Wealth Inequality in America

[Daelak]

Everyone should watch this 6:24 minute video regarding perception, ideal, and the real wealth distribution in the United States. Coupled with anti-tax/pro-business propaganda, and our societal culture of where your self-worth is dependent on how much you make, this is where we are at as a country.

This inequality is reaching very dangerous levels, and chance of social strife is rising.

[obdigore]

Although I don't disagree with what you have posted, youtube videos aren't normally the most credible of sources.

[Sivick]

that's some massive BS. damn rich people. According to the charts even well off people are getting screwed from what they should be getting.

[Blueobelisk]

I'm in school and can't watch it so...Uhm...summarize please?

[Mayhem]

who knew, capitalism works \o/

i still find it funny that people are suprised by this

that´s why there should be some regulatories in place to slow the process of transition of wealth down as much as possible

[GreatOak]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbueX92CKPk
http://www.oecdbetterlifeindex.org/

The sky isn't falling yet

[Daelak]

I'm in school and can't watch it so...Uhm...summarize please?

Roughly 80% of the population receive 7% of the income made in the US per year. 40% of the national income made is received by the top 1%. The top 1% own 50% of all financial instruments in the US, the bottom 50% own .5% of financial instruments.

The top 1% makes more than quadruple than what the preceding 39% make.

[Stormdash]

Since when was anybody entitled to wealth equality anyway? Equal outcome can only be arrived at through tyranny. And, for the double whammy, the equal outcome arrived at would be profoundly miserable and mediocre.

EDIT: And income isn't "received", it's earned. There is no income fairy sitting out there doling out income arbitrarily.

[SirPiken]

This video is mostly coming from the view that money is some portion of the pie. That you have to look at wealth like it is a finite resource. Stop looking at how the pie is sliced up and start thinking about baking more pie instead.

Wealth is really just a product of 2 things, human labor and natural resources. We aren't even close to running out of either. Until we do, more wealth can always be created. Stop trying to steal someone else's labor.

[GreatOak]

This video is mostly coming from the view that money is some portion of the pie. That you have to look at wealth like it is a finite resource. Stop looking about how the pie is sliced up and start thinking about baking more pie instead.

Wealth is really just a product of 2 things, human labor and natural resources. We aren't even close to running out of either. Until we do more wealth can always be created, stop trying to steal someone else's labor.

hear, hear Mr. Tweed

[Daelak]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbueX92CKPk
http://www.oecdbetterlifeindex.org/

The sky isn't falling yet

When will it be? When the bottom 50% of Americans are below the poverty level? Or when the top 1% make millions times as much as the entire bottom 50%?

---------- Post added 2013-03-05 at 02:30 PM ----------

This video is mostly coming from the view that money is some portion of the pie. That you have to look at wealth like it is a finite resource. Stop looking at how the pie is sliced up and start thinking about baking more pie instead.

Wealth is really just a product of 2 things, human labor and natural resources. We aren't even close to running out of either. Until we do, more wealth can always be created. Stop trying to steal someone else's labor.

Christ, so with this near-infinite pie, why don't the poor just help bake a bigger pie? Those lazy shits.

---------- Post added 2013-03-05 at 02:31 PM ----------

Since when was anybody entitled to wealth equality anyway? Equal outcome can only be arrived at through tyranny. And, for the double whammy, the equal outcome arrived at would be profoundly miserable and mediocre.

EDIT: And income isn't "received", it's earned. There is no income fairy sitting out there doling out income arbitrarily.

Since when was there social breakdown and strife from massive wealth inequality anyways? It's not like vast disparities in class cause any negative affects on the country and subsequently the world. /sarc off

---------- Post added 2013-03-05 at 02:33 PM ----------

hear, hear Mr. Tweed

Please, the bottom 98% don't even control the capital flows it takes to produce the wealth matched by the top 2%. When you have 80% of population vying for just 7% of the entire income generated by the entire country, you have a serious structural problem.

