The Wealthy, the Poor, Economics

What is it about money that makes so many people worship at its feet, whether they be wealthy beyond reason, and wanting more anyway, and the poorest man who walks this earth?  What is it about the poorest who, when they wonder where their next loaf of bread will come from, will walk into a store and buy a lottery ticket?  What is the lure of the richest for the poorest that they look up to them, and hope they will toss a dollar to them?

Why is it that so many people hate Obama, but won’t state why.  Oh, they say “I don’t like what he has done”, but they cannot pinpoint any exact cause.  I know, I ask in the hope that I might be able to make something clear, but no-one can really answer me.  They just say “I don’t like his policies”, and leave it at that.  Why are so many of you thinking about voting for Romney, even though so many of his policies, and Paul Ryan’s, will sink you even farther, and even take away many of women’s rights?

This may be two paragraphs that don’t exactly fit together immediately, but read on.

I don’t actually think as much of the hatred towards Obama is necessarily blamed on the colour of his skin.  Oh, I know racism and bigotry are alive and well in these non-united states, but I really think a lot of it is simply because Barack Obama came from a poor family, that he had to borrow money to put himself through school, that he did not always have what was necessary to get through each and every day well.  There were times he was hungry, didn’t have brand new clothes, struggled through school.  But he rose from that, went through school, college, and law school, and he made something of himself.  And he married a woman who also did not come from money, or political fame, they had two beautiful daughters, and then he upped and got himself elected Senator, and finally President of the United States (or these non-united states).  He is the epitome of the saying that “any child born in the US can grow up to be President”, and I think there is a great deal of resentment and jealousy because of his ability to do so.

So again, what is it about money that people worship it so much that anyone who succeeds without having it is resented?

There is a wonderful movie called “The Peacemaker”.  There is a lot to the movie to talk about, but the one reason I am using it here is because of a Russian character in it who, while trying to drive through a lot of refugees trying to get out of Bosnia, or Serbia, or one of those ruined countries, was cursing them.  One of the other characters told him not to curse them, and his reply was “I don’t care what bitch bore them – Muslim, christian, Jew – I hate them because they are poor.

But let’s look at something here.  From Molly Ivins:  “You notice that the common corollary to blaming poor people for the country’s problems is to blame poor people for their own problems.  That’s a particularly satisfying exercise, because if we can make ourselves believe that poor folks are responsible for their own problems, then the rest of us are absolved of any responsibility for them.  Homeless people, people on welfare – hey, we know how to fix that:  Those folks should just get a job, right?  As though most people in poverty don’t already have jobs.

Poor people were not in charge of the S&Ls.  Poor people do not shut down factories.  Poor people are not in charge of those mergers and acquisitions in which tens of thousands of people lose their jobs so a few people in top positions can make a killing on the stock market.  Poor people did not decide to keep wages either steady or falling for the last twenty (or thirty) years.  Poor people did not decide to use “contract employees” because they cost less and don’t get any benefits.”  (Molly Ivins, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, May 6, 1997).

Please note when those words were written.  In 1997, yet they are still true today.  My big bank stole money from my account a year ago, and though I stayed with them, they are doing it again.  That is because they just got hit with a $75,000 fine for charging poor and minorities more for their loans.  I have finally decided to change my bank to a local one.

So why do poor people look up to the very wealthy?  Why does the middle class not speak out more, and more loudly, about the wealthy who want to raise your taxes, cut your benefits and programs geared to your needs, because they need to give themselves another tax break?  Why is this okay with you, those of you who would choose to vote for the richer man, who has certainly claimed he will do these things?

Lawrence O’Donnell, host of The Last Word” (9:00 pm central time on MSNBC) has been talking about a movement called “Off the Cliff” for several weeks now.  It is a phrase brought on by the final scenes of the movie “Thelma and Louise”, where the women decide that rather than be arrested for their crime spree, caused by getting their money taken from them, to drive over the rim of the Grand Canyon.  So they drove “off the cliff”.  What it means is that since the Bush tax cuts expire on December 31, 2012, and the Republican House has refused to work with Barack Obama on ANYTHING (the just-say-no-Republican-majority House), especially President Obama’s budget which includes tax cuts for the middle class, but no tax cuts for the wealthy, that we will just let the Bush tax cuts expire with nothing to put in their place, thus causing them to revert back to the Clinton era budget.  This will cause unemployment to go up another percent, and a recession to happen, but at least the deficit will start to be paid down.  This is how Clinton gave GWB a surplus.  And the money to pay for his two wars, give his rich buddies (what he called his base) a tax cut, and the rest of us to suffer.

