The risk of income inequality

[gnarlylove]

Look, you have clearly bought into the deeply ingrained cultural idea that individual freedom is tops. Nothing trumps you. You are #1.

It neglects the community and our global community for your personal advancement. We have come to view personal style and advancement as individualism, which has become mistaken for global advancement or liberation. We have chosen image over substance; brand and ideology over reality. The world certainly doesn't think you or I have any special right to use the Earth. Either we all do or its just a charade, a hideous game. Those who benefit the most from the concept of ownership get lackeys like you who apparently has very little to support their highest ideals of human exploitation and resource depletion at unsustainable rates.

Anything I say stands no chance against your 20-40 years of indoctrination. Nay, your deep commitment to American libertarianism (which is by no means what a libertarian really is) You are borderline fundamentalist in regards to individual liberty. Why would I think you would take serious anything that challenges your dogma? If you care at all that humans are exploited, enslaved, and kidnapped in the name of private property/capitalism/individualism then you cannot stand there and tell me you support it. Either you recognize private property and egoism is the problem or you continue to deceive yourself that humanity must continue as it does.

 

[dblack]

Unfounded assumptions about me aside, under your ideal system, who gets to use the toothbrush?

 

[gnarlylove]

The toothbrush you've been using, you'd continue to use. This can't be what you're trying to ask because I can't seem to make any sense out of it. Moreover, if my accusations aren't true than you don't believe individualism? You aren't a libertarian? You JUST told me that we could not happily agree to disagree implying you would not accept the notion of reality without property.

 

[dblack]

The toothbrush you've been using, you'd continue to use. This can't be what you're trying to ask because I can't seem to make any sense out of it.

So if I would get to use the toothbrush exclusively, how is this different than ownership?

 

[norwegen]

Having no government has never worked either

No one has ever suggested having no government. NO ONE.

No one has ever suggested having a totalitarian government. NO ONE

So I guess that leaves us somewhere in the middle doesn't it?

Yes, indeed, the Constitution, poised beautifully in the middle. Making a radical shift to the left, the Philadelphia delegates in 1787 drafted a document that created a strong central government.

To be sure, the Articles of Confederation didn't provide for the central authority's payment of debts or for collecting taxes or for regulating commerce, but more than that, the delegates were not satisfied that simply revising the Articles would save America from licentiousness. The new centrist document, they reasoned, would serve as the sorely needed cohesion in the republic while sparing it from not only the eventual anarchy of the right but also the tyranny of the left (Toryism at the time).

I'm glad to see that you, RWer, are advocating for a more centrist position, a position that, historically, has created wealth for all classes of your countrymen. See you at the next TEA Party assembly!

 

[AntiParty]

Of course it is. That's the entire reason we bother with the concept of property in the first place - to decide who gets to use what.

We can happily agree to disagree.

Not if you propose eliminating property rights.

I have a book from 1900. It's called, "The book of knowledge"

It states that property in the USA is all owned by the Government. In a time where not a lot of land was owned. It basically states that the USA owns your land by default no matter what. If this sounds extreme to you then you didn't read what happened to the Indians that ACTUALLY owned the land.

 

[auditor0007]

You people love to whine, make excuses and blame others don't you?

Can you believe these guys?? There has been income inequality since the beginning of "income". You have some guy raising hell because he flips burgers and makes minimum wage and the Surgeon down the street makes 200,000 per year.

Here's the best advice I can give you worthless socialists - GET A BETTER JOB!!!!! Oh, that's right, I forgot - your boy has done nothing to encourage business for the last 5 years!!!

Get off your lazy asses and go to school, get a marketable trade and move up. YOU CAN'T START AT THE TOP!!!

Stupid little socialists.....

Over the past forty years, the wealth of the lowest 50% of Americans has stagnated, while the top ten percent has seen theirs nearly triple. This did not happen because the top ten percent worked harder and the lower 50% were just lazy. This is the stupid shit you guys believe.

 

[dblack]

The toothbrush you've been using, you'd continue to use. This can't be what you're trying to ask because I can't seem to make any sense out of it.

So if I would get to use the toothbrush exclusively, how is this different than ownership?

I suppose it seems like I'm playing a game, trying to trick you or something, but I'm really not. It's just that private property solves some important social problems, and if you're proposing we get rid of it, I'd like to know how your system will deal with these problems.

 

[norwegen]

We can happily agree to disagree.

Not if you propose eliminating property rights.

I have a book from 1900. It's called, "The book of knowledge"

It states that property in the USA is all owned by the Government. In a time where not a lot of land was owned. It basically states that the USA owns your land by default no matter what. If this sounds extreme to you then you didn't read what happened to the Indians that ACTUALLY owned the land.

