The end result of the conservative revolution: Our Banana Republic

[Bfgrn]

Opinion

By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF

In my reporting, I regularly travel to banana republics notorious for their inequality. In some of these plutocracies, the richest 1 percent of the population gobbles up 20 percent of the national pie.

But guess what? You no longer need to travel to distant and dangerous countries to observe such rapacious inequality. We now have it right here at home — and in the aftermath of Tuesday’s election, it may get worse.

The richest 1 percent of Americans now take home almost 24 percent of income, up from almost 9 percent in 1976. As Timothy Noah of Slate noted in an excellent series on inequality, the United States now arguably has a more unequal distribution of wealth than traditional banana republics like Nicaragua, Venezuela and Guyana.

C.E.O.’s of the largest American companies earned an average of 42 times as much as the average worker in 1980, but 531 times as much in 2001. Perhaps the most astounding statistic is this: From 1980 to 2005, more than four-fifths of the total increase in American incomes went to the richest 1 percent.
edited short please keep articles to a few paragraphs then link to the rest per rules of board, Care

 

[Liberty]

lol no

 

[editec]

I long ago cointed what I think is the perfect name for that America where income and wealth inequity is leading us to:

BANANAMERICAN National Anthem​

We had a shot
in Ame-rica.
Now things are rot
in Ame-rica.
There's some with a lot
in Ame-rica.
But more ain't got squat
in Ame-ricaaaaaaaaa​

(musical interlude for those who are familiar with this tune from West Side Story)​

We use to build
In Ame-rica
Ate till we're filled
In Ame-rica
Now we take pills
In Ame-rica
Cause greed it has killed
Off Ame-ricaaaaaaaaaa​

 

[Mr. H.]

Knock knock.

 

[Liberty]

why does the left always want to be mediocre? Such failures at life.

 

[Stephanie]

lol, all you can so is shake your head at the stupid article and laugh your ass off.

and I think poor Nicholas Kistoff should find a high bridge and jump off, the world is about to end.

 

[kyzr]

lol, all you can so is shake your head at the stupid article and laugh your ass off.

and I think poor Nicholas Kistoff should find a high bridge and jump off, the world is about to end.

The other side of that coin is that I heard The Donald say that if the Bush Tax Cut is not extended the wealthy would all leave and go to places like Switzerland, and take their wealth with them.

A 2% tax increase, boo-fucking-hoo.
Whatever happened to Obama's initiative of going after off-shore tax cheats?
We need a confiscation czar to scarf-up the estates of traitors who take their wealth off-shore in order to avoid paying taxes. I'd take Marc Rich's stash first.

 

[The Rabbi]

Yes, the election of the GOP to the House and many state governments means we are headed for Paraguay.
Where do people get this shit? The OP is so absurd refuting it would be like shooting fish in a barrel.
Why do liberals fixate on "income distribution"? What is their solution, other than "redistribution"?

 

[RadiomanATL]

We see this sore-loserism after every election.

Obama wins, the right goes "Oh NOES!! SOCIALISM! NO RIGHTS! GAYS! HIPPIES!"

Republicans win the house, the left goes "Oh NOES!! BANANA REPUBLIC, OLIGARCHY! FASCISM!"


*yawn*

 

[The Rabbi]

We see this sore-loserism after every election.

Obama wins, the right goes "Oh NOES!! SOCIALISM! NO RIGHTS! GAYS! HIPPIES!"

Republicans win the house, the left goes "Oh NOES!! BANANA REPUBLIC, OLIGARCHY! FASCISM!"


*yawn*

Except the Right was correct: Gov't takeover of private enterprise. Further erosion of constitutional protections. Marxists in the administration.
The Left just trots out their usual stalking horses, all of them proven wrong.

 

[RadiomanATL]

We see this sore-loserism after every election.

Obama wins, the right goes "Oh NOES!! SOCIALISM! NO RIGHTS! GAYS! HIPPIES!"

Republicans win the house, the left goes "Oh NOES!! BANANA REPUBLIC, OLIGARCHY! FASCISM!"


*yawn*

Except the Right was correct: Gov't takeover of private enterprise. Further erosion of constitutional protections. Marxists in the administration.
The Left just trots out their usual stalking horses, all of them proven wrong.

No. They weren't.

We are not a socialist nation. We have not lost any constitutionally guaranteed rights.

 

[kyzr]

When the dems want illegals to vote, and to get access to free medical care, you lost rights.

