When is rich too much?

There has to be a point when even pro capitalist folks and the millions of wannabe millionaires in the US start to think this is absurd.

In my book, NO individual or family on this planet should have wealth valued into the billions of dollars.  I'm not saying governments or mobs with torches and pitchforks should levee laws to prevent this from happening; I'm saying that we a human beings in the global 21st Century should collectively agree on a point when too much wealth is moralistically more criminal than recreational drugs, speeding and gay marriage.

I mean my income has GREATLY increased for the next several months, but it's still what many in the US would consider low, yet I think it's pretty darn good (it's an enlisted person's military paycheck).  It would have to increase again at a rate of ~25 times to equate to a yearly income of $1 million.  Not one person NEEDS an income of that amount (and yes, I'm keeping taxes in mind as I say that--even a 50% rate leaves one with enough to buy a superfluous home in JUST ONE YEAR).  THEN there are thousands that make in a year what even this income would take a decade or three to accumulate.  Even if you're one of the rare few that start a small company from nothing and quickly produces a product that half the US buys at least once, is it that easy to forget where you came from or to have little to no sense of what you could do for your community and fellow human beings?  Is your $20 molded-plastic smartphone cover--that could be profitable at $1--a good enough gift to the people of the world?

Huhhh.  Are people just becoming that greedy or are we losing touch with reality this much???

Historical Income Tax Rates in the U.S. or We Just Like to Believe Rich Politicians

In response to 21 September 2011 episode of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and the subsequent googling of past income tax rates…finally

I like it when Jon Stewart points out when rich people are just wanting ways to get richer, but when it comes to people talking about how we can't POSSIBLY grow economically as a nation any taxes are raised by those that can afford it, he should mention the historical federal income tax rates the U.S. has had. 

It doesn't take much time to research creditable, factual info.  Just to give you an idea of what you may find, from 1932 to 1986 the top bracket was never below 50% and topped out at 94%.  During the boom after the Great Depression and World War II, it was around 90%.  When adjusted for the ever-lovely inflation, for most of our income tax history, if a "married filling jointly" household made between ~$100,000 and $250,000, they paid 50% or more. 

That being said, our infrastructure over the past few decades has increased – as it should to some degree for any growing nation – while our taxes have gone down.  If you use almost any other rich country on the planet as an example, we should be paying more in taxes for the physical size of our country and the amount of App Store-like variations on public services.  I imagine it is mathematically plausible to lower taxes SLOWLY over time if things are being managed REALLY well for the long-term, but we obviously have seen this isn’t good for the long-term stability of the economy.  To me, it’s as if you prefer investing for your long-term future by frequenting Las Vegas instead of an “old- fashion” savings account or investing in shiny metals and rocks that still seem to grow in allure since caveman days. 

Now my personal opinion probably means I should just move to another country that has collectively figured it out better instead of saying we need to manage our money better, pay more in taxes, spend more on education, research, public transportation and healthcare (universal).  To me, it's not class warfare to raise taxes a little on very wealthy people; it's class warfare when you don't and MOST people are doing pretty poorly by comparison.  I don’t need a lot to live a comfortable, nice life.  I also don’t want my nation’s government to take from the rich and just give it to the poor – even though this sharing idea is how things worked before civilization if you wanted to survive often.  You’re doing pretty good and the family in the hut or tree next door isn’t doing so well, you share the extras you have. And when you’re down on your luck and they’re doing swell, the favor is returned.  We probably wouldn’t have made it beyond tribes if we had the mentality many have today.  So much for coming together to help your neighbors (towns and states) and fellow tribe members (U.S. citizens) in which sharing what you had with everyone for the greater good was what you had to do to survive in hard times.    

Taxes and government hoopla aside, I think we've become a much greedier, selfish nation than we were just a few decades ago.  There was a time when it was OK to "get by" or that making two or three times more than the national average was a wealthy/rich lifestyle.  What happened to us that 10, 20 or 100 times the national average isn't enough?  Even if you don’t want to take into consideration how well those that live around the poverty line have it in places like the U.S. compared to billions of others around the world, there’s a point when we need to calm it down with inventing more insanely expensive things to spend the money we think we need.      

