Capitalism Guarantees Rising Inequality

[dnsmith35]

How does it tell you that? Can you connect the dots? How does someone having lots of money make someone else poorer? Are you rejecting the idea that wealth is created?

Based on real studies, only the top .01% have much income over the other 99.09% . It is a left wing mantra used to keep the left wing in power. According to A BLS Graph the inequality ranges from 6 million to 31 million, major inequality. From .1% to the next lower group of 1% the difference is approximately $5 million. The next group down or the bottom 99% is from 0 to $350K. When we look at the quintile graph it reflects the same thing.

When comparing the bottom 4 quintiles, which range between $11,200 to $178K, one can readily see the top 80% reflect nothing more or less than the relative achievement of our labor force and the major inequality of income occurs broadly between $178K and up.

If you choose to debate those assertions you should first read Don't blame the 1% for America's pay gap - The Term Sheet: Fortune's deals blogTerm Sheet which discusses what the reason there is a disparity between the bottom quintile and the 3rd or 4th quintile.

As I said earlier, it is only the left wing power rant that these relative inequality of income is not at the lower pay levels, but rather between the top level and the 3d or 4th quintile.

From your link:

"Scholars are also taking note of social issues underlying America's income divide. In his new book, Coming Apart, conservative social scientist Charles Murray documents far higher divorce rates and more children living with one parent in working-class communities.

"That's a trend that has also caught the attention of liberals like Harvard's Robert Putnam, who describes 'gaps that didn't exist decades ago but are widening at an alarming rate today' and are reinforced as wealthy parents spend far more time with their children."

Those working class communities have been decimated over the past two generations by jails not jobs policies that currently result in more black males under thirty-five without a HS diploma existing in prison instead of the labor force.

When comparing the economic stratification among the bottom 80%, we need to factor in the socio-economic consequences of creating the world's largest prison population in the Land of the Free.

Yet, in spite of some trends being observed it is obvious that the articles do not believe it is the 1% who are causing the trend, which is the cry of the left wing extremists, ie THE RICH ARE THE CAUSE OF INCOME INEQUALITY. They are not. We didn't create the worlds largest prison population, criminals who made bad choices are responsible for their own actions.

It helps when you respond to an assertion that you answer my orange with an orange, not an apple. Sure, those guys are concerned as to why the .01% have such an unequal income as compared to the .1% or the 1%.

 

[dnsmith35]

Based on real studies, only the top .01% have much income over the other 99.09% . It is a left wing mantra used to keep the left wing in power. According to A BLS Graph the inequality ranges from 6 million to 31 million, major inequality. From .1% to the next lower group of 1% the difference is approximately $5 million. The next group down or the bottom 99% is from 0 to $350K. When we look at the quintile graph it reflects the same thing.

When comparing the bottom 4 quintiles, which range between $11,200 to $178K, one can readily see the top 80% reflect nothing more or less than the relative achievement of our labor force and the major inequality of income occurs broadly between $178K and up.

If you choose to debate those assertions you should first read Don't blame the 1% for America's pay gap - The Term Sheet: Fortune's deals blogTerm Sheet which discusses what the reason there is a disparity between the bottom quintile and the 3rd or 4th quintile.

As I said earlier, it is only the left wing power rant that these relative inequality of income is not at the lower pay levels, but rather between the top level and the 3d or 4th quintile.

From your link:

"Scholars are also taking note of social issues underlying America's income divide. In his new book, Coming Apart, conservative social scientist Charles Murray documents far higher divorce rates and more children living with one parent in working-class communities.

"That's a trend that has also caught the attention of liberals like Harvard's Robert Putnam, who describes 'gaps that didn't exist decades ago but are widening at an alarming rate today' and are reinforced as wealthy parents spend far more time with their children."

Those working class communities have been decimated over the past two generations by jails not jobs policies that currently result in more black males under thirty-five without a HS diploma existing in prison instead of the labor force.

When comparing the economic stratification among the bottom 80%, we need to factor in the socio-economic consequences of creating the world's largest prison population in the Land of the Free.

Those working class communities have been decimated over the past two generations by jails not jobs policies that currently result in more black males under thirty-five without a HS diploma existing in prison instead of the labor force.

When your peers in the black community accuse good students of "acting white", how is the failure of the black community to educate their children my fault?

That is the what; now, shall we discuss the why? I am baffled when people talk about statistics as to how many are "mistreated", but don't want to discuss the why. We may actually agree.

 

[dnsmith35]

DNSmith said,"your left wing concept about who gets the most tax breaks when as far as federal income tax it is obvious to anyone with a brain that the bottom 49% of our wage earners get the biggest federal income tax break as they pay little to no income tax."

You are right, it is left wing because the sources you go to for info do not offer these facts.[/quote]Oh? And of course you know which sources I use? UNBIASED MSMEDIA, when possible.

Conveniently so.

