GOP, HNWIs, money, Equity Divide, Recession
Here's the thing about money, it's not magic. It doesn't poof away in a cloud of smoke. If there is a recession and you are losing money (no longer getting a paycheck, paying too much for every day goods, losing money in stocks, whatever), your money isn't magically disappearing. Although, admittedly, that is exactly what it feels like.

I'm sorry to be the one to break this to you, and you might want to be sitting down for this, but when your money is no longer with you, it is with someone else. Oh yeah, they don't call it dirty money for nothing. It no longer likes your meager, substandard, peanut butter and jelly eating lifestyle. It is living it up with someone who can provide it with the standard of living it knows it deserves - champagne wishes and caviar dreams, rather than PBR hangovers and tuna fish sandwiches.

Deny it all you want, the GOP is trying to keep us in a recession. "Nonsense," you say, "why would anyone want to keep us in a recession?" I'm glad you asked. It's trickle up economics. When the middle and lower classes are relegated to a place where they find it increasingly difficult to hold on to their money because they  are unemployed, or because Unions are shut down and can't defend worker's rights, or because of any number of other outcomes connected with financially related policies of the GOP, the super-wealthy benefit.

While money isn't magic, it is remarkably buoyant and has a tendency to float to the top if the middle and lower classes aren't able to, literally, hold on to it for dear life. At that point, it is like shooting fish in a barrel for Momma and Daddy Warbucks. Maybe that's a bad metaphor.... um, it's like bobbing for dollars for the absurdly financially stable? Well, you get the picture. They are stuffing their pockets, purses, bank accounts (on and off-shore), and probably even their mattresses (some of those folk are... well, eccentric) with your money (cue the cheesy 70s porn music).  And your money is loving the change of scenery (not to mention it no longer has to listen to you going on and on about how it doesn't do for you what it used to do for you).

The role of the travel agent in this indecent little tale is being played by the GOP... technically, it is more like they are being played, like puppets (which is a whole different level of dirty). They are being played by wealthy corporations and the abundantly rich. These corporations and high net-worth individuals (HNWIs) own the GOP as well as an unfortunately large chunk of what used to be a system of government of, for and by the people. That's why they want a double dip recession. Yes, it also would give them something to throw at the man who was Commander in Chief when his forces took down our nation's most diabolical enemy in decades as he runs for what is likely to be a second term in office, but the real strength of doing it is making money for HNWIs. 

As it turns out, they can make plenty of money with a democratic President in place as long as the recession continues. Having a Republican President is just icing on the cake. Just check out  Capgemini and Merrill Lynch Global Wealth Management's "World Wealth Report 2011" and you'll see how true it is. While the rest of us were lucky if our income stayed stable, let alone increased any, the HNWIs of the world thrived growing more than 10% last year alone and experiencing growth during the previous years of recession even when there was a democratic President. Let none of us believe that we are equally sharing the burden of the recession. We are not.

You want your money back? Stop sitting around moping about how it left you. Tell it you want it back. That you are sorry for ignoring it. That you won't let Big Corporations and HNWIs jerk it around any more. If you have to pick a fight with the people who took it, so be it. Tell it that you really do value it. Tell it by voting out the GOP. Tell it by insisting on laws that protect the middle and lower classes and their money rather than ones that play into the hand of the super rich. Tell it you care by investing it in companies that give back to the community and to those in need. Because I can tell you this, until we stand up for it and for the middle and lower classes,our money is going to be sleeping at our wealthy "friends" home and sooner or later it will get so comfortable that it may never come home.

Related Posts:
An Open Letter To the New House Majority
Repubs To The Least of These, "Get Your Own"
Why Republicans Don't Want a Christian President

 


Comments

Christopher Hill
07/12/2011 16:22

I enjoyed seeing the progressive Christian ideas on your site..but I think you are wrong on a few things.

1. It is not simply the GOP which is a corporate puppet - both the GOP and Democratic Party are tools of the ruling capitalist class. Why do you think Barack Obama "failed" on so many reforms even though the Democrats had a super majority in congress, and received the majority of his campaign funding from corporations and the wealthy?

2. The policies of austerity are not caused by Republicans or Democrats on their own simply because of their political ideologies. Austerity measures are the natural way for the ruling class to make sure it continues to keep making profits after an economic crisis. (Which is inherent in the capitalist system)The capitalists must directly attack the workers through influencing policies such as budget cuts, union busting, etc, or they will enter in to a complete economic meltdown.

3. The solution is not as simple as simply voting out the GOP and investing in "nice" companies, and we can not simply insist on progressive policies since the workers do not have their own political party to fight for their own interests. I am a member of the Workers International League .(www.Socialistappeal.org)

We are fighting for the foundation of an independent working-class party based on the unions. The campaign website can be found here. http://masspartyoflabor.org/

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Pete Walsh
07/12/2011 17:20

I agree with Chris, I think a lot of people are starting to catch on to the political parties not being representative of them.

I'm a student in California and we've been getting cuts for the last ten years (at least); that means cuts in the good times and the bad. We can live with "tightening our belts" when times are tough, but what's the excuse when we're not in a recession?

Chris is right- these attacks that we face (usually in the form of austerity cuts) are a matter of policy, Democrats are just as responsible as the Republicans.

We can't hope for anything that genuinely helps us as workers (universal healthcare and education, better benefits, wages, hours etc.) if we don't have anyone genuinely representing us. "Follow the money" corporations are funding the two biggest parties in the U.S. and there is no viable alternative for working people. Most of those countries we look at in envy of their social programs have Labor Parties, we don't- so fighting for real reform is like boxing with our hands tied behind our backs.

Third parties are squashed left and right by the two powerhouses, and for that reason many Americans are apathetic to even consider that type of thing. I understand, but times are changing, we're entering a new phase of world history just look at what is happening: Tunisia sparks a revolution throughout the Arab World, dictators shudder and drop like flies- suddenly it boils up at home in Wisconsin; we see students in Britain in revolt and in Spain they protest against BOTH of their parties and call the problem systemic.
Perhaps most inspiring for those of us in the US, is the victory of the New Democratic Party in Canada. The workers' party has become the official Opposition Party in parliament.

I favor this Labor Party because it defends not my money, which would be a battle lost, but it defends my lifestyle. I work for my money, just as the vast majority of us do, every dollar is the monetary representation of our blood, sweat and toil, all the time spent away from the family and friends to provide wealth on someone else's behalf. As of now, the Democrats and Republicans are defending the lifestyle of the big corporations, the CEO's and wealthy owners of capital. That wealthy population has one hand in the pockets of working people (from sweatshops in the third world to desktops at home) and the other hand is playing puppet master with out politicians.

Reply
MattMan
07/26/2011 13:14

THANK YOU FOR THE GREAT LAUGH ABOUT THE MONEY ! I could not have gotten a better one out of the Sunday comics !

Way to contribute to negativity and lack of hope.
: )

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