georgephillip
Diamond Member
Thirty years ago the top 1% of US workers earned 9% of total annual income. Today's top 1% hoard nearly a quarter of the total.
"Meanwhile the earnings of the typical worker have barely budged."
Robert Reich has some explanations and solutions that elected Republicans AND Democrats aren't likely to try:
"The vast middle class no longer has the purchasing power to keep the economy going. (The rich spend a much lower portion of their incomes.)
"The crisis was averted before now only because middle-class families found ways to keep spending more than they took in by women going into paid work, by working longer hours, and finally by using their homes as collateral to borrow.
"But when the housing bubble burst, the game was up.
"The solution is to reorganize the economy so the benefits of growth are more widely shared.
"Exempt the first $20,000 of income from payroll taxes, and apply payroll taxes to incomes over $250,000.
"Extend Medicare to all.
"Extend the Earned Income Tax Credit all the way up through families earning $50,000.
"Make higher education free to families that now cant afford it.
"Rehire teachers.
"Repair and rebuild our infrastructure.
"Create a new WPA to put the unemployed back to work.
Where would we find the money for all this?
"Pay for this by raising marginal income taxes on millionaires (under Eisenhower, the highest marginal rate was 91 percent, and the economy flourished).
"A millionaire marginal tax of 70 percent would eliminate the nations future budget deficit.
"In addition, impose a small tax on all financial transactions (even a tiny one one half of one percent would bring in $200 billion a year, enough to rehire every teacher whos been laid off as well as provide universal pre-school for all toddlers).
"Promote unions for low-wage workers."
Where would we find the money?
By shrinking the rich instead of government.
Why the Tax Deal
"Meanwhile the earnings of the typical worker have barely budged."
Robert Reich has some explanations and solutions that elected Republicans AND Democrats aren't likely to try:
"The vast middle class no longer has the purchasing power to keep the economy going. (The rich spend a much lower portion of their incomes.)
"The crisis was averted before now only because middle-class families found ways to keep spending more than they took in by women going into paid work, by working longer hours, and finally by using their homes as collateral to borrow.
"But when the housing bubble burst, the game was up.
"The solution is to reorganize the economy so the benefits of growth are more widely shared.
"Exempt the first $20,000 of income from payroll taxes, and apply payroll taxes to incomes over $250,000.
"Extend Medicare to all.
"Extend the Earned Income Tax Credit all the way up through families earning $50,000.
"Make higher education free to families that now cant afford it.
"Rehire teachers.
"Repair and rebuild our infrastructure.
"Create a new WPA to put the unemployed back to work.
Where would we find the money for all this?
"Pay for this by raising marginal income taxes on millionaires (under Eisenhower, the highest marginal rate was 91 percent, and the economy flourished).
"A millionaire marginal tax of 70 percent would eliminate the nations future budget deficit.
"In addition, impose a small tax on all financial transactions (even a tiny one one half of one percent would bring in $200 billion a year, enough to rehire every teacher whos been laid off as well as provide universal pre-school for all toddlers).
"Promote unions for low-wage workers."
Where would we find the money?
By shrinking the rich instead of government.
Why the Tax Deal