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Originally Posted by
TheClemsonKid http:///t/392751/the-top-40/40#post_3489828
Oh so very much to say here.
First of all, this back and forth arguing in the big picture is all semantics. Whether you think Medicare/Medicaid, insurance, vouchers, Obamacare etc, is the devil; you have to take a step back and look at how things really work in this country.
Within the broad spectrum of "healthcare", there are a very limited, but very powerful group of people who make billions and billions of dollars from the current system. Most of those people are in the insurance game, while a few are in medicine and health care products. If you know anything about America in the 21st century, you know that political policy is shaped by those who back handed-ly pay for campaigns, elections, offices, trips, and "back pocket money" to those in the federal government. It's absolutely no surprise that most members of congress, governors, presidential contenders, and their ilk are all wealthy to begin with. In most instances, they became moderately wealthy with whatever business or family money they had, and then they got into the political game. After that, usually on the local level first, they start doing "favors" in exchange for monetary gains. Even in my little town, the mayor made it very tax favorable for a company to come into our city limits, and after he retired, he now holds a well paid seat on their board.
The bigger the office, the bigger the "you scratch my back, i'll scratch yours" gets, and before you know it, the politicians are all the hands of the small group of very powerful, and very wealthy individuals. I don't want to sound like the occupy people, because I don't believe sitting on your butt in a camp to "protest" on behalf of the 99% is really going to accomplish anything. But in theory, those folks have a very good point.
The 1% of this country really do make all the decisions one way or another through financial corruption of public officials. It's a fact.
The problem therein lies with the fact that it really makes no difference whether you vote for Romney, or Obama. Beyond those two who are the "Faces" of their respective parties, you have the billions (or trillions) of dollars of political influence on both sides of the aisle backing them.
If there is one thing really wealthy people do, regardless of their political affiliation, is make sure they get every little break they can to keep as much of their money as possible. You can take that to the bank. As much as some of these liberal multi millionaires act like they care about the "greater good", they are just as quick as their republican counterparts to make sure their money is shielded and protected from taxes.
The only way things would ever change to the point where your average middle class American would actually be helped, is if there was an influx of honest, selfless, caring politicians from the top down; who would be willing to stand up against the status quo. Fact of the matter is, that's not ever going to happen, because the wealth in this country has become entirely too one sided. As much as I hate to admit this, I just see the top 1% and the other 99% distancing further and further apart until something or someone is the straw that breaks the camels back. We're not there yet, and it may be another 50 years.
All I can tell you, is that the way the current system is set up monetarily, tax structure, social programs and the like... it's unsustainable, and something at some point is going to light the match that is going to start the fire. I'm not saying it's going to be a civil war and states ceding, but it's going to be something, and whatever that something is, won't be good. That's for sure.
If things don't change I will see a civil war in my lifetime. Sad but true.
People get too worked up about the filthy rich 1%. What is a dollar worth. I grew up in the 60's. Candy bars were a nickle, Gas was 29 cents a gallon unless there was a gas war. I remember taking a bunch of gas cans to the station with my mom because gas was 19 cents a gallon. My parents bought their first house in Orange country California in 1962 for 9,999.00. The house next door to it (similar model) sold for 521K in 2007.
Bill Clinton made a profound statement when he said envy isn't the American way but sadly I think more and more he is wrong. The 1% isn't the problem. It the nearly 50% who pay no taxes which is a two fold problem. They are a drain on the system which is one part but the other is why? In a lot of cases the government is overly generous with handouts but a lot of those people don't earn enough to make ends meet.
It all comes back to one single problem. That giant sucking sound Ross Perot warned about 20 years ago. We don't build anything in this country anymore. When my parents got divorced my mom went to work for a company that made aircraft fasteners. The company ran 3 shifts and working Saturday was pretty common and this was in the Dark Days of Jimmy Carter in the 70's. She worked her way up from minimum wage to making better than 22 an hour when she retired in 95, No college education or special training. Just hard work. You can't find many opportunities like that any more.
The idea that the rich want to hold down the middle class is absurd. Clemson, you are in business. It doesn't matter if you make 10,000 a year, a month, a week or a day. You need people with money in their pockets to be able to buy cupcakes or you are screwed. The dirty little secret the class warfare folks don't people to understand is they depend on a vibrant middle class to buy their goods and services.
