Save the US, Take Down the Top One Percent, Take Back Our Country
Economic oppression has stolen US democracy and is killing Americans. Time to take down the top one percent and restore economic freedom. by Joel S. Hirschhorn
(libertarian)
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Massive economic inequality is killing America and we the people. It has already killed American democracy. The rich have captured the political system so they could manipulate the economy and benefit unfairly. Economic freedom and opportunity are gone. Greed among the top one percent has succeeded so well that a true uprising and revolt by Americans, like that seen in Egypt, may be needed to restore America.
US society is riddled through and through with constant lies and political propaganda to keep Americans stupid and distracted. The truth is here, hidden from easy view for most citizens by an epidemic of dishonesty and irresponsibility among elected officials, corporate leaders, cowardly, corporate controlled mass media, and especially right-wing pundits, many of whom are in the top one percent. The truth, of course, is often revealed, but only in venues that relatively few people with sufficient intelligence and critical thinking skills access. Two recent articles should be required reading in every classroom and home.
First, some key numbers tell the true story about the decline of America in recent decades as revealed by acclaimed economist Joseph E. Stiglitz in Vanity Fair. Upper one percent Americans are now taking in nearly a quarter of the nation's annual income and own 40 percent of the nation's wealth. Twenty-five years ago, the corresponding figures were 12 percent and 33 percent. The top one percent's incomes rose 18 percent over the past decade as those in the middle have actually seen their incomes fall. As the recession still hurts most Americans, especially the unemployed, hungry and foreclosed, the top one percent, many of whom created the economic meltdown, keeps their tax cuts and riches.
"Most citizens are doing worse year after year," observes Stiglitz.
Also, in our delusional democracy run by a bipartisan corporate dictatorship: "Virtually all U.S. senators, and most of the representatives in the House, are members of the top 1 percent when they arrive, are kept in office by money from the top 1 percent, and know that if they serve the top 1 percent well they will be rewarded by the top 1 percent when they leave office. By and large, the key executive-branch policymakers on trade and economic policy also come from the top 1 percent." No surprise that those who poisoned the economy have not been prosecuted.
You cannot vote away this insanity by electing Republicans or Democrats, even those claiming Tea Party status, who mostly want to protect rich and corporate elites as evidenced by their disinterest in removing corporate subsidies and welfare, nor raising taxes on the rich. This behavior is brainless for non-wealthy Americans.
Stiglitz says: "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." In truth, they own our government.
The second article in The Nation by Robert Scheer smartly noted "The delusion of a classless America in which opportunity is equally distributed is the most effective deception perpetrated by the moneyed elite that controls all the key levers of power in what passes for our democracy." Mostly ignored, "the corporate rich reward themselves in direct proportion to the amount of suffering they have caused."
Scheer referenced this: During Clinton's presidency the income of the top one percent increased by 10.1 percent per year, while that of the other 99 percent of Americans increased by only 2.4 percent a year. From 2002 to 2006, a period in which the top one percent increased its income 11 percent annually the rest of Americans had a truly paltry gain of 1 percent per year.
What kind of population would endure all this? Submissive, stupid and sidetracked Americans refusing to see the economic oppression strangling the nation.
To be in the top one percent you need an adjusted gross income of about $400,000, most not coming from salaries or wages. And those households with less than 5 million people total have a net worth of at least $8 million each. Do you make the cut? If not, then wake up to reality. You are a victim!
The top one percent people are the enemy. THEY have stolen your financial security and opportunity. THEY have sold us out to China and other nations. YOU have been sacrificed to satisfy their greed. You have a better chance of winning a huge lottery than becoming one of them.
Abusive inequality is no accident of history. It has occurred by design. Forget morality and fairness. The wealthiest of the wealthy have ingeniously engineered the political and economic systems to get exactly what they want and screw the rest of society. They do not fear outright revolution, peaceful or violent class war.
Pause for a moment. Think in terms of an invisible corporate dictatorship run in a bipartisan way by people who know how to use their money to retain a thoroughly corrupt political system. That is the tool used to protect themselves from the wrath of a few hundred million victims of their villainy. The economic oppression by the richest one percent is far greater than that of the British which spurred the American Revolution. We desperately need a second revolution against domestic tyranny.
In addition to the two excellent recent articles, you would benefit from examining the Who Rules America? website. If you appreciate data also peruse this excellent Mother Jones article, which points out most Americans perceive wealth distribution more fairly distributed than it really is, delusional thinking.
To sum up, those not brainwashed by political propaganda should support taking down the top one percent to take back their country. Without action more and more Americans will suffer as the middle class merges into one huge lower class.
We outnumber them. Have you had enough economic oppression? Remember, every ruling class can be brought down.