Sure so the Washington Post and CNN/Money are so biased against the left? ROTHFLMAO! So you calL them left wing concepts but because you don't hear them doesn't make them any less a fact. I dare you to actually read the links I provided demonstrating how significant it really is. Calling them "left-wing" facts sounds like an attempt to eschew honest inquiry.[/quote]The links I refuse to read a second time are Mother Jones, Daily KOS, and the like. They are extreme left wing in nature.

Regarding your joke rebuttal of federal income tax which is paid according to progressive measures... The federal income tax is not the only tax in America. Why would we only look at one type of tax to determine who gets taxed the most? Sounds like yet another shady tactic.

I labeled what I was talking about. So how is that shady? State income tax is also progressive. Sales taxes ARE regressive and I would like to eliminate them. So called "payroll" taxes were intended to be offset for the poor by the EIC. Specific programs such as snaps, welfare, public housing were designed to put more into the hands of the poor by charging either small fees or no fees at all.

City taxes (like property tax), sales taxes for the goods we all need to live are equally levied on the low income. Turns out stocks and bonds and all sorts of intangible wealth is not taxed at all. Where is a lot of wealth held? In intangible wealth not taxed by the government. 75% of the shares are owned by 1% of the shareholders...not being taxed a dime.

Property taxes are not charged for low cost housing in most venues by the homestead exemption, and capital gains are taxed at a lower rate to maintain investment and jobs.

"Wife? A personal choice!"

Was your spouse chosen for you? ROTHFLMAO!

Not true at all. All of life is constrained optimization. You did not choose her from all the women in the world. In fact, you got to know a narrow group of females in your life and selected one among the few you knew. Your personal choice is thus a result of several constraints outside your control. To think of it as purely your choice is mistaken. The possibilities exist but were narrowed sharply by events outside your control and demonstrates my point about how economic facts shape human lives. I say more below.

I made my choice from women from over 20 countries, 3 US states, 2 universities, 3 high schools. It was a mutual choice between my spouse of 59 years and myself. So yes, MY choice.

"Numerous variables contribute to the success and well being of a person outside their control."

"Positively, like motivation, ambition, wherewithal, work et al."

Those are the exact opposite of outside a person's control. But I have a feeling you don't care to reconcile your belief of "the person is solely responsible" with the facts of reality: you and all humans are largely shaped through processes outside our control like the school we went to, the neighborhood(s) we lived in, the things your parents value, what the media tells you, what the major cultural events take place...these are not determined by any one individual but have monumental effects on how one thinks about themselves, what life is, their aims and motivation etc.

If that were the actual case, I would be destitute and living in a slum.

Many college students overwhelmed by debt have killed themselves due to the insurmountable bills. These are not dumb people. Some are a lot smarter than you or me but their talent is terminated because they needed to forsake talent and pursue marketable.

Talk about dumb choices, garnering high education loans is just one of the myriad dumb choices people make. I chose to work to earn my education. I chose a career which helped me pay for part of it, but mostly I worked for my expenses and cost of living. CLEAR CHOICES! Are a few people left out of the equation by other than choices? Some, yes, but most out of lack of traits I stated earlier. My point is, no one OWES ANYONE THE COSTS OF HIGHER EDUCATION. One must make the choice and go for it, whereas many give up.

Your irresponsible belaboring of personal shortcoming is precisely why these students end their lives.

I don't do or say irresponsible. Your suggesting that people ARE DUE FREE EDUCATION IS BULLSHIT.

They think they are worthless because they can't afford to live.

If they think they are worthless it is their own failure, not anything I have said or done.

So they kill themselves. That's a natural way to go if the person believes they are solely responsible for their actions. It is irresponsible to defend such a radically untrue and murderous vision of human responsiblity.

You are so full of crap you can be smelled over the internet. Like I said, we moderates who are liberal socially can recognize a left wing extremist a mile off. A quick test defines who is liberal and who is a left wing extremist. If you believe that the elite unionist labor force deserves a raise or should be protected from a small decrease in enumeration before a starving Indian is given a job at the common prevailing wage, or if you make up shit about, "India is polluting the world" or that "India does not protect its workers to the same extent we do in the US" or any other of the crap excuses you left wingers cry about.

The difference between you and I? I am a liberal, not a left wing freak who is more concerned about how to improve the social existence of the less fortunate in the US to include trying to help them make good choices, not condoning those poor choices and laboring over excuses for their failure.

 

[dnsmith35]

From your link:

"Scholars are also taking note of social issues underlying America's income divide. In his new book, Coming Apart, conservative social scientist Charles Murray documents far higher divorce rates and more children living with one parent in working-class communities.

"That's a trend that has also caught the attention of liberals like Harvard's Robert Putnam, who describes 'gaps that didn't exist decades ago but are widening at an alarming rate today' and are reinforced as wealthy parents spend far more time with their children."

Those working class communities have been decimated over the past two generations by jails not jobs policies that currently result in more black males under thirty-five without a HS diploma existing in prison instead of the labor force.

