Plutonomics

[Truthmatters]

Embarrassment of riches. - 'Wealth and Democracy: A Political History of the American Rich' - book review | Washington Monthly | Find Articles at BNET


Not every Republican likes the way the GOP is leaning. Back in 1969, a young Nixon strategist named Kevin Phillips wrote The Emerging Republican Majority, which presaged two decades of conservative dominance. Phillips has been trying to make Republicans class-conscious ever since. In 1990, he wrote The Politics of Rich and Poor, a populist call to arms that Democrats gleefully used to skewer the elder George Bush.

Twelve years later, Phillips still can't seem to follow the White House talking points. His new book, Wealth and Democracy, is a history of the silver spoon that predicts Republican greed will be America's downfall. When it comes to doing the greatest good for the fewest number, he writes, "The world has no other political party with anything like the same record over the last century and a half."

Phillips is a big believer in political cycles, since he made his career predicting one. He sees American history as one long cycle of boom and reform, alternating between "the avid businessman's pursuit and the populist complaint." When the economy swells, the rich grab as much as they can; when it goes south, the little guys rise up to take something back. The rich get richer, and the poor get Democrats.



I think you nitwits dont even understand the ops article

 

[loosecannon]

Cut the crap marxists. In the greatest Country on earth the people control the economy by hiring and firing representatives in government. It wasn't Pluto that fired 60 democrats last November, it was the people of the United States. The never ending whining about corporations and decadent capitalism doesn't cut it.

that Marxist "crap" was written by Citibank financial advisers and an editor from the WSJ.

 

[loosecannon]

Embarrassment of riches. - 'Wealth and Democracy: A Political History of the American Rich' - book review | Washington Monthly | Find Articles at BNET


Not every Republican likes the way the GOP is leaning. Back in 1969, a young Nixon strategist named Kevin Phillips wrote The Emerging Republican Majority, which presaged two decades of conservative dominance. Phillips has been trying to make Republicans class-conscious ever since. In 1990, he wrote The Politics of Rich and Poor, a populist call to arms that Democrats gleefully used to skewer the elder George Bush.

Twelve years later, Phillips still can't seem to follow the White House talking points. His new book, Wealth and Democracy, is a history of the silver spoon that predicts Republican greed will be America's downfall. When it comes to doing the greatest good for the fewest number, he writes, "The world has no other political party with anything like the same record over the last century and a half."

Phillips is a big believer in political cycles, since he made his career predicting one. He sees American history as one long cycle of boom and reform, alternating between "the avid businessman's pursuit and the populist complaint." When the economy swells, the rich grab as much as they can; when it goes south, the little guys rise up to take something back. The rich get richer, and the poor get Democrats.



I think you nitwits dont even understand the ops article

What you don't seem to understand, TM, is that the dems are not the party of the little people, and the repubs are not the party of big bizniz.

Both parties are the party of big bizniz and the wealthy and powerful but each party get's elected by selling a different lie and by bribing different sectors of the electorate..

 

[gnurat]

Thanks, Gunny. I am just quoting Citibank and the WSJ and their own characterizations of a national economy that is increasingly driven by the slimmest minority of it's pop.

Actually would it not be better to describe the USA as being controlled by a government that has progressively moved further from the constitution and values of our constitution.

Each successive generation of Politicians add rules, laws, mandates, bureaucracy.

I think its a bit misleading to state we are ruled by a minority of the rich.

We are ruled by the progressive agenda that has infected our Republic.

Yes the rich have a tremendous amount of power, but that is built over many years of a law here, a law there, until the whole government is one out of control mess.

This is not capitalism at work.

Really ... you would, huh?

Which war have we NOT fought for the rich over power and money? Please start with the American Revolution where poor colonists fought for the right of wealthy colonists to not pay taxes to our King and proceed .....

Sorry Gunny I am a bit slow.

Poor Colonist. The Colonist were rich. Compared to the peasants of the world the Colonist had every opportunity. Land for the taking, trees to cut for Lumber, wild animals for food.

