Author Topic: Who Will Win the War Against Income Inequality?  (Read 1047 times)

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Offline happyg

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Who Will Win the War Against Income Inequality?
« on: January 18, 2014, 03:52:04 pm »
By Dr. Robert R. Owens
From each according to their ability to each according to their need was the hollow promise of the Soviet Union.  It was long known to be merely the cover for a ruthless Communist Party that pretended to build a worker’s paradise while in fact enslaving a nation for its own gain.

Today this infamous lie has been resurrected in America as the war against income inequality.

The war on poverty has failed.  After decades of propaganda, trillions of dollars, and tens of thousands of regulations there is no less poverty in America than when LBJ sounded the charge of the contrite brigade. Of course it was a shell game all along.  The idea that you could take money out of one pocket and put it in another while dropping some along the way aptly describes the effort to tax the rich to alleviate poverty.  If all the money that has been expropriated to end poverty had been given directly to the poor we would have ended poverty.

However, this isn’t what happened.  It was never what was intended to happen.  It will never happen because instead of a direct wealth transfer the loot is filtered through politicians, programs and bureaucrats who all siphon off enough to make sure the pennies that eventually dribble out of the welfare pipeline have little resemblance to the dollars that went in. They certainly don’t want to actually eliminate the poor since their campaign slogans and their jobs would evaporate with them.

Anyone who has ever stood hat-in-hand at a welfare office knows the scorn dished out with the meager fare always makes the meal a little less satisfying than imagined.  Jesus told us that “The poor will always be with you.”  Yet somehow the political savants who hold sway are always able to convince the low information voters that they will end poverty, or as we call it today, income inequality.

The only equality that is compatible with freedom is equality before the law.  By this I mean that whenever society, as expressed through government, makes rules they should apply to everyone the same.  In other words if a millionaire commits murder and a homeless person commits murder they should both stand before the same tribunal charged with the same crime.  Or if a tax is passed everyone should pay the same percentage. We know that in the first case the difference between a dream team of lawyers and a public defender may mitigate the equality just as in the second case a progressive tax system will distort it.  However, this goal of equality before the law is the only one where actual equality is what is required to make it work.

All other types of equality, of income or opportunity or outcome require inequality.  If this sounds like circular thinking don’t be surprised; it is.

More of the article at link: http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/60534

Offline olde north church

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Re: Who Will Win the War Against Income Inequality?
« Reply #1 on: January 18, 2014, 04:07:47 pm »
Why are Democrats always "waging war" when they have yet to win a single one?
Why?  Well, because I'm a bastard, that's why.

Online Lando Lincoln

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Re: Who Will Win the War Against Income Inequality?
« Reply #2 on: January 18, 2014, 04:30:56 pm »
The outcome of the debate never matters in identity politics.
There are some among us who live in rooms of experience we can never enter.
John Steinbeck

Offline Lipstick on a Hillary

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Re: Who Will Win the War Against Income Inequality?
« Reply #3 on: January 18, 2014, 04:41:08 pm »
Did anybody see this David Brooks piece on income inequality the other day?

 I about fell over when I read it, considering the source.  :thud:

Offline happyg

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Re: Who Will Win the War Against Income Inequality?
« Reply #4 on: January 18, 2014, 05:11:13 pm »
Did anybody see this David Brooks piece on income inequality the other day?

 I about fell over when I read it, considering the source.  :thud:

Excellent article. I was surprised, too, but he is right!

Quote
The primary problem for the poor is not that they are getting paid too little for the hours they work. It is that they are not working full time or at all. Raising the minimum wage is popular politics; it is not effective policy.

Offline ABX

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Re: Who Will Win the War Against Income Inequality?
« Reply #5 on: January 18, 2014, 05:15:13 pm »
The only people who will win are the political class who once again finds a way to consolidate their power by pitting groups against each other so they can rescue one group from another in a phony war for fairness. 

Offline EC

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Re: Who Will Win the War Against Income Inequality?
« Reply #6 on: January 18, 2014, 05:37:25 pm »
Who will win the war?

The poor. They have numbers on their side.
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Offline truth_seeker

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Re: Who Will Win the War Against Income Inequality?
« Reply #7 on: January 18, 2014, 06:11:24 pm »
Once the low skill types of work are automated, a certain strata or workers are finished.

Add the ones who lost jobs due to automation, to the permanent losers in society, etc. and you see the "out of work" and "underemployed" ranks grow.

This will happen all over the world.

Add in "Obamacare" and the business' calculation becomes even easier. The welding robot doesn't trigger fines for employer mandate.
"God must love the common man, he made so many of them.�  Abe Lincoln

Offline Lipstick on a Hillary

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Re: Who Will Win the War Against Income Inequality?
« Reply #8 on: January 18, 2014, 06:37:47 pm »
The only people who will win are the political class who once again finds a way to consolidate their power by pitting groups against each other so they can rescue one group from another in a phony war for fairness.

 :thumbsup:

Offline xfreeper

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Re: Who Will Win the War Against Income Inequality?
« Reply #9 on: January 18, 2014, 10:31:01 pm »
Who will win the war?

The poor. They have numbers on their side.

nope. the politicians who will be bought and paid for by the uberwealthy so they can maintain any advantages

Online DCPatriot

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Re: Who Will Win the War Against Income Inequality?
« Reply #10 on: January 19, 2014, 01:13:16 am »
nope. the politicians who will be bought and paid for by the uberwealthy so they can maintain any advantages

Nope....the ones that have the guns and ammunition.
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Offline xfreeper

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Re: Who Will Win the War Against Income Inequality?
« Reply #11 on: January 19, 2014, 03:59:43 am »
Nope....the ones that have the guns and ammunition.

The politicians are doing there best to take care of that

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Re: Who Will Win the War Against Income Inequality?
« Reply #12 on: January 19, 2014, 04:24:38 am »
Wars on inequality have been the cause of some of the worst inequalities and injustices this tired world has seen.

Income inequality is a fundamental fact of life; even if we were all stepford wifes, alike in every way, there would still be differences in income due to chance.