The Rich vs We The People

[Troy Spiral (13)]

 

So what does this mean?    The richest .01 percent have had HUGE increases in income.  The top 1% have had HUGE increases in income.   (Also the top 10% not shown) while "the bottom 90%" (thats us) have had zero increase in income for decade upon decade (this trend goes farther back than 1980 just that is all that is shown here)

Why is this?  Are the rich more productive? No.  Do they create more jobs when they are richer? No, they don't and never did it is a great propaganda tool to give them our money. 

The biggest reason for this increasing income gap is they rig the system.   You and I could if we wanted to at the max donate something like 5,000 dollars to a single politician in a single election (the primary + the actual election).   Corporation PACs  (political action committees) can donate an infinite amount of money and now corporations have >constitutational rights< as if they are people.  This was passed via an evil bill deceptively called "Citizens United".   Corporations are people? MMMKAY...no.    

 

Huge sums of money being donated by a very small number of people means we live in an Oligarchy (rule by the rich) not a democracy.  Huge money corrupts and has badly corrupted the system.  It can be fixed.  But it won't be easy. 

The primary way to fix this is to make corporate PAC money illegal (as it was) via a constitutional amendment.  Believe it or not there are now many "justice democrats" that openly support this idea.   It is becoming an actual issue with voters.  "Do you accept corporate PAC money?  Yes?  Don't vote for them.  (unless the second choice is worse).  In the long run this is THE most important issue for democracy. 

Spearheading this concept (although many groups are as well) is the alternative media outlet and really informative and very different than your usual news The Young Turks  (Young Turks is a reference to "new energetic progressives")  which has a lot of great programming. 

 

 

[sekhmet2002]

The information on the graph speaks for itself. It's ridiculous but still people tolerate it and do nothing to change it. I just don't understand some people.