RE: The wealth of the few elite.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070216
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Warren Buffet has just given lots of money away to charities. Bill Gates gives lots away also. I don't know about Steve Jobs or any charity he supports. To me this just shows how too few have too much.
Ever since President Reagan there has been an attack on the middle class and democracy. President W.J. Clinton increased taxes on the rich to pay down the other Bush/Reagan's arms race/weapons debt. This Bush president has added more than any with his "unending treasury plunder for his illegal wars".
As soon as the other GW Bush came to power, the tax rate changed to an even lower rate for the top rich (even international corporations) in our society. Money flows like water to off-shore banks so they don't pay taxes here at home. It's more than a tax rate to the top American elite. It is to destroy us and our democracy.
The division of rich and poor is evident in my area. There are huge castle like homes while people struggle with two low paying jobs just miles from one another. Four homes on 1/4th acre pay more taxes combined than the big home on an acre.
I see no problem with a person becoming rich on their own creativity or hard work. I believe in Capitalism but not huge international monopolies who fix prices, refuse to pay and give benefits to slave labor, and are ruining competition in a "free market". New technology/patents/markets are distroyed and stolen by hostile takeovers.
Hostile takeovers should be illegal...because they are well...hostile. The company and employees don't want to be bought up and destroyed by merger lawyers and greedy CEOs. Years of hard work, markets, etc. and support to the community down the tubes...gone. Sometimes the product/service disappears for a lower quality one. Hostile takeovers are not good economics or democratic.
But do they, the few elite, really need multi-billions? Some of the top rich have more money than small 3rd world countries.
Our tax codes and corporate regulation need addressing once again like at the turn of the century with the Morgans, Rockefellers, etc. Republicans want to bring back the royals with their "death tax" repeal.
Many of the wealthy give back to society but is that good? Wouldn't it be better if the poor didn't exist just waiting for a rich person to come along to rescue/help them with their problems?
What about paying their employees better benefits and salaries, working conditions safer, charging less for their product, and sharing the wealth at the source? How about putting some of the profit in pension funds for their old age or disability if that happens?
The greed and disproportion of wealth at the turn of the last century saw sewage run down the streets and our workers living in filth.
A Progressive movement is needed to fight off the royals/Conservatives who have no clue that their riches/power are off the backs of other people. The rich are not chosen by God to be leaders. Nor are they more intelligent, hard working, or clever.
The rich, elite are given political power over the people just from their wealth alone (not that their judgement or policy is good for our country). Our middle class is disappearing along with the "American Dream".
Even Warren Buffet admitted he did not get rich on his own. He said, the rich should pay taxes to support our government and society since they did not get rich on their own. They had help.
How about it Warren can you share the wealth at the source? How about paying those insurance refunds, costs, charging less? Not putting people out of work by mergers, etc.?
How about it Democrats? Are we going to allow our party to push globalization and privitization by international corporations and the elite agenda down our throats? Regulation and accountability must be part of the discussion at the conventions.