I understand getting angry about government spending and poor management with good agencies, but we don't seem to care enough to elect decent "representatives" to congress or establish a better way of doing so, so it's kind of hard to complain about that in turn.  Elect the rich and they will try to protect the rich, i.e. themselves. 

U.S. Income Tax Rates from 1913 to 2011, Actual and Adjusted for Inflation 

The Next Big Thing

The Next Big Thing

20 November 2009

Missoula, Montana

This is a response to Lori Harfenist’s The Resident video, “The Next Big Thing”.

 

I was trying to think of something witty to say as to it being something unpopular or obscure, but for a moment I was interrupted about the reality of what it could be.  Then it was plain and simple what it is.  It's you Lori!  It's the millions of people that upload a piece of themselves to the internet each day.  Whether it's someone singing like "Miranda Sings" or Charlie biting his brother's finger or just some really good free runners, it's us.

With reality TV becoming the big slice of popular viewing, American Idol indulged our vocal and visual interests.  A lot of the TV shows that are really popular right now don’t have too many stories lines outside the realm of what many people’s daily lives might encounter. 

We are the next big thing.  Everyday individuals.  Yeah, some of these individuals are going on to be big, but most people don't latch on to them like we use to and starts looking toward the direction of the next hopefully that just might be a friend, neighbor, classmate or coworker of ours.

Look how many podcasts there are of individuals or a few people sharing something of interest or a passion of theirs for little to no pay at all to the world.  I don't have to say anything about YouTube!  The internet has connected the world.  People are less interested in the nicely boxed products big industry puts out.  People are searching out people just like them.  Some of the most viral videos on YouTube are of "just some person" doing their thing.  Take "Evolution of the Dance".  It makes us feel closer to our fellow humans and gives us a better feeling about what we can do as an individual. 

Also, look where the politics in the U.S. is trying to head.  It's trying to head down to a "grassroots" level—now some of these roots aren’t getting along well at all, but that’s beside the point.  This is kind of why I have a hard time getting why some think Socialism is bad and evil.  It's about looking out for the good of its people, as a whole.  It's not Nazis or Communists (even though Communists are a part of Communism, which is not Socialism--something else that makes me go cross-eyed). 

Anyways, we are headed in a direction of the individual again.  People are getting sick of corporations putting out crap, destroying competition (namely the little guys--US!), making insane amounts of money and not caring about who or what they hurt because of it.

We're starting to think about what we are doing to the environments around us and how we can better coexist. 

We are finally looking for ourselves.  Yeah, some of us will always be too lazy or greedy for that, but as long as a majority keeps looking around us and not over or beyond us, we'll all be better off...that isn't until it's not cool anymore or until an asteroid or climate destabilization wipes us out : )

Thanks for making me think about this Lori!

--Adam

Thinking...

Thinking

13 November 2009

Missoula, Montana

 

Take a good listen to this.  For those of you that call yourself a Christian (good or not) or religious in any way, and appose socialized medicine, for instance, or anything that isn't for the social good, I have to question your religion, adherence to it and your moral self.   

I have no problem giving 50% of what I make if it's for the greater good of our society.  My only request is that my money is spent well.  I’m sure that’s what most people want for what they have to pay in taxes.  That's where voting often and paying attention to what those that we vote into representation are doing.  Many of those more heavily socialized countries that pay more in taxes than use--which is everyone but South Korea--get a lot more for what they pay than us.  

Those that are Christian know about tithing.  That’s 10% of what you had since most people didn’t have much money back then—barter and trade.  That’s socialism folks.  Doing your part to take care of the greater good, whether it’s the church and it’s community or a nation.  

Remember when the bible was written.  Now think of the type of civilization that existed in Iraq then—in Rome—in Greece—in Egypt.  You depended on others for survival.  That was the entire point of creating a civilization!  It’s a social obligation.  SOCIAL.  It’s not a bad word.  We’d still be hunters and gathers if we didn’t socialize.  Yes, some can do it on their own, but if you aren’t, well, you best think about how you get all the things that make you happy and give you such a good life.             

