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Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous
It’s ingrained in our DNA, and that is why income inequality is so bad
We have been raised to “want the mansion, the multiple-car garages, boats, and vacation homes.” As children, we are surrounded by the conversations of envious adults: “Did you see their new car? Their house has 12 bathrooms!” Parents, uncles, and aunts, the news people, and the movies all tell us that an American should strive to super-size everything in life.
Having a lot is good, and wanting even more is better.
A comment last week by a fairly loyal reader set me off on one topic that most angers me about Pax Americana: income inequality in the U.S. The commenter blamed the Democratic Party for the income inequality in our country today. To quote General Anthony McAuliffe, the acting commander of the surrounded 101st Airborne in Bastogne, Belgium: Nuts! It is the epitome of lunacy to blame Democrats for the current economic despair that has been fed by Republican policies for decades. These policies were designed to bring about the present fascist moment we are trying to survive today.
All of the policies that fostered this situation were put forth by Republican politicians and supported by their voters — misinformed Americans ever voting against their own economic interests. When people begin to take notice, or when that sneaky little cat peeks its head out of the bag, Republicans launch assaults on social issues like gay marriage, pedophile rings run by Hillary Clinton, etc. — lunacy that is unquestioningly supported by right-wing media.
When misinformed Americans blame Democrats for this, I can’t remain silent. Are there complicit Dems out there? Absolutely, there are. Nonetheless, the majority of policies put forth by Democrats are against the above scenario. It has become so common to despise labor unions and to shout stupid things like “a right to work” that careless observers of this moment fail to understand how significant the Republican war on unions, which commenced under Reagan, was.
Joe Biden has done more than most presidents to reset the scales of income inequality, but the entirety of the Republican Party and their not-so-clever voters do everything they can to prevent his good work from sticking. Blaming…