When comparing the economic stratification among the bottom 80%, we need to factor in the socio-economic consequences of creating the world's largest prison population in the Land of the Free.

Those working class communities have been decimated over the past two generations by jails not jobs policies that currently result in more black males under thirty-five without a HS diploma existing in prison instead of the labor force.

When your peers in the black community accuse good students of "acting white", how is the failure of the black community to educate their children my fault?

Who said it was?

"As a result of these trends, black men younger than 35 without a high school degree are now more likely in America to be imprisoned than employed in the labor market.

"These disproportionate impacts extend to their children: As of 2009, 62 percent of black children under 17, whose parents had not completed high school, have had a parent in prison.

"The same was true for 17 percent of Hispanic children and 15 percent of white children (with similarly educated parents)."

The meteoric, costly and unprecedented rise of incarceration in America

You could just as well dscuss the concept of helping people make good choices.

 

[dnsmith35]

"your left wing concept about who gets the most tax breaks when as far as federal income tax it is obvious to anyone with a brain that the bottom 49% of our wage earners get the biggest federal income tax break as they pay little to no income tax."

You are right, it is left wing because the sources you go to for info do not offer these facts. Conveniently so. So you cal them left wing concepts but because you don't hear them doesn't make them any less a fact. I dare you to actually read the links I provided demonstrating how significant it really is. Calling them "left-wing" facts sounds like an attempt to eschew honest inquiry.

Regarding your joke rebuttal of federal income tax which is paid according to progressive measures... The federal income tax is not the only tax in America. Why would we only look at one type of tax to determine who gets taxed the most? Sounds like yet another shady tactic.

City taxes (like property tax), sales taxes for the goods we all need to live are equally levied on the low income. Turns out stocks and bonds and all sorts of intangible wealth is not taxed at all. Where is a lot of wealth held? In intangible wealth not taxed by the government. 75% of the shares are owned by 1% of the shareholders...not being taxed a dime.

"Wife? A personal choice!"

Not true at all. All of life is constrained optimization. You did not choose her from all the women in the world. In fact, you got to know a narrow group of females in your life and selected one among the few you knew. Your personal choice is thus a result of several constraints outside your control. To think of it as purely your choice is mistaken. The possibilities exist but were narrowed sharply by events outside your control and demonstrates my point about how economic facts shape human lives. I say more below.

"Numerous variables contribute to the success and well being of a person outside their control."
"Positively, like motivation, ambition, wherewithal, work et al."

Those are the exact opposite of outside a person's control. But I have a feeling you don't care to reconcile your belief of "the person is solely responsible" with the facts of reality: you and all humans are largely shaped through processes outside our control like the school we went to, the neighborhood(s) we lived in, the things your parents value, what the media tells you, what the major cultural events take place...these are not determined by any one individual but have monumental effects on how one thinks about themselves, what life is, their aims and motivation etc.

Many college students overwhelmed by debt have killed themselves due to the insurmountable bills. These are not dumb people. Some are a lot smarter than you or me but their talent is terminated because they needed to forsake talent and pursue marketable.

Your irresponsible belaboring of personal shortcoming is precisely why these students end their lives. They think they are worthless because they can't afford to live. So they kill themselves. That's a natural way to go if the person believes they are solely responsible for their actions. It is irresponsible to defend such a radically untrue and murderous vision of human responsiblity.

Turns out stocks and bonds and all sorts of intangible wealth is not taxed at all.

Untrue!

Corporations pay billions in corporate taxes.
Billions in sales taxes, property taxes, payroll taxes, use taxes, license fees.
They pay billions in salaries which are then taxed.
They pay dividends which are then taxed again when received by the shareholder.
They pay billions in interest on their bonds which is then taxed as income for the recipient.

It turns out you're wrong, as usual.

Stocks and bonds are not taxed until.

 

[gnarlylove]

dnsmith, what are your unbiased media sources?

Our disagreement arises out of how you view the human. You clearly don't think humans have inherent value. That money determines their value. Why do you think this?

 

[georgephillip]

Based on real studies, only the top .01% have much income over the other 99.09% . It is a left wing mantra used to keep the left wing in power. According to A BLS Graph the inequality ranges from 6 million to 31 million, major inequality. From .1% to the next lower group of 1% the difference is approximately $5 million. The next group down or the bottom 99% is from 0 to $350K. When we look at the quintile graph it reflects the same thing.

When comparing the bottom 4 quintiles, which range between $11,200 to $178K, one can readily see the top 80% reflect nothing more or less than the relative achievement of our labor force and the major inequality of income occurs broadly between $178K and up.

If you choose to debate those assertions you should first read Don't blame the 1% for America's pay gap - The Term Sheet: Fortune's deals blogTerm Sheet which discusses what the reason there is a disparity between the bottom quintile and the 3rd or 4th quintile.

As I said earlier, it is only the left wing power rant that these relative inequality of income is not at the lower pay levels, but rather between the top level and the 3d or 4th quintile.