Our problem is the Capitalist side of our socialized nation.  When factoring in inflation, people of the U.S. generally made more in the 70s than today.  That's because healthcare is such a large portion of our expenditure by employers, and ultimately eating up more of what we spend after we get paid.  In the not too distant future (about NINE years!), we're looking at spending about 50% of our income on healthcare if something doesn't change  (this was reported on NPR by "This American Life" - http://www.thislife.org/Radio_Episode.aspx?episode=391).  We spend more than 50% more on healthcare than ANY country in the world and it sure isn't buying us any better health.  We rank 45th in infant mortality in the world--behind Cuba--and 50th in the world at life expectancy--behind Bosnia (these stats are pretty much from This American Life--which is well trusted with their research).  What happened to people in the health field wanting to take care of people as why they wanted to become doctors, surgeons, ect?  Looks like some are taking care of their second and third homes and their social status more than their patients.  

Take for instance something I read in the University of Montana’s student paper today.  Montana State University just hired a new President.  That person’s salary will be quite a bit higher than the previous President and more than UM’s President.  The board of regents is talking about raising our current President’s salary from $205,000 a year to $285,000 a year to make up for it, even though there was a freeze last year on professor salaries.  Justification is that even with the increase, it’s still below average for the position at most comparable universities.  To me, a good leader of anything would say, until the enterprise/group as a whole is taken care of, I am last on the list.  I’ve lived a pretty decent life on $15,000 a year.  I can’t see any skill worth that much over something livable for one person.  That doesn’t mean it’s not earned, but more of it is that needed.        

Too many people want to be millionaires rather than being able to provide for their family and live a decent life.  Comfortable has really lost a rational meaning.  We're not just a throw away nation, but a nation of stuff.  You don't need a two story, 3,000 square feet house for two people or four people.  I've never seen some many people that have a decent-sized house with a one or two car garage and can't keep their car(s) in there for the JUNK!  There are people that still live in mud huts on this planet!  I'm not saying we should give money to improve their lives, because you know what I think--we'd just make their lives worse.  The people I met in Africa seem a WHOLE lot more happy than your average American…

It’s not about redistributing wealth, even though that’s what some think is the way to go.  It’s about giving people basic services over anything—like healthcare and education.  Don’t give people money—give them something real.  Welfare should be food, then shelter, then healthcare and finally education.  Nothing more, noting less.  Giving people money sometimes is along the lines of giving a street beggar money—which will spend it on alcohol or drugs or something long those lines most likely.  

People are right not to trust politicians.  We’ve sent lawyers and rich business people on the average to Washington to represent us.   We need to take a stand and not just go with the flow.  We need to send people like us that know what it’s like to make minimum wage and work a job that doesn’t bring in six or more figures a year.  Now that doesn’t mean we send unintelligent, uneducated McDonalds employees (not to imply all are—Jay Leno worked at McDonalds when he was young).  We just need to send more people that are in touch with the entire country; the entire world.   

The big hurtle is our differences.  We all believe different things.  Some believe in a god in the sky has is all planned out.  Some believe in equal rights for all.  Some believe in the right to do what they wish.  Some live in a fantasy world.  We have to find common ground!  And I know for a fact there is some no matter where you go on this planet.  I’ve been to four continents and have talked with people of all six with indigenous peoples.  WE just have to think more.  We can’t ignore certain topics because they are uncomfortable for us and because they are hard.  We can’t allow a TV show or a sport or anything so trivial to dominate out time, our thoughts and our lives.

Whether you believe in evolution or not, we have changed in the last 10,000 years of recorded time.  It all comes down to choices.  I’m not say we all have to make the right ones all the time—I know I sure haven’t—we just need to be aware of what motivates us to make these choices.  I have to make the choice every day walking across campus to my next class to not jump and rape one of the many beautiful woman I pass—I really like beautiful women!  It’s not always the easiest of choices, but I choice to restrain myself for the good of everyone.  Not all that long ago that kind of situation didn’t have only one acceptable outcome.  

All this rambling I’ve done really comes down to one thing—thinking.  Do it for yourself.  Do it OFTEN.  And do it critically!  We can’t have a large portion of a population doing a vast amount of their thinking about the offense or defense of a sports team or about whether they should consider stainless steel appliances or not.  
 
Just think about it...on your own...without resorting to what you've heard on TV...or what you were told growing up...without thinking about that new 56 inch flat panel TV you want or a new car that costs what a decent house cost 20 years ago...just think about it without greed for yourself…