Of the 1%, by the 1%, for the 1%

[Dragon]

Comparing the [victims of our current economic downturn] to victims of the holocaust is a gargantuan stretch

Well, on the one hand you had more intense suffering and mass murder compared to mere impoverishment, but on the other a much larger number of victims (over a hundred million compared to just eleven million). In that sense it's only a little stretch.

The point, though, is that the idea that everyone is absolutely responsible for his or her own circumstances and shit doesn't happen and the rules of the game and who sets them and on behalf of whom don't matter, is obviously and demonstrably wrong.

 

[flacaltenn]

Well then Dragon -- I'm waiting for your rationalization of the leftist assertion that

"working at Walmart is just like slavery".. That ought to be amusing..

 

[Skull Pilot]

Comparing the Obnoxious Whining Sheep to victims of the holocaust is a gargantuan stretch

Well, on the one hand you had more intense suffering and mass murder compared to mere impoverishment, but on the other a much larger number of victims (over a hundred million compared to just eleven million). In that sense it's only a little stretch.

The point, though, is that the idea that everyone is absolutely responsible for his or her own circumstances and shit doesn't happen and the rules of the game and who sets them and on behalf of whom don't matter, is obviously and demonstrably wrong.

You're conveniently leaving out the torture and wholesale slaughter so still an astronomical overreach.

And if you're going to quote me don't take liberties in editing my words

 

[MiddleClass]

Demand Side Economics - Trickle Up - WAS Once how a strong America did business, but the past 30 years of Supply Side Trickle Down Economic Policies have brought America to its knees Economically.

How to get back to what worked for America will come from a political solution - Vote out Representatives that still subscribe to the failed Supply Side Trickle Down Economic Policies, and vote in Representatives who want to bring back Demand Side Trickle Up Economic Policies.

And yes, IT REALLY IS THAT SIMPLE

 

[flacaltenn]

Demand Side Economics - Trickle Up - WAS Once how a strong America did business, but the past 30 years of Supply Side Trickle Down Economic Policies have brought America to its knees Economically.

How to get back to what worked for America will come from a political solution - Vote out Representatives that still subscribe to the failed Supply Side Trickle Down Economic Policies, and vote in Representatives who want to bring back Demand Side Trickle Up Economic Policies.

And yes, IT REALLY IS THAT SIMPLE

Stimulating demand from the bottom doesn't work the way it used to.. All you will get NOW is an INCREASE in the wealth gap. Consumption NOW uses off-shore labor for the MAJORITY of consumer goods (outside of food). So you boost production in ShenZheng and bring more ships into Long Beach harbor. That makes American CORPORATE profits soar.

Congrats -- you've just accomplished the EXACT OPPOSITE of your stated goal..

You need to stop thinking FDR and whatever econ textbook you read (if any). And realize that to build up the bottom 1/2 of the workforce, America needs to make stuff INSTEAD of basketballs and toaster ovens. There needs to be a MAJOR effort to allow capital to flow to NEW Industries so that America can MAINTAIN a world leadership in innovation and invention.. High Tech Industries that will employ at all levels and redefine manufacturing so that "cheap labor" is inconsequential..

That's how you solve the "off-shoring" problem and provide honest respectable work for the bottom half..

 

[kwc57]

Some people look at income inequality and shrug their shoulders. So what if this person gains and that person loses? What matters, they argue, is not how the pie is divided but the size of the pie. That argument is fundamentally wrong. An economy in which most citizens are doing worse year after year—an economy like America’s—is not likely to do well over the long haul. There are several reasons for this.

First, growing inequality is the flip side of something else: shrinking opportunity. Whenever we diminish equality of opportunity, it means that we are not using some of our most valuable assets—our people—in the most productive way possible. Second, many of the distortions that lead to inequality—such as those associated with monopoly power and preferential tax treatment for special interests—undermine the efficiency of the economy. This new inequality goes on to create new distortions, undermining efficiency even further. To give just one example, far too many of our most talented young people, seeing the astronomical rewards, have gone into finance rather than into fields that would lead to a more productive and healthy economy.

Third, and perhaps most important, a modern economy requires “collective action”—it needs government to invest in infrastructure, education, and technology. The United States and the world have benefited greatly from government-sponsored research that led to the Internet, to advances in public health, and so on. But America has long suffered from an under-investment in infrastructure (look at the condition of our highways and bridges, our railroads and airports), in basic research, and in education at all levels. Further cutbacks in these areas lie ahead.