From your link:

"Scholars are also taking note of social issues underlying America's income divide. In his new book, Coming Apart, conservative social scientist Charles Murray documents far higher divorce rates and more children living with one parent in working-class communities.

"That's a trend that has also caught the attention of liberals like Harvard's Robert Putnam, who describes 'gaps that didn't exist decades ago but are widening at an alarming rate today' and are reinforced as wealthy parents spend far more time with their children."

Those working class communities have been decimated over the past two generations by jails not jobs policies that currently result in more black males under thirty-five without a HS diploma existing in prison instead of the labor force.

When comparing the economic stratification among the bottom 80%, we need to factor in the socio-economic consequences of creating the world's largest prison population in the Land of the Free.

Those working class communities have been decimated over the past two generations by jails not jobs policies that currently result in more black males under thirty-five without a HS diploma existing in prison instead of the labor force.

When your peers in the black community accuse good students of "acting white", how is the failure of the black community to educate their children my fault?

How is the failure of the black community to educate all their children the fault of those getting rich from the New Jim Crow?
Bystander effect.

"Since its founding, America has depended on a permanent underclass of Black and brown bodies working for little or nothing.

"In 2014, the disproportionately non-white prison population continues this tradition, making next to nothing (often less than $1 an hour) to create products for mass consumption.

"Major entities – Victoria’s Secret, Nike, Starbucks, Microsoft, Nintendo, even the U.S. military — have at different points used prison labor to pump out products we all consume.

"Prisoners are sometimes subjected to heavy metals and toxic chemicals in industries like computer recycling at the expense of their own health.

"Our communities contribute unknowingly to this new Jim Crow through our purchases and our taxes, which are used to pay state-contracted, for-profit prison operators.

"George Zoley, the CEO of for-profit prison company GEO Group, for example, is one of America’s highest paid government 'corrections officers,' making $22 million a year.

"It’s estimated that GEO Group makes 86 percent of its revenue from taxpayers."

Commentary: Fighting Against the New Jim Crow | News | BET

Those who've become rich over the past forty years prospered in part because millions of mostly non-white citizens have been warehoused in prisons, often for non-violent drug offenses.

Still think the rhymes-with-bitch white man had nothing to do with that?

 

[georgephillip]

Those working class communities have been decimated over the past two generations by jails not jobs policies that currently result in more black males under thirty-five without a HS diploma existing in prison instead of the labor force.

When your peers in the black community accuse good students of "acting white", how is the failure of the black community to educate their children my fault?

Who said it was?

"As a result of these trends, black men younger than 35 without a high school degree are now more likely in America to be imprisoned than employed in the labor market.

"These disproportionate impacts extend to their children: As of 2009, 62 percent of black children under 17, whose parents had not completed high school, have had a parent in prison.

"The same was true for 17 percent of Hispanic children and 15 percent of white children (with similarly educated parents)."

The meteoric, costly and unprecedented rise of incarceration in America

The "jails not jobs policies" aren't the fault of the white man?

Well that's a relief.

Just like the Koch brothers and Walmart heirs didn't inherit fortunes, right?

 

[georgephillip]

Based on real studies, only the top .01% have much income over the other 99.09% . It is a left wing mantra used to keep the left wing in power. According to A BLS Graph the inequality ranges from 6 million to 31 million, major inequality. From .1% to the next lower group of 1% the difference is approximately $5 million. The next group down or the bottom 99% is from 0 to $350K. When we look at the quintile graph it reflects the same thing.

When comparing the bottom 4 quintiles, which range between $11,200 to $178K, one can readily see the top 80% reflect nothing more or less than the relative achievement of our labor force and the major inequality of income occurs broadly between $178K and up.

If you choose to debate those assertions you should first read Don't blame the 1% for America's pay gap - The Term Sheet: Fortune's deals blogTerm Sheet which discusses what the reason there is a disparity between the bottom quintile and the 3rd or 4th quintile.

As I said earlier, it is only the left wing power rant that these relative inequality of income is not at the lower pay levels, but rather between the top level and the 3d or 4th quintile.

From your link:

"Scholars are also taking note of social issues underlying America's income divide. In his new book, Coming Apart, conservative social scientist Charles Murray documents far higher divorce rates and more children living with one parent in working-class communities.

"That's a trend that has also caught the attention of liberals like Harvard's Robert Putnam, who describes 'gaps that didn't exist decades ago but are widening at an alarming rate today' and are reinforced as wealthy parents spend far more time with their children."

Those working class communities have been decimated over the past two generations by jails not jobs policies that currently result in more black males under thirty-five without a HS diploma existing in prison instead of the labor force.

When comparing the economic stratification among the bottom 80%, we need to factor in the socio-economic consequences of creating the world's largest prison population in the Land of the Free.

Yet, in spite of some trends being observed it is obvious that the articles do not believe it is the 1% who are causing the trend, which is the cry of the left wing extremists, ie THE RICH ARE THE CAUSE OF INCOME INEQUALITY. They are not. We didn't create the worlds largest prison population, criminals who made bad choices are responsible for their own actions.