The Colonists were not poor, not by any definition.

The Colonists are fighting against what I fight against, a tyrannical government.

I wish I had the opportunity that the Colonists had, I would be rich if I did.

 

[gnurat]

How does the increasingly poor population feed each other when the increasingly smaller percent hold all the wealth?

You people HATE government when it is te ONLY fucking way the masses can proitect themselves from the uner wealthys control of so much of their lives.

Do you people even understand WHY the founders no longer wanted to be British?

Wealth is not a commodity. It seems to me that your describing Wealth like bread on the shelf of a store.

Wealth is our labor, the only reason our labor is worth little has nothing to do with how much wealth the rich have.

The fact is that our ability to labor that best fits our individual abilities is regulated by government.

 

[bigrebnc1775]

How does the increasingly poor population feed each other when the increasingly smaller percent hold all the wealth?

You people HATE government when it is te ONLY fucking way the masses can proitect themselves from the uner wealthys control of so much of their lives.

Do you people even understand WHY the founders no longer wanted to be British?

Wealth is not a commodity. It seems to me that your describing Wealth like bread on the shelf of a store.

Wealth is our labor, the only reason our labor is worth little has nothing to do with how much wealth the rich have.

The fact is that our ability to labor that best fits our individual abilities is regulated by government.

Thats truth doesn't matter she delusional, but I am sure you will learn that soon enough.

Welcome to the USMB

 

[Truthmatters]

Embarrassment of riches. - 'Wealth and Democracy: A Political History of the American Rich' - book review | Washington Monthly | Find Articles at BNET


Not every Republican likes the way the GOP is leaning. Back in 1969, a young Nixon strategist named Kevin Phillips wrote The Emerging Republican Majority, which presaged two decades of conservative dominance. Phillips has been trying to make Republicans class-conscious ever since. In 1990, he wrote The Politics of Rich and Poor, a populist call to arms that Democrats gleefully used to skewer the elder George Bush.

Twelve years later, Phillips still can't seem to follow the White House talking points. His new book, Wealth and Democracy, is a history of the silver spoon that predicts Republican greed will be America's downfall. When it comes to doing the greatest good for the fewest number, he writes, "The world has no other political party with anything like the same record over the last century and a half."

Phillips is a big believer in political cycles, since he made his career predicting one. He sees American history as one long cycle of boom and reform, alternating between "the avid businessman's pursuit and the populist complaint." When the economy swells, the rich grab as much as they can; when it goes south, the little guys rise up to take something back. The rich get richer, and the poor get Democrats.



I think you nitwits dont even understand the ops article

What you don't seem to understand, TM, is that the dems are not the party of the little people, and the repubs are not the party of big bizniz.

Both parties are the party of big bizniz and the wealthy and powerful but each party get's elected by selling a different lie and by bribing different sectors of the electorate..

I understand that most people are subject to purchase no matter what letter comes after their name.

I also understand that the current republican party is wholesale purchased from the day they gain ANY power in their party.

To pretend that both parties are equally bought is just not true.

If all the fools here who vote right wing every election quit voting republican and voted democratic we could STOP thiss purchase.

Not all dems are unpurchased but ALL Rs are.

 

[midcan5]

We had ten years of reduced taxes and the economy sank what more proof is needed?


http://www.usmessageboard.com/econo...r-taxes-cause-economic-booms.html#post3060142


"'Practical' politics, it is held, calls for policies that appeal to the fortunate. The poor do not vote; the alert politician bids for the comfortable and the rich. This would be politically foolish for the Democratic Party; those whose primary concern is to protect their income, their capital and their business interest will always vote for the party that most strongly affirms its service to their pecuniary well-being. This is and has always been the Republicans. The Democrats have no future as a low grade substitute." John Kenneth Galbraith 'The Good Society'


