating "Class Warfare." Look in the mirror. Which side is really practicing it?

"From how we help those who are unemployed, to ways to encourage entrepreneurs and startups, to encouraging the best and brightest to stay here in America – there are many solutions that will help people succeed and grow the economy. As Americans, we care about everyone. We should want everyone to be successful. We want everyone to see the path forward."

It would help if you would stop defending companies that continually outsource jobs to other countries just so that they can enhance their bottom line. You know, just saying that you care about everybody does not mean that you really do. Actions count more than words, and your actions have made it abundantly clear that you and your peers do not give a damn about the American people. Thankfully, Obama does.