It helps when you respond to an assertion that you answer my orange with an orange, not an apple. Sure, those guys are concerned as to why the .01% have such an unequal income as compared to the .1% or the 1%.

The richest 1% earned about 8% of US income forty years ago, and they earn over 20% today. In order for an income and wealth transfer that large to take effect, two million superfluous young workers were transferred into prisons, and the only mistake thousands of those "criminals" made was not having enough money to hire a competent attorney.

 

[Toddsterpatriot]

"your left wing concept about who gets the most tax breaks when as far as federal income tax it is obvious to anyone with a brain that the bottom 49% of our wage earners get the biggest federal income tax break as they pay little to no income tax."

You are right, it is left wing because the sources you go to for info do not offer these facts. Conveniently so. So you cal them left wing concepts but because you don't hear them doesn't make them any less a fact. I dare you to actually read the links I provided demonstrating how significant it really is. Calling them "left-wing" facts sounds like an attempt to eschew honest inquiry.

Regarding your joke rebuttal of federal income tax which is paid according to progressive measures... The federal income tax is not the only tax in America. Why would we only look at one type of tax to determine who gets taxed the most? Sounds like yet another shady tactic.

City taxes (like property tax), sales taxes for the goods we all need to live are equally levied on the low income. Turns out stocks and bonds and all sorts of intangible wealth is not taxed at all. Where is a lot of wealth held? In intangible wealth not taxed by the government. 75% of the shares are owned by 1% of the shareholders...not being taxed a dime.

"Wife? A personal choice!"

Not true at all. All of life is constrained optimization. You did not choose her from all the women in the world. In fact, you got to know a narrow group of females in your life and selected one among the few you knew. Your personal choice is thus a result of several constraints outside your control. To think of it as purely your choice is mistaken. The possibilities exist but were narrowed sharply by events outside your control and demonstrates my point about how economic facts shape human lives. I say more below.

"Numerous variables contribute to the success and well being of a person outside their control."
"Positively, like motivation, ambition, wherewithal, work et al."

Those are the exact opposite of outside a person's control. But I have a feeling you don't care to reconcile your belief of "the person is solely responsible" with the facts of reality: you and all humans are largely shaped through processes outside our control like the school we went to, the neighborhood(s) we lived in, the things your parents value, what the media tells you, what the major cultural events take place...these are not determined by any one individual but have monumental effects on how one thinks about themselves, what life is, their aims and motivation etc.

Many college students overwhelmed by debt have killed themselves due to the insurmountable bills. These are not dumb people. Some are a lot smarter than you or me but their talent is terminated because they needed to forsake talent and pursue marketable.

Your irresponsible belaboring of personal shortcoming is precisely why these students end their lives. They think they are worthless because they can't afford to live. So they kill themselves. That's a natural way to go if the person believes they are solely responsible for their actions. It is irresponsible to defend such a radically untrue and murderous vision of human responsiblity.

Turns out stocks and bonds and all sorts of intangible wealth is not taxed at all.

Untrue!

Corporations pay billions in corporate taxes.
Billions in sales taxes, property taxes, payroll taxes, use taxes, license fees.
They pay billions in salaries which are then taxed.
They pay dividends which are then taxed again when received by the shareholder.
They pay billions in interest on their bonds which is then taxed as income for the recipient.

It turns out you're wrong, as usual.

Stocks and bonds are not taxed until.

Until the company makes a profit, buys something, pays an employee, occupies space or you receive a dividend or interest payment.

 

[Toddsterpatriot]

From your link:

"Scholars are also taking note of social issues underlying America's income divide. In his new book, Coming Apart, conservative social scientist Charles Murray documents far higher divorce rates and more children living with one parent in working-class communities.

"That's a trend that has also caught the attention of liberals like Harvard's Robert Putnam, who describes 'gaps that didn't exist decades ago but are widening at an alarming rate today' and are reinforced as wealthy parents spend far more time with their children."

Those working class communities have been decimated over the past two generations by jails not jobs policies that currently result in more black males under thirty-five without a HS diploma existing in prison instead of the labor force.

When comparing the economic stratification among the bottom 80%, we need to factor in the socio-economic consequences of creating the world's largest prison population in the Land of the Free.

Those working class communities have been decimated over the past two generations by jails not jobs policies that currently result in more black males under thirty-five without a HS diploma existing in prison instead of the labor force.

When your peers in the black community accuse good students of "acting white", how is the failure of the black community to educate their children my fault?

How is the failure of the black community to educate all their children the fault of those getting rich from the New Jim Crow?
Bystander effect.

"Since its founding, America has depended on a permanent underclass of Black and brown bodies working for little or nothing.

"In 2014, the disproportionately non-white prison population continues this tradition, making next to nothing (often less than $1 an hour) to create products for mass consumption.