Not to be contrary, but native Americans, with few exceptions and thousands of years after their Paleo-American predecessors migrated here from Asia, began settling only seasonally, becoming mobile after harvest as the herds dictated. In New England, their material possessions consisted of the things they could transport to their new encampments. They didn't share the European notion of private property.

 

[RandallFlagg]

You people love to whine, make excuses and blame others don't you?

Can you believe these guys?? There has been income inequality since the beginning of "income". You have some guy raising hell because he flips burgers and makes minimum wage and the Surgeon down the street makes 200,000 per year.

Here's the best advice I can give you worthless socialists - GET A BETTER JOB!!!!! Oh, that's right, I forgot - your boy has done nothing to encourage business for the last 5 years!!!

Get off your lazy asses and go to school, get a marketable trade and move up. YOU CAN'T START AT THE TOP!!!

Stupid little socialists.....

Over the past forty years, the wealth of the lowest 50% of Americans has stagnated, while the top ten percent has seen theirs nearly triple. This did not happen because the top ten percent worked harder and the lower 50% were just lazy. This is the stupid shit you guys believe.

OK...I dare you. Show me where the hell that it is written that those at the "top" are responsible to "give" ANYTHING to those that you characterize as "the bottom"?

Why do you folks always take the attitude that someone OWES you something!?!? If you don't like the CEO of your company making money LEAVE. I'm sure that it will break his heart to see you go.

 

[RandallFlagg]

it's that sucking vacuum sound. NAFTA is the reason for the job shipments out of the country. The government created that climate, not business. Thank Clinton and those who were a proponent of the so called "free trade" agreements.

Bravo. The left conveniently fails to remember that it was that dirt bag Clinton who said "Yes, we will lose some jobs to the overseas markets, but we will regain them in jobs from Mexico and Canada". Ross Perot warned Americans that this will "probably kill American businesses" and was laughed at by those same liberal clowns.

Clinton DEMANDED NAFTA and he got it. What did we, the American people get out of it? SCREWED.

While I think trade is an issue, I still don't see what nafta has to do with it. We are losing most the jobs to China....

Because after NAFTA - we opened "free Trade" zones throughout the world - China being one of the top zones. This was ALWAYS the intent of NAFTA. Before that, we got a crap load of our cheaply made goods from Japan, Now, we get the majority of the garbage that is imported to America from China. Name the last time you bought a product that said "made in Japan" on it.

Get back to me when you find it.

 

[norwegen]

You people love to whine, make excuses and blame others don't you?

Can you believe these guys?? There has been income inequality since the beginning of "income". You have some guy raising hell because he flips burgers and makes minimum wage and the Surgeon down the street makes 200,000 per year.

Here's the best advice I can give you worthless socialists - GET A BETTER JOB!!!!! Oh, that's right, I forgot - your boy has done nothing to encourage business for the last 5 years!!!

Get off your lazy asses and go to school, get a marketable trade and move up. YOU CAN'T START AT THE TOP!!!

Stupid little socialists.....

Over the past forty years, the wealth of the lowest 50% of Americans has stagnated, while the top ten percent has seen theirs nearly triple. This did not happen because the top ten percent worked harder and the lower 50% were just lazy. This is the stupid shit you guys believe.

Might you show us some charts, please, or some other sources that confirm that the bottom 50% in 1974 had the same level of wealth that the bottom 50% have in 2014?

Is this level of wealth commensurate with inflation? I would hope so, if it exists, in which case, I'd like to ask: has the bottom 50% lost something?

 

[RandallFlagg]

When income inequalities persist, violence ensues.

It would not, if the effort expanded on violence were channeled into improving oneself and/or finding a better job.

Violence is the last resort of the malcontent and incompetent.

It's amazing you think the income inequality is a result of people not working hard enough. It's like ya'll don't fucking pay attention AT ALL.

Well then enlighten us. I have stated (without reservation) my circumstances, repeatedly. I have a great life that I worked my ass off for. YOU tell me that it isn't possible because the "man" keeps you down.

Now, I KNOW I've told the truth, so apparently you are (a) Lying (b) uninformed or (c) too stupid to understand. I vote for all of the above. Again. GET OFF YOUR ASS AND TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF. STOP BLAMING LIFE BECAUSE YOU ARE A FAILURE.

 

[gnarlylove]

The toothbrush you've been using, you'd continue to use. This can't be what you're trying to ask because I can't seem to make any sense out of it.

So if I would get to use the toothbrush exclusively, how is this different than ownership?

I suppose it seems like I'm playing a game, trying to trick you or something, but I'm really not. It's just that private property solves some important social problems, and if you're proposing we get rid of it, I'd like to know how your system will deal with these problems.

What social problems? I don't think your argument is to maintain private property because it satisfies a moral imperative, so what do social problems mean?. Precisely because private property is the source of human exploitation and environmental degradation makes opposition to it a moral, universal issue. I don't see any social problems from eliminating human exploitation. Why do you?

