1% of the population owns the majority of the wealth in this country

[spartan]

Someone want to 'splain to me the problem with wealth inequality as long as:

a. The wealth was come by legally
b. The wealth is not used to abuse?

Both of these have laws to protect against FWIW.

I look around and see "poor" people with 2 cars, big screen TV's, xboxes, iphones and high speed internet. People earning 40, 50K get tax credits for no other purpose other than to boost their income and buy votes. There are people out there that struggle, there is no denying that, and we should help those people, but I think we should put 'poverty' in the USA into perspective and realize that wealth inequality by itself is not a problem, other than to fuel envy.

[Biggs3535]

American work ethic hasn't changed

I'm calling B/S.

[CBWx2]

Someone want to 'splain to me the problem with wealth inequality as long as:

a. The wealth was come by legally
b. The wealth is not used to abuse?

Both of these have laws to protect against FWIW.

a. Some of what's legal today was illegal 30 years ago, or even 15 years ago. Hiding behind legality is bogus in a society where that definition changes based on who has the money to make it change.
b. Depends on what your definition of abuse is. I tend to think it would be quite different than mine.

I look around and see "poor" people with 2 cars, big screen TV's, xboxes, iphones and high speed internet. People earning 40, 50K get tax credits for no other purpose other than to boost their income and buy votes. There are people out there that struggle, there is no denying that, and we should help those people, but I think we should put 'poverty' in the USA into perspective and realize that wealth inequality by itself is not a problem, other than to fuel envy.

Who classify's people earning 40-50K as poor? And are you seriously complaining about tax credits for the middle class while simultaneously calling for protecting them for the rich? Interesting...

[CBWx2]

American work ethic hasn't changed

I'm calling B/S.

Feel free to call whatever you want. You'd be wrong, though. Research shows that Americans are actually working harder now than they were in the 70's. American work ethic is higher than it's been in decades, but wages, on the other hand, have not. People are working longer hours (picking up overtime, working 2nd jobs, etc.), to compensate for the fact that wages have stagnated. The American work force is working more and has less to show for it than their mothers and fathers did.

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/strangling-middle-class-america/story?id=11325933#.T5Ai26tSQvk

[wreck ship]

Someone want to 'splain to me the problem with wealth inequality as long as:

a. The wealth was come by legally
b. The wealth is not used to abuse?

Both of these have laws to protect against FWIW.

I look around and see "poor" people with 2 cars, big screen TV's, xboxes, iphones and high speed internet. People earning 40, 50K get tax credits for no other purpose other than to boost their income and buy votes. There are people out there that struggle, there is no denying that, and we should help those people, but I think we should put 'poverty' in the USA into perspective and realize that wealth inequality by itself is not a problem, other than to fuel envy.

I agree.
There is something to be said about the decline in education and manufacturing in this country while the economic gap widens
Business school students are taught to maximize profits while minimizing liabilities(employees).
Walmart is a great example of this. They sell warehouses full of "made in china" products and pay their employees the minimum wages and no insurance.

[spartan]

Someone want to 'splain to me the problem with wealth inequality as long as:

a. The wealth was come by legally
b. The wealth is not used to abuse?

Both of these have laws to protect against FWIW.

a. Some of what's legal today was illegal 30 years ago, or even 15 years ago. Hiding behind legality is bogus in a society where that definition changes based on who has the money to make it change.
b. Depends on what your definition of abuse is. I tend to think it would be quite different than mine.

a. Then change the law.
b. Possibly, it is also a very broad subject matter. If people abuse their position in questionably legal ways, clarify by changing the law as per a. If they are just being **CENSORED**s, that's not illegal and **CENSORED**s are **CENSORED**s regardless how much money they have. They are just **CENSORED**s in different ways.

I look around and see "poor" people with 2 cars, big screen TV's, xboxes, iphones and high speed internet. People earning 40, 50K get tax credits for no other purpose other than to boost their income and buy votes. There are people out there that struggle, there is no denying that, and we should help those people, but I think we should put 'poverty' in the USA into perspective and realize that wealth inequality by itself is not a problem, other than to fuel envy.

Who classify's people earning 40-50K as poor? And are you seriously complaining about tax credits for the middle class while simultaneously calling for protecting them for the rich? Interesting...

I used the 40-50 mark purely as an example. As you rightly point out they are not poor and my point (possibly badly made) was if you have enough to do what you want to do with your family and have a nice and enjoyable life, what difference should it make what other people have?

The wealth inequality issue is used to say that you don't have enough, you need to have more, a new car, bigger house, bigger TV,  and they (the rich) are the reason why you don't. Do you really NEED more? or is the truth of the matter that you WANT more?

A better way of putting it is wealth inequality is only a problem when it comes solely at the expense of others and/or by nefarious means.

[spartan]

Someone want to 'splain to me the problem with wealth inequality as long as:

a. The wealth was come by legally
b. The wealth is not used to abuse?

Both of these have laws to protect against FWIW.

I look around and see "poor" people with 2 cars, big screen TV's, xboxes, iphones and high speed internet. People earning 40, 50K get tax credits for no other purpose other than to boost their income and buy votes. There are people out there that struggle, there is no denying that, and we should help those people, but I think we should put 'poverty' in the USA into perspective and realize that wealth inequality by itself is not a problem, other than to fuel envy.

