I can never look at Musk as a philanthropist. He gutted social programs with glee. That is not someone thinking about enabling those who are less fortunate. He is someone who takes great pleasure in seeing those who will never make up his ladder.
Beautiful as always, John. So, what are your thoughts? Will this obvious gap ever be approximated, if not closed? How does a capitalist society rein in the corruption and riches-driven goals for a more equal society?
We go into the streets and we vote the bums out. I think most Americans are at the point now where we want to fire them all (politicians) and that's not a bad thing. The reason we are in the state we are in is because we have never demanded it with our feet and our votes.
If we want to focus more on healthcare and education and a living wage and giving a hand up to others...the basics really of a decent life... then we need to vote for people who won't hedge from saying the tax rates need to go up and the DoD budget needs to go down. And they either do what we demand or they get fired next time, too.
Another excellent commentary, and as always, one that stimulates deeper thought. And perhaps a bit of anxiety. Will there be a sort of societal equilibration over time or will the wealth/power gap continue to increase to the point of stimulating calls for revolutionary action?
That is up to us. We are on the verge of losing democracy entirely. Perhaps the time for patience and 'giving the benefit of the doubt' to people who have not earned it should stop now.
Wow. Much to ponder here. I've been saying for ages that capitalism needs regulation, and--yes, I'd be in favor of a wealth cap. Part of the problem, it seems to me (and I will admit that economics isn't a subject I truly understand) is the stock market. Money grows exponentially for those who can enter that arena; for others, who earn each dollar through labor... well, money doesn't grow. Someone with a sizeable investment--say, in the millions--can 'earn' more money in a year than I earned in several decades as a community college teacher. To me, that's a problem. Also, at a time when the income gap is increasing, social consciousness is diminishing. Combine the 'me first' mantra with a world in which a small portion of the population is skyrocketing to the top of that ladder and something's gonna break.
I can never look at Musk as a philanthropist. He gutted social programs with glee. That is not someone thinking about enabling those who are less fortunate. He is someone who takes great pleasure in seeing those who will never make up his ladder.
Well, I think he probably sees Musk as a 'philanthropist' in quotations. As he said, they pick projects they like.
Beautiful as always, John. So, what are your thoughts? Will this obvious gap ever be approximated, if not closed? How does a capitalist society rein in the corruption and riches-driven goals for a more equal society?
We go into the streets and we vote the bums out. I think most Americans are at the point now where we want to fire them all (politicians) and that's not a bad thing. The reason we are in the state we are in is because we have never demanded it with our feet and our votes.
If we want to focus more on healthcare and education and a living wage and giving a hand up to others...the basics really of a decent life... then we need to vote for people who won't hedge from saying the tax rates need to go up and the DoD budget needs to go down. And they either do what we demand or they get fired next time, too.
Yes, except that people can be rich enough to essentially buy elections. Campaign finance reform is needed!
Another excellent commentary, and as always, one that stimulates deeper thought. And perhaps a bit of anxiety. Will there be a sort of societal equilibration over time or will the wealth/power gap continue to increase to the point of stimulating calls for revolutionary action?
That is up to us. We are on the verge of losing democracy entirely. Perhaps the time for patience and 'giving the benefit of the doubt' to people who have not earned it should stop now.
Wow. Much to ponder here. I've been saying for ages that capitalism needs regulation, and--yes, I'd be in favor of a wealth cap. Part of the problem, it seems to me (and I will admit that economics isn't a subject I truly understand) is the stock market. Money grows exponentially for those who can enter that arena; for others, who earn each dollar through labor... well, money doesn't grow. Someone with a sizeable investment--say, in the millions--can 'earn' more money in a year than I earned in several decades as a community college teacher. To me, that's a problem. Also, at a time when the income gap is increasing, social consciousness is diminishing. Combine the 'me first' mantra with a world in which a small portion of the population is skyrocketing to the top of that ladder and something's gonna break.