INCOME INEQUALITY? BLOG #117; FEB 7, 2014

THE MESSAGE:

Our society is replete with addictions. We all recognize the dangers and destruction that can be the result of addictive dependance on tobacco, alcohol, drugs, gambling and even sex. One that easily escapes our  realization is society's addiction to money. It can be as deadly, overwhelming and beguiling as any of the others. It is capable of depriving the individual of happiness and self-esteem and of leading the person down a totally unsatisfactory and hazardous path.

The Real Me, Natalie Grant

Foolish heart looks like we're here again

Same old game of plastic smile
Don't let anybody in
Hiding my heartache, will this glass house break
How much will they take before I'm empty
Do I let it show, does anybody know?.......

For me the single most important factor in creating a just society is 'Parental Responsibility'. To abandon a child is, in the majority of cases, to doom him to a life of misery, immobility and anti social behaviours.

OCCUPY BUT DON'T KNOW WHY

During the 'Occupy Toronto' Movement I talked with several protesters living in tents at St James Park on King st east. When I was lucky enough to find a person who had an idea of why he was protesting, that individual always attached blamed to income inequality. Not one person was able to expand their thinking to see that societal problems cannot be attributed blindly to the inequality of income. Doing so only leads us in the wrong direction in trying to solve the complex issues. 

"No one will hire me!"

I spoke with one young man who claimed to be from an upper class well healed family. He was unemployed, had dropped out of University and was living with his girl friend who supported both of them. His complaint was that there are too few people controlling and enjoying the total wealth of society. He smoked a joint and his hands were constantly active in trying to emphasize his argument. I asked him one question which caused him to stomp away: "Why don't you finish your degree?"

A TOO SIMPLE ANSWER is "Inequality of income."

There is no doubt Democracy can be problematic. Market forces can and often are manipulated by greedy people. However, it is not a satisfactory response to put the blame exclusively on economics for the issues we face as a society.

There are 2 realities. On top, there is the growing wealth of the top 5 percent of workers. Simple reasoning tends to blame ridiculous bonus structures for CEO's; social class distinction, the inheritance factor and corrupt greed mongers.

At the other end, there is a growing class of people stuck on the margins of society, generation after generation. This may be the result of one or more of high dropout rates from school, the disappearance of low-skill jobs, breakdown in family structures,  lack of role models and self-esteem development etc.

Many assume that the growing affluence of the rich must somehow be causing the immobility of the poor, but, in reality, the two sets of problems are different, and it does no good to lump them together and call them “inequality.”

Justin Trudeau likes to refer to himself as the Champion of the Middle Class. How politically correct does that sound?  How does he define the middle class? His hasty solutions are to attach blame, to talk about the poor worker and to declare that he and the Liberal Party hacks could fix their issues. BAHAHAHA!

President Obama, in his most recent 'State of the Union' address, probably won the hearts of liberals everywhere by leaning heavily on seemingly popular notions that disguise the real problems under a veil of "save the middle class" at the expense of real solutions: How does society prevent the birth of unwanted children, of delinquent fathers,  gun control,  addiction,  bad schools in ghettos, lack of jobs for people willing to work etc.  He chose to talk about climate control? Really? Maybe he could put his 'Middle class'  to work overtime hours building a climate controlled dome over the White House, the Capitol building and the entire region of DC. 

CONGRESS SUCKS? I'm all ears. You can say that again! OK YOU'RE ALL EARS!

SOCIAL MOBILITY

Trudeau and Obama ignore the facts. Research has demonstrated the high correlation between Social Mobility and:

1. Single motherhood.
2. High school dropout rates
3. Decline in industrial development and jobs
4. Counter productive social behaviours

These issues are complex social issues, and must be addressed without the simple argument that they are based entirely on the economic problems of the individuals concerned. Minimum wage or fair wage policies by governments, with trade union prodding, do little if anything to solve these problems. 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. 

THE QUOTE:

"Raising the minimum wage is popular politics; it is not effective policy. If we’re going to mobilize a policy revolution, we should focus on the real concrete issues: bad schools, no jobs for young men, broken families, neighbourhoods without mediating institutions. We should not be focusing on a secondary issue and a statistical byproduct."David Brooks NYT

THE QUESTIONS:

How do you define the 'Middle Class'? Are there subdivisions? What factors are most important in limiting 'Social Mobility'?

LEMONS TO:                  Justin Trudeau

For constantly spewing his BS rhetoric, his false humility and his social naiveté. 

MY MOM USED TO SAY: "Chi la fa, l'aspetti. (You will get as good as you gave.)

THE CLIP: 

WHEN A POLITICIAN USES THE WORD 'TOGETHER' HE MEANS "VOTE FOR ME IDIOT"