USA Today OpEd--Is this class warfare?
Today is one of those housekeeping days where I'm trying to catch up with posting items I've saved to post another day.
This is one of Cal Thomas and Bob Beckel's bi-weekly Common Ground columns from USA Today.
Reading the article is instructive by demonstrating the principles I have been highlighting about how psychological prejudices and world view affect individual political viewpoints. Thomas makes the point, "That makes sense only if you think there is one pie, and someone has taken a bigger piece than you." Cal, I hate to tell you this, but there are a heck of a lot of people who call themselves conservatives who think exactly that.
Also, let me reiterate the statistics publshed in David Cay Johnston's Free Lunch about wealth distribution. These are official government statistics, by the way. Over the last 30 years the average income over the bottom 90% of earneres has gone down by 3%. The income of the top 10% has gone up by 209%. The income of the top 1% has gone up by 650%! You can't have numbers like these and claim there is a level economic playing field.
Instead, what we have at work is the influence of the political donor class to make the system work in their favor.
Read the article for yourself. I'll be interested in your comments.
http://blogs.usatoday.com/oped/2009/04/is-this-class-warfare.html
This is one of Cal Thomas and Bob Beckel's bi-weekly Common Ground columns from USA Today.
Reading the article is instructive by demonstrating the principles I have been highlighting about how psychological prejudices and world view affect individual political viewpoints. Thomas makes the point, "That makes sense only if you think there is one pie, and someone has taken a bigger piece than you." Cal, I hate to tell you this, but there are a heck of a lot of people who call themselves conservatives who think exactly that.
Also, let me reiterate the statistics publshed in David Cay Johnston's Free Lunch about wealth distribution. These are official government statistics, by the way. Over the last 30 years the average income over the bottom 90% of earneres has gone down by 3%. The income of the top 10% has gone up by 209%. The income of the top 1% has gone up by 650%! You can't have numbers like these and claim there is a level economic playing field.
Instead, what we have at work is the influence of the political donor class to make the system work in their favor.
Read the article for yourself. I'll be interested in your comments.
http://blogs.usatoday.com/oped/2009/04/is-this-class-warfare.html
Posted by Larry Bradley at 4/26/2009 2:41 PM 
Categories: Politics, Fiscal Prudence
Tags: Class Warfare USA Today Cal Thomas Taxation The Forum Bob Beckel
Categories: Politics, Fiscal Prudence
Tags: Class Warfare USA Today Cal Thomas Taxation The Forum Bob Beckel
From the Los Angeles Business Journal, May 9, 2005: "Class war in the US has been fought and lost [by the poor and middle class]...The rich declared it, and they are fighting [and winning] it using scores of lobbyists, accountants, lawyers and politicians to whose campaigns they have contributed." However, when the rich do it, it is not called class warfare, it's called business as usual. Only when the rest of us start grumbling about the unfairness of the system do we get the term "class warrior" directed at us as a way to squelch dissent.
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Peter,
Thanks for your comment.
Remember what Warren Buffett said? "If there is class warfare in America, then my class is winning."
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