"There is no historical evidence that tax cuts spur economic growth. The highest period of growth in U.S. history (1933-1973) also saw its highest tax rates on the rich: 70 to 91 percent. During this period, the general tax rate climbed as well, but it reached a plateau in 1969, and growth slowed down five years later. Almost all rich nations have higher general taxes than the U.S., and they are growing faster as well." Tax cuts spur economic growth

 

[bigrebnc1775]

Embarrassment of riches. - 'Wealth and Democracy: A Political History of the American Rich' - book review | Washington Monthly | Find Articles at BNET


Not every Republican likes the way the GOP is leaning. Back in 1969, a young Nixon strategist named Kevin Phillips wrote The Emerging Republican Majority, which presaged two decades of conservative dominance. Phillips has been trying to make Republicans class-conscious ever since. In 1990, he wrote The Politics of Rich and Poor, a populist call to arms that Democrats gleefully used to skewer the elder George Bush.

Twelve years later, Phillips still can't seem to follow the White House talking points. His new book, Wealth and Democracy, is a history of the silver spoon that predicts Republican greed will be America's downfall. When it comes to doing the greatest good for the fewest number, he writes, "The world has no other political party with anything like the same record over the last century and a half."

Phillips is a big believer in political cycles, since he made his career predicting one. He sees American history as one long cycle of boom and reform, alternating between "the avid businessman's pursuit and the populist complaint." When the economy swells, the rich grab as much as they can; when it goes south, the little guys rise up to take something back. The rich get richer, and the poor get Democrats.



I think you nitwits dont even understand the ops article

What you don't seem to understand, TM, is that the dems are not the party of the little people, and the repubs are not the party of big bizniz.

Both parties are the party of big bizniz and the wealthy and powerful but each party get's elected by selling a different lie and by bribing different sectors of the electorate..

I understand that most people are subject to purchase no matter what letter comes after their name.

I also understand that the current republican party is wholesale purchased from the day they gain ANY power in their party.

To pretend that both parties are equally bought is just not true.

If all the fools here who vote right wing every election quit voting republican and voted democratic we could STOP thiss purchase.

Not all dems are unpurchased but ALL Rs are.

Obama's lobbyist rule: Promise Broken
PolitiFact | Obama's lobbyist rule: Promise Broken

I suggest that you walk away.

 

[loosecannon]

How does the increasingly poor population feed each other when the increasingly smaller percent hold all the wealth?

You people HATE government when it is te ONLY fucking way the masses can proitect themselves from the uner wealthys control of so much of their lives.

Do you people even understand WHY the founders no longer wanted to be British?

Wealth is not a commodity. It seems to me that your describing Wealth like bread on the shelf of a store.

Wealth is our labor, the only reason our labor is worth little has nothing to do with how much wealth the rich have.

Actually the reason why your labor is worth little has a lot to do with how much wealth the rich have.

Labor has been transformed into a fungible commodity via automation (the Citibank nerds said that, productivity increase driven by technology) and has been reduced in value via globalization.

Your wages allegedly = global wage parity x your productivity.

Productivity on the other hand is mostly a function of capital investment. Take robotics as an example. One person servicing three robots is far more efficient than a line worker.

It takes tremendous wealth concentrations to A) erect monopolies that limit your options for employment and B) pay for the enormous infrastructures required to make your labor a strict global commodity.

The advantages capital has over labor are self reinforcing in the globalized market.

 

[Truthmatters]

Why ANYONE who knows about the increasing purchase of this countries government would EVER defend the republican line and vote for them is beyond belief.

 

[loosecannon]

To pretend that both parties are equally bought is just not true.

If all the fools here who vote right wing every election quit voting republican and voted democratic we could STOP thiss purchase.

Not all dems are unpurchased but ALL Rs are.

You probably really believe that which is why we are all fucked.

You been brainwashed by pros.

 

[gnurat]

This debate is being framed as the Rich against the Poor.

I see this thread not even as a debate.

I see this thread as class warfare. I see this as one side demanding the other defend the rich. I see one side taking the side of the poor not based on facts or reality but as a political tactic.

This is a great example how progressives will always use the poor. Can I say progressives. I am not sure if that is even correct.