 

[The Rabbi]

We see this sore-loserism after every election.

Obama wins, the right goes "Oh NOES!! SOCIALISM! NO RIGHTS! GAYS! HIPPIES!"

Republicans win the house, the left goes "Oh NOES!! BANANA REPUBLIC, OLIGARCHY! FASCISM!"


*yawn*

Except the Right was correct: Gov't takeover of private enterprise. Further erosion of constitutional protections. Marxists in the administration.
The Left just trots out their usual stalking horses, all of them proven wrong.

No. They weren't.

We are not a socialist nation. We have not lost any constitutionally guaranteed rights.

We have seen more socialist policies under the Dems than any time since FDR. Ask Anwar al-Awlaki how the protection of his rights is working out for him.

 

[antagon]

i think the end result of the conservative revolution has already been realized through the election of a few serious conservatives. the idea that these panderers could follow through with a conversion from campaign idealism to pragmatic policy is naive. they dont have the numbers among republicans moreover the entire spread of lawmakers. they don't have any policy anyhow.

the US is no banana republic. our poor are simply not so poor. our economy facilitates the function of wealth offering a hand up to the poor and middle class, rather than leaving that to chance as in developing nations. furthermore, extreme conservatism does not find its mandate among wealthy people. this is neoconfederate dogma which was formerly relegated to trailer trash now appealing to a wider but still trailer-trash-sympathetic audience.

 

[RadiomanATL]

Except the Right was correct: Gov't takeover of private enterprise. Further erosion of constitutional protections. Marxists in the administration.
The Left just trots out their usual stalking horses, all of them proven wrong.

No. They weren't.

We are not a socialist nation. We have not lost any constitutionally guaranteed rights.

We have seen more socialist policies under the Dems than any time since FDR. Ask Anwar al-Awlaki how the protection of his rights is working out for him.

 

[California Girl]

Firstly, bf.... why do you use other people's opinions and refuse to provide your own? This is an OpEd. That's fine but ordinarily, one would expect an intelligent person to have some opinion about that OpEd piece. Yet again, you provide nothing but the words of others.

Secondly, you have pasted the whole piece. That's a breach of copyright. I am surprised that something so basic as the law regarding copyright is somehow over your intellectual paygrade.

 

[CrusaderFrank]

When do Progressives ever get anything right?

FDR sucked, LBJ was a racist, Obama spent like a crack ho with a crystal meth habit and we've never ever in my life had a Conservative President and Congress at the same time, yet Conservatism is to blame?

You Progressives need to come to grips with the fact that you no longer have a media monopoly and you just looks like idiots when you lie.

 

[Bfgrn]

Firstly, bf.... why do you use other people's opinions and refuse to provide your own? This is an OpEd. That's fine but ordinarily, one would expect an intelligent person to have some opinion about that OpEd piece. Yet again, you provide nothing but the words of others.

Secondly, you have pasted the whole piece. That's a breach of copyright. I am surprised that something so basic as the law regarding copyright is somehow over your intellectual paygrade.

Then call the copyright police, it might relieve your anal retentive pains. Unfortunately it won't change the fact you are a haughty narcissist.

Hey Cali girl, just be thankful for progressives and liberals, without them you'd be out washing clothes to earn your dowry, unable to vote and promised by your father to the 500 lb banker with BO.

OR, you could move to another ultra conservative culture...

 

[RadiomanATL]

Female ninjas are teh hawt.

 

[California Girl]

Firstly, bf.... why do you use other people's opinions and refuse to provide your own? This is an OpEd. That's fine but ordinarily, one would expect an intelligent person to have some opinion about that OpEd piece. Yet again, you provide nothing but the words of others.

Secondly, you have pasted the whole piece. That's a breach of copyright. I am surprised that something so basic as the law regarding copyright is somehow over your intellectual paygrade.

Then call the copyright police, it might relieve your anal retentive pains. Unfortunately it won't change the fact you are a haughty narcissist.

Hey Cali girl, just be thankful for progressives and liberals, without them you'd be out washing clothes to earn your dowry, unable to vote and promised by your father to the 500 lb banker with BO.

OR, you could move to another ultra conservative culture...

You may not give a shit whether Gunny gets into shit for breach of copyright, but I do. It's not a complicated law. Don't paste an entire piece - surely, even you can understand that?

The rest of your drivel is dismissed as just that.... drivel. I don't reply to drivel, I wipe it up and put it in the trash.... where it belongs.