I’ve met well-off Democrats who could buy me with their sofa cushion change, while we work together to help our ruptured middle class and the increasing ranks of the poor. Yet, one of the hoariest tropes grunted repeatedly by conservatives is that Liberals Hate the Wealthy, and it’s inverse corollary, The Wealthy Should Fear Liberals.
The Koch brothers, or Wall St. overlord Jamie Dimon, or their camera-ready mutations like Willard Romney, are not menaces to society because they’re wealthy. No, those swells must obsessively snake without conscience every last dollar from our pockets because they are sociopaths; they don’t care how their greed degrades life for everyone else. Being incredibly wealthy makes them exponentially more dangerous, when they want it all badly enough to buy a cable propaganda network, a Republican Congress and a few of the worst Democrats as insurance, to get it. We’re told to eat it and say thanks, because these titans of success decree that this is How It Must Work. Really? These greed heads exemplify the outlook of America’s most successful?
The Spectrum Group specializes in market research on the wealthy – and not just totting the demand for caviar forks, offshore power boats, and jewel crusted flip-flops. They recently undertook to perform the CNBC Millionaire Survey. All ages and genders, all political persuasions, as long as they had a Thousand Large available to invest. 94% surveyed believe the American Dream can still be attained, and they tend to define that dream as prosperity and success. Well, okay.
Now get this: 51% of the seven-digit club says income inequality is the biggest domestic problem in America!! Torches and pitchforks, tentatively at ease. For the roots of that economic inequality, about half look at family and cultural influences, 65% fault low financial literacy and 78% a deficient school system. Oh, and for those who insist that shiftless triflin’ by takers who’d rather twerk than work is the only barrier to success, only 6% of our top-shelf imbibers said people worth less don’t work as hard as the wealthy. Those are not the sentiments of platinum card creeps!
Then why are we continually offered the government of a few sociopathic billionaires, and told that their road to success, over the bleached remains of a broadly productive and contented society, is the only way to a vigorous economy? What about the insight of 9.6 million millionaires, many of whom apparently align with progressive policies? Why are they ignored, in favor of the greed of a few dozen Citigroup and Goldman execs, the wingnut sugar daddies whose appetites have so molested our economy?
What do our millionaires see as the solutions? Hang on to yer top hat, Uncle Scrooge!
63% support an increase in the minimum wage!
64% recommend higher taxes for the wealthy!
64% back enhanced saving incentives and opportunities for the lower brackets! 83% back increased support for education!
Mother, I’ve put the guillotine back in the barn; maybe we can work with these folks…
Kirk French Jr. says
“what do our millionaires see as the solutions?
63% support an increase in the minimum wage!
64% recommend higher taxes for the wealthy!
64% back enhanced saving incentives and opportunities for the lower brackets! 83% back increased support for education!”
First, those who can afford a minimum wage increase are “Big” business. The idea is to not crush small business owners and run them off. Competition is an asset that we should welcome in the marketplace, and if you support an increase in the minimum wage you are supporting an anti-capitalistic ideology; which has failed so often.
Second, The reason the wealthy support higher taxes is because they can pass the costs on to the consumer. The tax code has so many different exemptions for everything. The 1% can afford to hire the accountants to “get around” the tax code. It’s also unlikely that much needed “tax reform” is going to happen anytime soon.
I think you get the picture I am painting. Instead of believing in what the top 1% have to say, maybe we should take a hard look into burdensome taxes and regulations that crush an economy and our small business owners rather than giving advantages to some companies and not to others.