This is not the rich against the poor. As long as people believe that, all people will be slaves to the government, that includes the rich.

 

[Truthmatters]

To pretend that both parties are equally bought is just not true.

If all the fools here who vote right wing every election quit voting republican and voted democratic we could STOP thiss purchase.

Not all dems are unpurchased but ALL Rs are.

You probably really believe that which is why we are all fucked.

You been brainwashed by pros.

OK LC lets assume that the dems are just as bad for us as the Rs are.

What is your solution?

A third party which they can buy out in a matter of minutes?

Heres the deal, The R partys platform IS the wealthys agenda outright.

The dem party platform is often what the unber wealthy are fighting.

They perfer Rs but will buy dems when they gain more power.

When a dem is bought they are easier to spot then a bought R.

There is a reason that republicans have presided over greater wealth concentrations and huge downturns.

They are the outright enemy of the people.

Dems do more for the people than the Rs ever do, even if its only to get reelected.

The end result still is the dems are better than the Rs and better than NOTHING

 

[California Girl]

Why ANYONE who knows about the increasing purchase of this countries government would EVER defend the republican line and vote for them is beyond belief.

If you weren't such a mindless, partisan hack you would understand that the same is true of the democrats. Of course, you can't because that would destroy your illusion. The truth is scary.

 

[Truthmatters]

Why ANYONE who knows about the increasing purchase of this countries government would EVER defend the republican line and vote for them is beyond belief.

If you weren't such a mindless, partisan hack you would understand that the same is true of the democrats. Of course, you can't because that would destroy your illusion. The truth is scary.

OK Cali lets assume they are both equally evil.

What is your solution to the buyout?

More tax cuts for the wealthy??

 

[gnurat]

Someone stated that we had ten years of reduced taxes that produced nothing. I agree.

The tiny amount that Taxes were reduced was not enough. Taxes must be reduced across the board, from local governments, to county governments, to the state governments.

Reducing the burden of government a tiny amount in one area is insignificant.

 

[Truthmatters]

Someone stated that we had ten years of reduced taxes that produced nothing. I agree.

The tiny amount that Taxes were reduced was not enough. Taxes must be reduced across the board, from local governments, to county governments, to the state governments.

Reducing the burden of government a tiny amount in one area is insignificant.

How are tax cuts for the wealthy going to make it harder for them to purchase our government from out underneath us?

 

[Truthmatters]

and they all run and hide when common sense mets their incompatable ideas.

You people are really mind fucked.


run away , run away

 

[gnurat]

How does the increasingly poor population feed each other when the increasingly smaller percent hold all the wealth?

You people HATE government when it is te ONLY fucking way the masses can proitect themselves from the uner wealthys control of so much of their lives.

Do you people even understand WHY the founders no longer wanted to be British?

Wealth is not a commodity. It seems to me that your describing Wealth like bread on the shelf of a store.

Wealth is our labor, the only reason our labor is worth little has nothing to do with how much wealth the rich have.

Actually the reason why your labor is worth little has a lot to do with how much wealth the rich have.

Labor has been transformed into a fungible commodity via automation (the Citibank nerds said that, productivity increase driven by technology) and has been reduced in value via globalization.

Your wages allegedly = global wage parity x your productivity.

Productivity on the other hand is mostly a function of capital investment. Take robotics as an example. One person servicing three robots is far more efficient than a line worker.

It takes tremendous wealth concentrations to A) erect monopolies that limit your options for employment and B) pay for the enormous infrastructures required to make your labor a strict global commodity.

The advantages capital has over labor are self reinforcing in the globalized market.

Actually how much wealth the rich have has nothing to do with the value of my Labor.

My labor's wealth is artificially controlled by rules, regulations, laws, mandates, and taxes.

You add enough fact to confuse the average person but a little fact with a glaring lie does not diminish the effect that government has on my labor/wealth.

Not all Labor is equal. You seem to be stating that the only solution to our problem is more of what caused the problem to begin with, progressive policies of the government.