I was reading
this story about income inequality in California and was floored to read the following:
“Every day, people are on the road for an hour, two hours, each way.
We’re wasting so much talent and skill and the disparity in income is
just ridiculous,” said Clark. “The government’s job is defense, and
building roads and schools. But another part of the government’s job is
income distribution and too much of it has gone to the super-wealthy.”
No, Mr. Clark, part of the government's job is not income distribution. But people like you who think that way sure screw things up.
I'm old enough to remember what life in the US was like during the 50's. In those days the government really did care about the middle and working class. Life was better. I saw it with my own eyes. If we could get rid of the racism of the 50's, while keeping the commitment to the middle class, life would be better. In 2013, Mexico was home to the wealthiest man in the world. Think about what that means. Virtually all the wealth of a nation given to one man while almost everyone else lives in desperate poverty. Every year I've seen our nation move closer to the Mexican model. Inequality has grown so extreme that white working class people are actually seeing a decline in their life span. It may not be "politically correct" to care about people who are white, but I'm old fashioned enough to think that all lives matter.
ReplyDeleteOf course a great deal of that has to do with the lack of affordable housing. I'm not talking subsidized housing-just housing for average folks. My son works at a high end retail job. At 28, he can't afford his own apartment anywhere reasonably near his work. he would have to move out of Dallas or Collin or Denton county more than an hour from work to find a small one bedroom apartment he could afford. Most of the new construction in our area are luxury apartments aimed at the new Texans from Toyota and other corporations. These often start at $1500 a month-which is more than double what similar apartments cost just two years ago. As a result, workers who are employed by companies in this area are forced to either endure a long commute or share rentals. It didn't used to be this way in Dallas. San Francisco has created an urban setting where many of their own city workers such as teachers can't afford to live there. The combination of taxes and burdensome social welfare costs are eventually make such cities into places where only the very rich and the very poor can afford to live.
ReplyDeleteIn 2013, Mexico was home to the wealthiest man in the world. Think about what that means. Virtually all the wealth of a nation given to one man while almost everyone else lives in desperate poverty.
ReplyDeleteAnon, just one question. Who "gave" this wealth to this man? If someone else had it, I would think they would have kept it to themselves. I damned sure would have. Darren, how about you?
I'd keep it :)
ReplyDeleteThere's too much global competition. Labor cost are way too cheap in Africa. Yes, Africa is now the new "China", as in the new place to find the cheapest labor in the world market.
ReplyDelete