"Major entities – Victoria’s Secret, Nike, Starbucks, Microsoft, Nintendo, even the U.S. military — have at different points used prison labor to pump out products we all consume.

"Prisoners are sometimes subjected to heavy metals and toxic chemicals in industries like computer recycling at the expense of their own health.

"Our communities contribute unknowingly to this new Jim Crow through our purchases and our taxes, which are used to pay state-contracted, for-profit prison operators.

"George Zoley, the CEO of for-profit prison company GEO Group, for example, is one of America’s highest paid government 'corrections officers,' making $22 million a year.

"It’s estimated that GEO Group makes 86 percent of its revenue from taxpayers."

Commentary: Fighting Against the New Jim Crow | News | BET

Those who've become rich over the past forty years prospered in part because millions of mostly non-white citizens have been warehoused in prisons, often for non-violent drug offenses.

Still think the rhymes-with-bitch white man had nothing to do with that?

Since its founding, America has depended on a permanent underclass of Black and brown bodies working for little or nothing.

That's awful. Why do millions still break the law to come here?

In 2014, the disproportionately non-white prison population continues this tradition, making next to nothing (often less than $1 an hour) to create products for mass consumption.

That's awful. Let's put it in perspective. What is the total value of prison manufactured goods each year in the US?

Our communities contribute unknowingly to this new Jim Crow

Jim Crow? Is that what happens when Holder doesn't prosecute someone, based on skin color?

millions of mostly non-white citizens have been warehoused in prisons, often for non-violent drug offenses.

My old friend Sammy used to say, "Don't do the crime if you can't do the time"

 

[gnarlylove]

From your link:

"Scholars are also taking note of social issues underlying America's income divide. In his new book, Coming Apart, conservative social scientist Charles Murray documents far higher divorce rates and more children living with one parent in working-class communities.

"That's a trend that has also caught the attention of liberals like Harvard's Robert Putnam, who describes 'gaps that didn't exist decades ago but are widening at an alarming rate today' and are reinforced as wealthy parents spend far more time with their children."

Those working class communities have been decimated over the past two generations by jails not jobs policies that currently result in more black males under thirty-five without a HS diploma existing in prison instead of the labor force.

When comparing the economic stratification among the bottom 80%, we need to factor in the socio-economic consequences of creating the world's largest prison population in the Land of the Free.

Yet, in spite of some trends being observed it is obvious that the articles do not believe it is the 1% who are causing the trend, which is the cry of the left wing extremists, ie THE RICH ARE THE CAUSE OF INCOME INEQUALITY. They are not. We didn't create the worlds largest prison population, criminals who made bad choices are responsible for their own actions.

It helps when you respond to an assertion that you answer my orange with an orange, not an apple. Sure, those guys are concerned as to why the .01% have such an unequal income as compared to the .1% or the 1%.

The richest 1% earned about 8% of US income forty years ago, and they earn over 20% today. In order for an income and wealth transfer that large to take effect, two million superfluous young workers were transferred into prisons, and the only mistake thousands of those "criminals" made was not having enough money to hire a competent attorney.

dnsmith assumes all people who go to jail are guilty criminals from the premise that all people who are in jail are there because they committed crimes. We know there are many crimes that are committed that go unpunished, especially white collar crime. Moreover, we know there are numerous innocents who experience death row but are found innocent (6 people were exonerated in my state of Ohio this year alone!). Think of how many go undiscovered and are put to death. Think of the innocents who spend their life in prison over crimes they didn't commit! The numbers are far higher than 4%.

Hiring the right attorneys and being wealthy has a near 1-1 correspondence to "get out of jail free." That would mean rich people are not nearly as responsible for their actions as others are more responsible for their actions and pay with their life and freedom. And this is dnsmiths view of jurisprudence? Totally bogus!

 

[Manonthestreet]

Did you know the wealthy in the UK doubled their wealth in the last five yrs? The zero interest rate is wiping out SRs nest eggs as they navigate retirement.

 

[dnsmith35]

dnsmith, what are your unbiased media sources?

It depends on the issues. For Economic issues the Wall Street Journal or CNN Money (which has been accused of being to the left). For other news I read various and sort out the fluff (commentary) and go for the what, when, where, how.

Our disagreement arises out of how you view the human. You clearly don't think humans have inherent value. That money determines their value. Why do you think this?

ROTFLMAO! In fact I view humans in a more sympathetic manner than you do. It is the basis of my basic liberal positions. Perhaps it was my having lived in 3rd world countries, but my compassion for humans stems from my experiences with truly poor people rather than the typical relatively poor in the US who tend to be below the government determined poverty line. Having said that, since you actually do not strike me as a liberal based on your posts, but rather a left wing extremists who tend to blur the lines such that you are "liberals with borders" and I am a "liberal without borders."

 

[Againsheila]

Where is Democracy to be found in a world where the three richest individuals have assets that exceed the combined GDP of 47 countries?

A world where the richest 2% of global citizens "own" more than 51% of global assets?