I agree.
There is something to be said about the decline in education and manufacturing in this country while the economic gap widens
Business school students are taught to maximize profits while minimizing liabilities(employees).
Walmart is a great example of this. They sell warehouses full of "made in china" products and pay their employees the minimum wages and no insurance.

True to a certain extent as the fact of the matter is you cannot run a  business for very long at a loss, else you won't have a business.

Things are made in China and shipped here because it is cheaper. The question therefore is why and how have Americans priced themselves out of the market; not how rich are the rich. You can confiscate all the wealth of the rich all you want, but that won't deal with the original problem that other people (China) are making the goods that the market is buying and you are not.

[ufojoe]

I totally agree that the love of money is the root of all evil. If you're motivated simply by the money, you end up alone and depressed.
I'm so involved in my family and our projects that the thought of money doesn't occur to me until tax season.
My 11 yr old daughter and her cousins want to record a song. While her cousins think about the lyrics and routine, my daughter is already thinking about how to market it. She's coaching them on what the market wants to hear and see. She's thinking about whats appealing to the listener/viewers. That's thinking outside the box and it may not inspire you but it sure as hell inspires me.

She's only 11 but... It seems like she's focusing on the money. True artists should write/record music that inspires them and not give a crap about what the market wants to hear and buy. Go watch the documentary on "Rush" to see how that's done. When she gets older, if she wants to stay in music, she should coach clients on making music that they love to write and play and not to do it because so and so might like it and buy it. Then, once that is done, market the heck out of it.

[OneTruth]

Joe, i think they call that ...integrity.

[Biggs3535]

American work ethic hasn't changed

I'm calling B/S.

Feel free to call whatever you want. You'd be wrong, though. Research shows that Americans are actually working harder now than they were in the 70's. American work ethic is higher than it's been in decades, but wages, on the other hand, have not. People are working longer hours (picking up overtime, working 2nd jobs, etc.), to compensate for the fact that wages have stagnated. The American work force is working more and has less to show for it than their mothers and fathers did.

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/strangling-middle-class-america/story?id=11325933#.T5Ai26tSQvk

I didn't realize the 1970's was your baseline for the American work ethic.  That's some low-hanging fruit ya got there.

[CBWx2]

American work ethic hasn't changed

I'm calling B/S.

Feel free to call whatever you want. You'd be wrong, though. Research shows that Americans are actually working harder now than they were in the 70's. American work ethic is higher than it's been in decades, but wages, on the other hand, have not. People are working longer hours (picking up overtime, working 2nd jobs, etc.), to compensate for the fact that wages have stagnated. The American work force is working more and has less to show for it than their mothers and fathers did.

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/strangling-middle-class-america/story?id=11325933#.T5Ai26tSQvk

I didn't realize the 1970's was your baseline for the American work ethic.  That's some low-hanging fruit ya got there.

Used that decade because it was pre-Reaganomics. If you have another decade you'd like to use, I'd welcome seeing it.

[Biggs3535]

I liked the pre-20th Century American work ethic.

[CBWx2]

I liked the pre-20th Century American work ethic.

So did the Robber Barons. The working class people didn't like it so much though.

[wreck ship]

I totally agree that the love of money is the root of all evil. If you're motivated simply by the money, you end up alone and depressed.
I'm so involved in my family and our projects that the thought of money doesn't occur to me until tax season.
My 11 yr old daughter and her cousins want to record a song. While her cousins think about the lyrics and routine, my daughter is already thinking about how to market it. She's coaching them on what the market wants to hear and see. She's thinking about whats appealing to the listener/viewers. That's thinking outside the box and it may not inspire you but it sure as hell inspires me.

She's only 11 but... It seems like she's focusing on the money. True artists should write/record music that inspires them and not give a crap about what the market wants to hear and buy. Go watch the documentary on "Rush" to see how that's done. When she gets older, if she wants to stay in music, she should coach clients on making music that they love to write and play and not to do it because so and so might like it and buy it. Then, once that is done, market the heck out of it.

or she may end up in marketing.
I agree with you though.

[wreck ship]

Someone want to 'splain to me the problem with wealth inequality as long as:

a. The wealth was come by legally
b. The wealth is not used to abuse?

Both of these have laws to protect against FWIW.

I look around and see "poor" people with 2 cars, big screen TV's, xboxes, iphones and high speed internet. People earning 40, 50K get tax credits for no other purpose other than to boost their income and buy votes. There are people out there that struggle, there is no denying that, and we should help those people, but I think we should put 'poverty' in the USA into perspective and realize that wealth inequality by itself is not a problem, other than to fuel envy.

I agree.
There is something to be said about the decline in education and manufacturing in this country while the economic gap widens
Business school students are taught to maximize profits while minimizing liabilities(employees).
Walmart is a great example of this. They sell warehouses full of "made in china" products and pay their employees the minimum wages and no insurance.

True to a certain extent as the fact of the matter is you cannot run a  business for very long at a loss, else you won't have a business.

Things are made in China and shipped here because it is cheaper. The question therefore is why and how have Americans priced themselves out of the market; not how rich are the rich. You can confiscate all the wealth of the rich all you want, but that won't deal with the original problem that other people (China) are making the goods that the market is buying and you are not.

the question is, why are americans supporting walmart and thus supporting china manufacturing?