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in this article are those of Joel S. Hirschhorn only and
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Posted By: Roy Ellis
Date: April 10, 2011 10:15:08 PM
Well, yeah! It doesn’t require reading articles by economist, pouring over statistics, listening to talking heads, more tautology, etc. One who has been alive for a good part of the last 30 years understands full well the situation.
But, you’ve nailed it. We are ruled by Corpocracy. I would disagree as to the cause. You state that THEY did this to us. I would counter that, no, the voters did this to themselves. You state we need a second revolution. I agree, in that the second revolution only need be carried out through the ballot box.
Where in the Constitution does it say that after a couple of hundred years the reins of government will be turned over to corporations and the people shall be quieted? Doesn’t, nor was that the Founder’s intent. But, the Constitution, with the Founder’s intent, gives us the vote.
So, you’ve given us the WHY – rule by Corpocracy.
So, what should we do to extricate ourselves, restore the country, Constitution and so on? Get rid of the top one percent? That’s similar to saying we need REAL campaign finance reform, or a flat income tax with no deductions, or, here’s a good one, write your congressperson. Ain’t going to happen. The Corpocracy has us in their clutches. At best, congress will name a court house or two, play around at fringe reform on abortion, NPR and the like and do a lot of talking. But, serious reform – a cold day in hell for that to happen.
What then, is exactly the real problem? The money influence in government and politics.
And, how would we manage to remove the money influence? By voting Rep or Dem? No, the duopoly + big business = the Corpocracy.
Perhaps a new 3rd party? No, just like the ‘Tea Party’, a new third party would be co-opted over-time by the money influence.
But, suppose we found a third party in a few rules that would preclude the party from ever being co-opted. Suppose we give the party membership oversight authority for their elected and appointed officials. This oversight would make certain that elected/appointed official work to carry out the party agenda set forth by the members. If they don’t or fail to communicate their position to the membership they would be subject to being rejected from the party. Let’s broaden the oversight to allow national membership to vote on any congressperson. For example, if a congressperson of New York violates ethics rules he/she may be subject to an up/down vote by national party members.
Now, there is a third party with a different political attitude,
So, how would this party remove the money influence, etc? How about going to the source of the problem, Corporate Personhood law. Let’s assign this party the primary mission of working to abolish corporate personhood law and implement REAL campaign finance reform. Accomplishing that, a more broad agenda could be undertaken to include social issues and the like.
Through a third party with a different political attitude we would be able to, through the vote, to carry out a second revolution, ending with the desired effect. A gov’t free of the money influence and where politicians communicate with and represent the people. From there, all things are once again, possible.
Posted By: Joel S. Hirschhorn
Date: April 11, 2011 08:13:01 AM
Roy Ellis uses every opportunity to sing his own, favorite song; his version of a new political party. Just one crucial problem: the current two-party plutocracy has so corrupted and rigged the political system that no new political party has any chance of success and, moreover, American are so dumbed down and distracted that they are not going to rally to a new party in the huge numbers necessary for success. Roy misses my point: what has happened in Egypt and other places needs to happen in the US, namely actual in-the-streets-revolt by suffering, angry citizens with a clear message that suffering Americans are ready to take down the superrich; Americans need to openly threaten the stable US political system, not by voting anymore in delusional elections.
Posted By: Roy Ellis
Date: April 11, 2011 10:20:47 PM
Joel, you are correct in that I'm singing my own song. Few to none have shown any interest in a third party with a different attitude. Still, when the real pain and misery sets in over the next several years things could turn.
Your point is clear and well made. But again, there is not yet the pain and misery to bring them to the streets. Glenn Beck has had the most success there but he's been fired from FOX.
Of course, you expect people of a free and democratic society to have wide ranging opinions/positions but, I stand amazed that the major populace seems glued in place politically. Seems anyone who has been alive for the last 20-30 years would want a second revolution, now. My concern is that when people do become that excited the possibility of a fringe group could quickly come to power and put us into a violent revolution.
I firmly believe the only way to remove the money influence is through a third party designed to do just that, no social issues, please. Fight fire with fire, etc.
However, I believe that the Corpocracy can be weakend by voting incumbents from office every election. www.voidnow.com
And, while a slow path to reform, forcing congress and the courts to recognize an Article V Convention (www.foavc.org) would be most helpful. Possibly in clearing a path for a third party.
Joel, there are perhaps 50 third party out there. Just not the people to support them. Nor would I. Any 21st century 3rd party has to be designed to be co-option proof, founded in a few rules, authorize membership oversight for elected/appointed officials, etc. Has to have strong up/down communications, a 66% favorable vote to change any rule or reject an elected/appointed official from the party, etc.
Otherwise, I'll keep singing my song and we will continue to have the Corpocracy we deserve.