Ready for the best part?

Capitalism ensures an already bad problem will only get worse.

"The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) states that income inequality 'first started to rise in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s in America and Britain (and also in Israel)'.

"The ratio between the average incomes of the top 5 per cent to the bottom 5 per cent in the world increased from 78:1 in 1988, to 114:1 in 1993..."

"Stiglitz relays that from 1988 to 2008 people in the world’s top 1 per cent saw their incomes increase by 60 per cent, while those in the bottom 5 per cent had no change in their income.

"In America, home to the 2008 recession, from 2009 to 2012, incomes of the top 1 per cent in America, many of which no doubt had a greedy hand in the causes of the meltdown, increased more than 31 per cent, while the incomes of the 99 per cent grew 0.4 per cent less than half a percentage point."

Spotlight on Worldwide Inequality

There are alternatives that don't require infinite "growth."

On the contrary, Capitalism would work, but we don't have capitalism. If we did, all those banks wouldn't have gotten $billions of our tax dollars, they would have been allowed to go broke. Our government wouldn't have raised the amount of immigrants let into this country when our citizens were brainwashed into limiting their birthrate to less than replacement value. Unions would once again be powerful, because a capitalistic society allows such things to reign in greed.

No, we don't have capitalism, we have fascism.

 

[dnsmith35]

From your link:

"Scholars are also taking note of social issues underlying America's income divide. In his new book, Coming Apart, conservative social scientist Charles Murray documents far higher divorce rates and more children living with one parent in working-class communities.

"That's a trend that has also caught the attention of liberals like Harvard's Robert Putnam, who describes 'gaps that didn't exist decades ago but are widening at an alarming rate today' and are reinforced as wealthy parents spend far more time with their children."

Those working class communities have been decimated over the past two generations by jails not jobs policies that currently result in more black males under thirty-five without a HS diploma existing in prison instead of the labor force.

When comparing the economic stratification among the bottom 80%, we need to factor in the socio-economic consequences of creating the world's largest prison population in the Land of the Free.

Those working class communities have been decimated over the past two generations by jails not jobs policies that currently result in more black males under thirty-five without a HS diploma existing in prison instead of the labor force.

When your peers in the black community accuse good students of "acting white", how is the failure of the black community to educate their children my fault?

How is the failure of the black community to educate all their children the fault of those getting rich from the New Jim Crow?
Bystander effect.

"Since its founding, America has depended on a permanent underclass of Black and brown bodies working for little or nothing.

"In 2014, the disproportionately non-white prison population continues this tradition, making next to nothing (often less than $1 an hour) to create products for mass consumption.

"Major entities – Victoria’s Secret, Nike, Starbucks, Microsoft, Nintendo, even the U.S. military — have at different points used prison labor to pump out products we all consume.

"Prisoners are sometimes subjected to heavy metals and toxic chemicals in industries like computer recycling at the expense of their own health.

"Our communities contribute unknowingly to this new Jim Crow through our purchases and our taxes, which are used to pay state-contracted, for-profit prison operators.

"George Zoley, the CEO of for-profit prison company GEO Group, for example, is one of America’s highest paid government 'corrections officers,' making $22 million a year.

"It’s estimated that GEO Group makes 86 percent of its revenue from taxpayers."

Commentary: Fighting Against the New Jim Crow | News | BET

Those who've become rich over the past forty years prospered in part because millions of mostly non-white citizens have been warehoused in prisons, often for non-violent drug offenses.

Still think the rhymes-with-bitch white man had nothing to do with that?

In fact, I question the validity of most of your comments or links. The fact of the matter is, education must be the same for all regardless of race or culture because that is the education needed to succeed no matter the career.

In so far as drug use issues, whether they are violent crimes or not is irrelevant. People who break the law are being irresponsible. Criminality is an undesirable personality trait no matter what the race is, so stuff that up your excremental orifice.

In so far as Jim Crow, having observed many successful blacks with parallel careers to myself, there was nothing which kept them back to include race or culture.

Your accusations of anti-black issues with the military is decades old and no longer true, at least not since I have been aware in 1961.

As to blacks being statistically more likely to go to prison reflects on the likely criminality. Being poor or culturally different is no excuse for criminality. Dropping out of school is also not an acceptable excuse for failure. Those issues are self responsibility issues, not racial issues.

The fact that we have had racist issues over our history, and in accordance with what successful blacks like Bill Cosby, have said, it really does not apply today. So when you talk about institutional or personal racism, be aware that I am aware of reality as it is today, and will never be concerned with past issues.

To recap, all racist and cultural excuses are bullshit today. The individual needs the ambition, motivation, and ability, all of which are not excuses in this day and age and so long as blacks or other culturally different people whine and cry that our education system is not tailored to their culture, also miss the reality of the situation that minorities must adapt to the world in which they live. Your left wing extremism is bullshit.