None of this should come as a surprise—it is simply what happens when a society’s wealth distribution becomes lopsided. The more divided a society becomes in terms of wealth, the more reluctant the wealthy become to spend money on common needs. The rich don’t need to rely on government for parks or education or medical care or personal security—they can buy all these things for themselves. In the process, they become more distant from ordinary people, losing whatever empathy they may once have had. They also worry about strong government—one that could use its powers to adjust the balance, take some of their wealth, and invest it for the common good. The top 1 percent may complain about the kind of government we have in America, but in truth they like it just fine: too gridlocked to re-distribute, too divided to do anything but lower taxes.

Of the 1%, by the 1%, for the 1% | Society | Vanity Fair

Chris,

Do you have any original thoughts to offer or just cuts and pastes?

The firsr mistake in this post is the pie anology. You assume that wealth is a single pie that must be cut up to feed everyone. What you miss is that you just bake another pie to create more. Bill Gates baked a pie. Steve Jobs baked a pie. Wealth isn't a limited resource that has to be recycled. I suggest you quit coveting your neighbors pie and go bake your own.

 

[Dragon]

You're conveniently leaving out the torture and wholesale slaughter so still an astronomical overreach.

As I said, the point is simply that people are not always in complete control of their circumstances. That the examples given are not perfect replicas of one another is irrelevant. Granted that the middle class in this country has not been shipped in cattle cars to death camps, gassed, and tossed into crematoria; nonetheless what HAS happened to them is not all their fault.

And if you're going to quote me don't take liberties in editing my words

If you don't want me editing your words, don't post childish bullshit that I'm embarrassed to quote. The sense of what you said was unchanged. I just made it as if a grown up had written it.

 

[Skull Pilot]

You're conveniently leaving out the torture and wholesale slaughter so still an astronomical overreach.

As I said, the point is simply that people are not always in complete control of their circumstances. That the examples given are not perfect replicas of one another is irrelevant. Granted that the middle class in this country has not been shipped in cattle cars to death camps, gassed, and tossed into crematoria; nonetheless what HAS happened to them is not all their fault.

And if you're going to quote me don't take liberties in editing my words

If you don't want me editing your words, don't post childish bullshit that I'm embarrassed to quote. The sense of what you said was unchanged. I just made it as if a grown up had written it.

OWS: Obnoxious Whining Sheep is an accurate description of your so called victims.

 

[georgephillip]

Three years and counting and still not a single one of Obama's "savvy businessmen" from Wall Street has been indicted for accounting frauds that have forced major banks to shell out over a $billion in SEC enforcement actions.

"'It's not called Occupy Wall Street because it's a random geographical location,' said Bartlett Naylor, who heads financial policy for advocacy group Public Citizen, which wants criminal charges filed against Wall Street executives.

"'The details (of this case) are the face of the problem that brings Occupy Wall Street protestors to the streets.

"'We have theft from actual people.

"In the end these are pension fund beneficiaries ... it's clear we know the names of the perpetrators, and yet these people are apparently not heading to jail."

Citigroup Settles for $285 Million; No Wall Street Executive Jailed Yet | Truthout

 

[flacaltenn]

Three years and counting and still not a single one of Obama's "savvy businessmen" from Wall Street has been indicted for accounting frauds that have forced major banks to shell out over a $billion in SEC enforcement actions.

"'It's not called Occupy Wall Street because it's a random geographical location,' said Bartlett Naylor, who heads financial policy for advocacy group Public Citizen, which wants criminal charges filed against Wall Street executives.

"'The details (of this case) are the face of the problem that brings Occupy Wall Street protestors to the streets.

"'We have theft from actual people.

"In the end these are pension fund beneficiaries ... it's clear we know the names of the perpetrators, and yet these people are apparently not heading to jail."

Citigroup Settles for $285 Million; No Wall Street Executive Jailed Yet | Truthout

Right on my to-do list after Barney Frank is indicted for his sending home of the regulators and asserting that "Fanny and Freddie will never cost the taxpayers a nickel"...

 

[OODA_Loop]

The point, though, is that the idea that everyone is absolutely responsible for his or her own circumstances and shit doesn't happen and the rules of the game and who sets them and on behalf of whom don't matter, is obviously and demonstrably wrong.

Holy shit I thank my parents for imbuing me with the diametric.

