Old habits die slowly and painfully
I have a bumper sticker slogan on my Facebook page: WORK HARDER! Rich white people want more tax cuts. Unfortunately, this is neither hyperbolic nor sarcastic, it's become the new norm. Along with a growing number of Americans and fellow citizens of the world, I've grown increasingly frustrated and tired watching my tax dollars support the very few who set out to inflict distress and harm on others. The slices of pie have gotten thinner and thinner with each pay check.
Yesterday, commondreams.org reported that the top 10 percent of the wealthiest Americans own 80 percent of all stock shares. That's just the beginning of this looming myth that if we work hard and harder than the average person, we can live the "American Dream" and live a life of luxury. Well, then again these are stocks they're talking about. Isn't it well known rich people have always been the ones to invest? That's not all.
Data across the board from Congressional records to thinktanks to academic institutions tell us the top 2 percent of America's wealthiest earn more than the bottom 95 percent of us combined. WTF? So, isn't this something we see from those other dirt poor third world countries? Not anymore. The status quo has been accepted.
The average person may look at the tone of this article and say, "He's got a negative attitude. Why is he so down on everything?" No, I'm by nature an optimistic and passionate person. There's nothing wrong with putting passion out there with pragmatic solutions. So, here's a parting thought.
My Grandmother passed away late Monday evening after a difficult 23 months where she had little to no appetite and dementia progressed. She was one of the most selfless human beings I knew. If I could be half as selfless in my daily life, I know I can deliver more love and joy to others.
You or I can't force someone to be a nice person. There are many factors that contribute to someone's worldly view or lack thereof: socioeconomic status, nurturing, and environment, to name a few. People also get inundated with crazy, corporate-controlled ideas like ones guised by The Tea Party to blame their problems on minorities. My father said it best, "The data will lead the way." Right now, we need to collect this data and steer it in an entirely different path than the one it's on.
Today's Republicans continue advocating for individual freedoms and responsibilities. What good does that do when you strip away freedoms and don't hold yourselves accountable? The peddlers will continue distracting you with character assassinations on Democrats. That's all they've got. "Well, the God I believe in isn't short of cash, mister," Paul "Bono" Hewson, U2, "Bullet the Blue Sky," Rattle and Hum
P.J. Gaffney at Omaha, Nebraska's Mahoney State Park.
4 comments:
You know what. You hit it right on the head. I was thinking about this today.
America (and by extension, Canada) is slowly becoming barren soil. This land, with all of it's potential, is being slowly bled dry by greed and a lack of forsight. Non-renewable resources are becoming scarcer by the day, and the so called renewable resources are turning out to be not so renewable after all.
The rich will continue to get richer for the near term, but ultimately there will be nothing left for anyone. That's when all hell will break loose.
:-)
sorry to hear about grandma...she's in a way better place now...and always live throuh her family and good acts....
you're right u just can not force or teach someone to be nice....although being nice is an intrinsic value I believe we all posses....like to believ god craeted us with kindness cuz we are all created from a part of him...but we choose the life we want to live....:)
Agree one hundred percent or least 99%. Seriously the country is in crisis mode and all the Republicans can do or say is that there main focus is to get rid of Pres. Obama.
Don't get me wrong I hold him to blame for not stepping up and walking the walk along with the talk. but that hasn't been the case.
Instead he has surrounded him with former Clinton advisors and we know how that turned out.
Keep up the good work. Also read from the Bible James chapter 2.
@Dammerung, Yeah, that's been the big time issue -- lack of renewable sources and a huge concentration of them going to too few. I hope we don't get to that point where all hell will break loose.
@Narkissos, I think we all have that innate ability to be kind and share happiness with others. Distractions interfere with that ability and steer some in the opposite direction.
@Rick Scott, Yep. These former Clinton advisors have been damaging to our relationship with the global community i.e. former deputy campaign manager with the Keystone XL Pipeline that would run right through my relatives' yard literally. Keep up the faith and nice to meet you.
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