 

[RandallFlagg]

It's amazing you think the income inequality is a result of people not working hard enough. It's like ya'll don't fucking pay attention AT ALL.

just think wytchey, if you were straight you might have married a rich guy and be living in luxury rather than in a lesbian hovel and worrrying where you next meal will come from

Fish, you've reached ludicrous speed. You are fixated and it's getting scary.

I happen to be the sole "breadwinner" of our family and I made over $75k last year. I don't need a man to "take care of me" you misogynist fuck.

Well. congratulations. Your boy Barrack says that you are among the "rich" in America!!! You've made it!!! Now, how's about giving your hard earned money to to those "less fortunate" than you - you know, the ones who have been on Welfare for the last 35 years.....

Remember LBJ? Well, I do. and I remember when LBJ stated in his "Great Society" speech (50 years ago) that this would put an end to poverty in America. Don't you find it, even remotely amusing, that after over a TRILLION in tax dollars spent on the "poor" that there are just as many poor NOW as there were 50 years ago?

Methinks that you have been hoodwinked lady.


Got no answer for this? I didn't think so you misguided lying piece of perverted horsecrap.

 

[Spiderman]

We never intended Social Security to be your total retirement system. It was expected that workers would own homes and have a financial nest egg to ensure they could retire comfortably
Then we allowed ourselves to destroy that nestegg. Leave a worker barely enough to live on and forget about saving for the future. Go into debt if you want your children to be educated. God forbid you get seriously ill and your life savings are gone. This is the society we have created and it is an embarrassment for a great nation

Bullshit.

No one's destroyed any nest egg. People don't bother to even save anymore and it's not because someone else is stealing from them it's because they choose not to.

In many cases, it's because there is nothing left over to save. Hard to save what you don't have. We have more working people getting help from our government than at any other time in history. This is nothing short of corporate welfare.

More bullshit.

If you don't have enough to save then you have 2 options. Earn more or spend less.

And we have more people on the government teat because we have changed the rules so it's easier than ever to get assistance.

 

[Spiderman]

If you idiots spent half as much time actually working to improve your situation as you do crying and whining you'd all be fucking millionaires by now.

Yes everyone can just run out and work at those jobs that are now in China...

There are plenty of jobs here to do.

You just don't want to do them.

 

[FJO]

There was a time in this country where you graduated school, learned a trade and got a job with a major corporation and you were set for life
If you were lucky, you got a union job with good benefits. You could work 40 years with the same company and when you retired you had a good pension with health benefits.

Now workers are on edge. They don't know if they will have a job in six months. They accept jobs rather than careers. No benefits, no security, no future. Don't like it....there is the door. Collective bargaining is a thing of the past. You are on your own

One false step and you are destitute

Yes, and during that time not all the emphasis was placed on college degrees, but a successful completion of a trade school and the mastering of a trade was honored just as much as college degrees are over emphasised today.

Today, when a presidential hopeful - rightfully - claims that concentrating ONLY on college education and ignoring training in essential trades is SNOBBISH, he is accused of promoting ignorance.

Also, during that time individual accomplishments were recognized and a smart high school dropout was - again, rightfully - preferred over a dumb college graduate.

Back then, it was realized that education does not necessarily equal intelligence.

Back then, no graduate, fresh out of the college dormitory with a degree in some obscure subject with no relation to reality would have the nerve to demand a job that had to be earned by hard work and continuous effort to excel.

Yeah, there used to be a time when jealousy and envy of others more successful was scorned as unworthy of being an American.

Yeah, rightwinger, you are the perfect illustration that those times are gone forever.

 

[Seawytch]

History would agree with that, but there has never been a society quite like ours...

Is this the aggressive side of your passive beliefs?

Very hypocritical coming from a liberal, you advocate or better yet suggest violence is the result...

The simple truth is you can't always get what you want!!

But if try sometime you get what you need...

Does the increased font size help with your feelings of inadequacy? Please point out where I advocated violence.

YOu may not have suggested a violent uprising, but you would condone it.
BTW, are you unsatisfied with your career?

No, actually, I don't condone violence. I'm stating a fact, that's it. Information is not advocacy. When the income inequality becomes too great, violence is the result. Let history be your guide.

I happen to love both my careers, my previous one in the military and my career now, thanks for asking.

 

[Seawytch]

History would agree with that, but there has never been a society quite like ours...

Is this the aggressive side of your passive beliefs?

Very hypocritical coming from a liberal, you advocate or better yet suggest violence is the result...

The simple truth is you can't always get what you want!!

But if try sometime you get what you need...

Does the increased font size help with your feelings of inadequacy? Please point out where I advocated violence.

"When income inequalities persist, violence ensues."

Stating a fact is not advocating anything. I'm stating you're a dolt...I'm not advocating for dolts.