Anyway, John Boehner has taken notice, and he is asking President Obama and the Democrats to work with him so the economy won’t tank.  As if John Boehner has been willing to work with the Obama administration for the past two years.  It is to laugh at.  It is up to the Republican House to allow Obama’s budget, which will give tax cuts to the middle class, but not to the wealthiest, to go through before the end of the year.

The problem here is that the Republicans thought they had the exclusive right to hold the un-united states hostage, and they had no idea that the Democrats would be willing to go “off the cliff” to get their attention.

Know what Mitch McConnell is calling it?  Thelma and Louise economics.  Like he invented the concept.  We who have been paying attention to this through Lawrence O’Donnell, and applauding the whole concept (and ready to wear the buttons) are thrilled it is coming to this.

So, why do you love the wealthy?  Do you love it enough to choose Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan, even though it will mean more of the same, in the election?  Or will you see the fallacy of your beliefs in wealthy men as the foolishness it is.  It is up to each and every one of you to see that what is done for this country is for the betterment of the 98%, and a possible return to a UNITED States of America.

Think about it.

Carol Stepp, Austin, TX


About carolstepp

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2 Responses to The Wealthy, the Poor, Economics

  1. Matoaka says:

    Dear Carol,

    I wish that we lived closer so that we could have neigborly visits. I just stumbled upon your blog today as I was researching the Bain corporation. I’ve read a few of your blogs and appreciate your viewpoints.

    I don’t understand how anyone with a wife or daughter, mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, cousin, female friend or lover…could invite the economic oppression and unfairness to women and to the country as a whole, that would be in the policies of Republicans, of Mitt Romney, and of Paul Ryan. I shudder at the thought of having such unsympathetic and tunnel-visioned men in the office of such influence and power.

    I have a brother who has been sending me a lot of Pro-Romney Ryan stuff. That’s okay. But I’m on the other side of world view and generally, Life. I’m was the process of researching the Bain Corporation and writing my response to his 20 emails about how terrible Obama is, when I came across your blog. Reading your words was like receiving medicine after reading the emails from my brother. Your words gave me some sense of relief from how his words collided with my opposite opinions with a resounding “huh?”. I don’t mind that he has his viewpoints, But I sure hope he opens his mind to less conservative views. I hope that he is able to see how past business actions and business philosophies are connected are indications of how Mitt Romney thinks and where he comes from. Mitt Romney outsourced millions of dollars worth of jobs, to be as rich as he is today. How can anyone believe that he is an upright guy, when his history has shown that he has thrived by making hundreds, maybe thousands of families poorer by his business practices?

    Carol, I appreciate your insights and that you share them with knowledge and articulation. Keep writing. Please.


    • carolstepp says:

      Thank you, Matoaka, my friend. I’m glad you got something out of that. I am following the Republican National Convention right now to see what they are up to, as well as watching the hurricane. Now where is Pat Robertson? Everytime bad weather messes with a Democratic anything, he is quick to tell us all that God is punishing us. Or Katrina back in 2007 was to tell New Orleans that they were evil. But you get not one, but two, hurricanes messing up the Republican Convention (Gustav four years ago, Isaac was just a scare this year), you never hear from him.

      I’m glad you enjoyed my comments about Bain Corporation. It is one of my most read blogs. No, I don’t have information on who, but I see the words being used in search engines a lot. Funny, this, that AMC television is showing Pretty Woman twice a night all this week, Monday through Thursday. So I wonder if someone read my blog, or probably, more likely, made the same connection. And people always seem to understand something better if you liken it to a movie.

      I am assuming your politics may be a lot like mine? Although probably not quite as ultra-liberal as I am, and since I don’t know where you are, I’ll take it for granted that you know what you are talking about when you say we are not close neighbors. But tell you what, check out my FaceBook page, Carol Stepp is what I use (I don’t try to hide my name, most people cannot find me unless I want them to), and if you like what you see, friend me. Of course, I’m taking it for granted that you are on FaceBook. It took me a long time to get on it, but once I did, I really got into it. Anyway, if I’m not talking politics, I’m sending pictures of cats, or writing about musicians. Or simply replying to a lot of other folks comments. I don’t have a personal computer, but I use the ones in the community room where I live, which means my time is limited, but that’s probably a good thing, since I’m very talkative.

      I’m about to write another blog, about the repubs who say “get our country back”.


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