I am 78 and have lived with the old Jim Crow issues and know for a fact that things are no longer what you and your left wing citations say. Especially this one which says, "The bystander effect, or bystander apathy, is a social psychological phenomenon that refers to cases in which individuals do not offer any means of help to a victim when other people are present. The probability of help is inversely related to the number of bystanders. In other words, the greater the number of bystanders, the less likely it is that any one of them will help. Several variables help to explain why the bystander effect occurs. These variables include: ambiguity, cohesiveness and diffusion of responsibility. Bystander effect - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia As a Ed.S graduate Psychologist, I understand all of the so called issues, and tell you they are little more than left wing extremist propaganda.

As a liberal, who respects all races and cultures, good public education, universal medical care, welfare for the truly needy, and respect for all humanity NO MATTER WHERE THEY LIVE. I challenge you to be as truly liberal as I instead of being a left wing extremist.

 

[georgephillip]

Where is Democracy to be found in a world where the three richest individuals have assets that exceed the combined GDP of 47 countries?

A world where the richest 2% of global citizens "own" more than 51% of global assets?

Ready for the best part?

Capitalism ensures an already bad problem will only get worse.

"The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) states that income inequality 'first started to rise in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s in America and Britain (and also in Israel)'.

"The ratio between the average incomes of the top 5 per cent to the bottom 5 per cent in the world increased from 78:1 in 1988, to 114:1 in 1993..."

"Stiglitz relays that from 1988 to 2008 people in the world’s top 1 per cent saw their incomes increase by 60 per cent, while those in the bottom 5 per cent had no change in their income.

"In America, home to the 2008 recession, from 2009 to 2012, incomes of the top 1 per cent in America, many of which no doubt had a greedy hand in the causes of the meltdown, increased more than 31 per cent, while the incomes of the 99 per cent grew 0.4 per cent less than half a percentage point."

Spotlight on Worldwide Inequality

There are alternatives that don't require infinite "growth."

On the contrary, Capitalism would work, but we don't have capitalism. If we did, all those banks wouldn't have gotten $billions of our tax dollars, they would have been allowed to go broke. Our government wouldn't have raised the amount of immigrants let into this country when our citizens were brainwashed into limiting their birthrate to less than replacement value. Unions would once again be powerful, because a capitalistic society allows such things to reign in greed.

No, we don't have capitalism, we have fascism.

And the oligarchs who own the US Government have less use for a Republic than they have for democracy. As long as a majority of US voters think they can change that by "choosing" between Democrat OR Republican when selecting their House and Senate members, it will only get worse.

Scholar Behind Viral 'Oligarchy' Study Tells You What It Means

 

[dnsmith35]

.....

Yet, in spite of some trends being observed it is obvious that the articles do not believe it is the 1% who are causing the trend, which is the cry of the left wing extremists, ie THE RICH ARE THE CAUSE OF INCOME INEQUALITY. They are not. We didn't create the worlds largest prison population, criminals who made bad choices are responsible for their own actions.

It helps when you respond to an assertion that you answer my orange with an orange, not an apple. Sure, those guys are concerned as to why the .01% have such an unequal income as compared to the .1% or the 1%.

dnsmith assumes all people who go to jail are guilty criminals from the premise that all people who are in jail are there because they committed crimes.

On the contrary, I do know that there are innocent people, black and white. That is a judicial problem, not a racist problem.

We know there are many crimes that are committed that go unpunished, especially white collar crime. Moreover, we know there are numerous innocents who experience death row but are found innocent (6 people were exonerated in my state of Ohio this year alone!). Think of how many go undiscovered and are put to death. Think of the innocents who spend their life in prison over crimes they didn't commit! The numbers are far higher than 4%

That there is a disproportion of Black to White in prison is not a racist issue and the conviction of innocent people is wrong, but again, not a racist issue. I also do not accept the suggestion that statistics which reflect what you claim are relevant.

Hiring the right attorneys and being wealthy has a near 1-1 correspondence to "get out of jail free." That would mean rich people are not nearly as responsible for their actions as others are more responsible for their actions and pay with their life and freedom.
And this is dnsmiths view of jurisprudence? Totally bogus!

Again, you are taking liberties of what my view is and posting your opinion of my views which are in error. From middle class up better attorneys can be paid for. This is not a racist issue it is a judicial issue. Everyone is responsible for his actions regardless of race or culture. It is my opinion that if an attorney is to be provided for those who cannot afford a lawyer, the attorney of his choice should be covered by the state.

In other words, your entire post of accusations about me are just so much bullshit. Your tendency to create excuses for lack of personal responsibility is noted, which btw is not a conservative issue, but one of all political beings with common sense.

 

[bedowin62]

there is MORE inequality in the EIGHTH-STRAIGHT year of Progressive majority government

libs are just idiots.................who lie to themselves

 

[dnsmith35]

there is MORE inequality in the EIGHTH-STRAIGHT year of Progressive majority government

libs are just idiots.................who lie to themselves

I don't agree with your comment about liberals, but if you change that to left wing extremists I do agree.