 

[Harry Dresden]

I never understood the covetous nature of Liberals.

What coveting? Most of us don't want this for ourselves.

I never understood the selfish nature of Conservatives.

but many Liberals come off like they do want what the other guy has......AND many Conservatives are not selfish in spite of what that Dick Dean says......

 

[Harry Dresden]

and for you info. I was doing OK until this administration, now I'm paying 3.50 a gallon of gas, bacon that was $2.99 is NOW $6.00, etc etc.
you damn Socialist-Commies make me sick

Bacon 6 bucks a pound?.....maybe at whole Foods for a special type.....go to another store,your getting ripped off.....

 

[Harry Dresden]

You'll notice that the cons argument always places us as the people looking for "hand outs". They can't wrap their heads around the fact that just maybe we're doing well and want to see those who are less fortunate than us be able to get some assistance.

If they stopped and thought about, maybe, just maybe those of us who are advocating for these social safety nets and aid for the poor and middle class are in favor of it not because of selfish reasons or that it would directly benefit us but because it's just the right thing to do.

I'm sure I'll be called a communist/marxist/socialist for this post.

and there are many on the right who feel the same way.....you guys listen to fucking Dean to much....

 

[Harry Dresden]

Greece is what it is because people there don't pay their taxes.

Like the Tea Party.

People in the Tea Party dont pay taxes?.....i havent heard this before....hey Chris lets see you prove this.....or is it going to be like all the other times you get called out.....

 

[Harry Dresden]

He lowered taxes for the rich, started two useless wars, created an trillion dollar unfunded drug program, and allowed Wall Street to run a $516 trillion dollar derivatives Ponzi scheme.

were you for the Afghan invasion Chris?......or are you part of the 10% who were against it?....

 

[Harry Dresden]

Why? Yours certainly never came on...

Oddly, people like RDD think that Soros, Obama, etc. give a shit about them... their tools of the Marxist elitists... nothing more. Personally, I'm under no illusion that the Koch brothers (or whoever the conservative bogeyman is) care about me... anyhoo... why should they?

And people like you love to throw insults from the sideline without having any actual knowledge of the topic at hand.

and what knowledge do you have RDD?......do the people you back up give a fuck about you?.....most rich Elitist only care about themselves and their little Elitist Club and i dont care what Party they belong too....if you were trying to enact something that will diminish the wealth of Wealthy People,a Rich Democrat will stand by that Rich Republican before he stands with you .......

 

[georgephillip]

Three years and counting and still not a single one of Obama's "savvy businessmen" from Wall Street has been indicted for accounting frauds that have forced major banks to shell out over a $billion in SEC enforcement actions.

"'It's not called Occupy Wall Street because it's a random geographical location,' said Bartlett Naylor, who heads financial policy for advocacy group Public Citizen, which wants criminal charges filed against Wall Street executives.

"'The details (of this case) are the face of the problem that brings Occupy Wall Street protestors to the streets.

"'We have theft from actual people.

"In the end these are pension fund beneficiaries ... it's clear we know the names of the perpetrators, and yet these people are apparently not heading to jail."

Citigroup Settles for $285 Million; No Wall Street Executive Jailed Yet | Truthout

Right on my to-do list after Barney Frank is indicted for his sending home of the regulators and asserting that "Fanny and Freddie will never cost the taxpayers a nickel"...

Why wait?

"This is F%$#ing criminal. Only the biggest bastard banks with the biggest fastest computers with models created by the biggest bunch of immoral MBAs in the history of the planet can get away with it. How much of Goldman's profit came about this way?

"Why isn't the SEC doing something about it. This is fraud. Why isn't that blathering fool Barney Frank outraged by this? Why isn't Schumer and Dodd up in arms?

"You know why. Because they want the banks to make money any way they can.

"Geithner is applauding this news."

Frank is just as guilty as Phil Gramm or Hank Paulson or Bubba or Dubya.

The epidemic of accounting fraud that the FBI began warning about in 2004 resulted in large campaign donations to Democrat and Republican alike. The source of the corruption lies with the US investor class working through Wall Street.

"Choosing" between Republican OR Democrat in the voting booth guarantees more corruption in DC and even greater income inequality between FIRE sector incomes and those who produce useful products.

GOLDMAN, CITI, JP MORGAN & BOA ARE CRIMINALS - James Quinn - Seeking Alpha