Millionaires, Billionaires Own 79% of America's Wealth

Yep. The unintended consequences of meddling can make things worse. As you say, inequality is natural.

 

Yes, I already lamented our destructive welfare system. It’s definitely a problem.

 

They would always pay taxes. If they paid working poor wages or living wages.. Or like some corps. Not pay taxes at all!.

 

So get rid of welfare and greed at the top goes away? Never happen.

 

Really? Who would stock the shelves, wash the floors, clean the bathrooms, checkout customers, etc?

Some of you forget we NEED worker bees. The top wage earner compared to the lowest wage earner used to be much closer together. You could survive on a lower end job. It's important. Do you LIKE having your bed cleaned at a hotel? Do you LIKE having a server bring you coffee?

We need lots and lots and lots of those people. Without them, this country would come to a grinding halt. We used to value them; now we despise them and call them lazy.

 

Yeah we should live in a social and economic Darwin jungle. Its natural. **** the golden rule.

 

Oh the stockholders would do the work!

 

Jeff Bezos could disappear tomorrow and we'd barely notice; except as a pop culture curiousity.

If Amazon lost all of it's lowest paid employees? Amazon would not be able to function in any way.

 

Greed will never go away. If some people weren’t ambitious (greedy) we’d all be paupers together. Welfare that creates permanent dependency is the solvable problem.

 

Without the workers, the greedy could never make it.

It reminds me of a story when I was in charge of the OSHA program at a manufacturing company. My office was in the plant, so I got to know both the office workers and the line workers.

One day, in the office, I heard a secretary say, "Those workers in the plant don't understand that'd they would have no job if we weren't up here selling things." My reply: "What you need to understand is that without the people building things, you'd have nothing to sell."

Regardless of our role, we all have a part to play. We need each other, and we should treat each other as if we know we need each other."

 

Communism has as its premise the idea that all mankind can be 'equal'
but as Orwell understood, all are equal but some must be more equal than others
to make us all "equal."
Our society is based upon the now fading idea that equality cannot be achieved
but we can create more equality of opportunity.

 

I went back and checked my posts and my suspicions were confirmed. I’ve never advocated for social Darwinism.

Have you ever considered the diabolical irony of the paradox created by forcing compliance with the golden rule?

 

True except for those who do not employ anyone.

Very true.

 

1) It's not a matter of how much people earn, it's a matter of what they do with it. $25k goes a long way when you multiply it by two and live very frugally. It's enough to end poverty for that family within ten years. You can live on $30k and save $20k a year. Within five years you can buy your own place outright.

2) Agree. If they're working full time and still need assistance, they're doing it wrong. See above.

 

America has more empty houses than just about any nation on earth. Not to mention very cheap houses, some of which can be bought for less than $10k. Further, if a family of 5 lives in a cheap rural location, what do city codes matter?

You are OVER-supplied with housing. The problem isn't lack of housing - it's that too many people think they have some kind of right to live wherever they want to live .. not where they can afford to live.

 

Exactly. That's why it's incredibly important for those on modest incomes to avoid making bad life choices. They can't be trying crazy things like living alone instead of with extended family. They can't be trying to live in expensive cities. They can't be living any lifestyle but the most frugal. Etc etc.

 

It cannot be exploitation when it's voluntary.

 

They were never middle class - they were upper working class, living beyond their means. Personal debt is a huge part of that, and personal debt is a choice.

FTR, middle class means debt free and not at risk of losing anything in a downturn. Middle class isn't determined by how big your house is or how many cars you have, it's determined by how financially secure you are.

 

"Greed at the top" isn't why things are the way they are. This is a people problem.

 

On the contrary, it's not they we regard as lazy .. it's those who think the Govt should support them, because they're too special to get their hands dirty supporting themselves.

Meantime, those hotel housekeepers etc can live well on what they earn, if they're disciplined and cautious.

 

Indeed we should. We should all live as though family and property are our fortress against poverty, and behave accordingly. We should understand that together (as families) we're almost always stronger than apart. We should understand that our kinfolk can help us secure our future, as we can help them secure theirs. And we should understand that for any of that to happen we first need property.

Trying to go it alone then expecting strangers and tax payers to help you, is arrogance and hubris.

 

How are you supposed to live on 30 K, and save 25K, when you are only making 25K?

I guess you want people to save money they never had to begin with? There is no such thing as a roach infested studio apartment that doesn't cost less than 1,000. Do you not know this?

 

The example I gave was two people, each earning $25k. They live on $30k, and save $20k. In ten years they have enough to buy property outright, debt free. If a pair of youngsters (let's say aged 25), both on minimum wage, team up and do this - they'll be debt free property owners by the time they're 35. If they'd rather not wait til 35 to have kids, they can just save for five years instead of ten, and buy a cheaper property.

I know that America, like my country, has insane big city housing costs ... yes. That's why I don't live in a big city. Had I done so, I wouldn't be in the financially secure position I'm in now. I don't mean to be rude, but your argument that expensive real estate should be cheap for some people but not others, is just awful.

 

IOW, no kids.

 

Two people making minimum wage make a total of $28,000 / year. How do they save this money, again?