[GreatOak]

When will it be? When the bottom 50% of Americans are below the poverty level? Or when the top 1% make millions times as much as the entire bottom 50%?

When our currency collapses. All the welfare in the world keeps the poor people poor. What we need to do is get money out of politics and make sure the government stops giving treats to those who aren't playing by the rules. Once that happens there will be no substantial problem.

[Daelak]

When our currency collapses. All the welfare in the world keeps the poor people poor. What we need to do is get money out of politics and make sure the government stops giving treats to those who aren't playing by the rules. Once that happens there will be no substantial problem.

That is such idealism. There is no way you are going to get "money" out of politics, when that is exactly what politics is. All first world country's (including us) since WW2 have been built around the philosophy that if you give your citizens better access to clean water, sanitation, healthcare, and disposable income, you will get greater production, multi-generational wealth expansion, and a diverse, sophisticated labor pool.

[GreatOak]

That is such idealism. There is no way you are going to get "money" out of politics, when that is exactly what politics is. All first world country's (including us) since WW2 have been built around the philosophy that if you give your citizens better access to clean water, sanitation, healthcare, and disposable income, you will get greater production, multi-generational wealth expansion, and a diverse, sophisticated labor pool.

No it isn't. We just need an amendment. It would be hard but not impossible. It's an extremely popular idea

[Dhrizzle]

Although I don't disagree with what you have posted, youtube videos aren't normally the most credible of sources.

That's a silly way of looking at it, kind of like saying "pieces of paper aren't normally the most credible sources".

[Deadvolcanoes]

I have absolutely no problem with people being rich. We need that incentive to help expand the economy and incentivize advancement. If someone wants to work really hard, and is able to create a lot of jobs, they deserve a lot of money.

That being said, the system we currently have is absolute garbage, and income disparity is killing our economy. Corporate profits are surging, yet wages remain stagnant.

[SirPiken]

The problem is when you "give" people things instead of letting them acquire the skills to earn it themselves all they are left with is what you gave them. This isn't to say you should let people starve and die, but dependence is a nasty thing.

Also when you de-incentivise people by punishing their prosperity you stifle ambition. Why should someone put in the effort to work harder when they'll just end up with a lower percentage of their invested time/labor.

[Spectral]

When will it be? When the bottom 50% of Americans are below the poverty level? Or when the top 1% make millions times as much as the entire bottom 50%?

When the US isn't objectively one of the five best places in the world to live, and the best place to live for certain priorities and career goals.

---------- Post added 2013-03-05 at 09:58 AM ----------

That's a silly way of looking at it, kind of like saying "pieces of paper aren't normally the most credible sources".

I think videos tend to be less credible; there's more room for slight of hand when you can move on quickly from something rather than it being in a format that encourages fact checking and point by point refutation. That can be done with videos, but it's a lot more work.

[Barael]

This video is mostly coming from the view that money is some portion of the pie. That you have to look at wealth like it is a finite resource. Stop looking at how the pie is sliced up and start thinking about baking more pie instead.

Seems like a legit deal for the average workers, that. Lets assume a company of 382 employees and a CEO, through heroic effort, double the profit the company makes. According to the current (and your) model, the CEO then takes 50% of the growth and the 382 workers split the other 50% amongst themselves.

Just go back to licking the Job Lords ehh Creators boots and maybe they'll piss on you and call it rain.

[Stormdash]

Since when was there social breakdown and strife from massive wealth inequality anyways? It's not like vast disparities in class cause any negative affects on the country and subsequently the world. /sarc off

This doesn't respond, it's entirely irrelevant. There may be social strife over it, as you say, but so what? The people lapsing into revolutionary butthurt over it are... wrong. You don't introduce the totalitarian freakshow necessary to guarantee equal outcome because some people who are on the wrong side of the argument can't deal with it.

I'd rather deal with freedom and social strife than tyranny and social order.