The Gap

So a new report out of University of California shows that in 2007, economic inequality in the United States hit and all time high.

As of 2007, the top decile of American earners, Saez writes, pulled in 49.7 percent of total wages, a level that’s “higher than any other year since 1917 and even surpasses 1928, the peak of stock market bubble in the ‘roaring” 1920s.‘”

Beginning in the economic expansion of the early 1990s, Saez argues, the economy began to favor the top tiers American earners, but much of the country missed was left behind. “The top 1 percent incomes captured half of the overall economic growth over the period 1993-2007,” Saes writes.

I'm not surprised. I knew that the CEO to employee pay gap had shot up from about 40-1 in the 1970's to near 600-1 in the last few years. But to know that such a small portion of people own half of the countries money makes me a little sick inside. A recent paper by Will Wilkinson made the case that inequality really doesn't matter, and his arguments have more holes than a tennis net. The New Republic did a good job of calling him out.

Here's pretty good visual of what we're talking about


I'm not a Marxist, I don't believe you can ever have a classless society, but I also think there can be a balance, and that capitalism can be run a lot more responsibly than this.

no hmo

Even though I'm a pretty political person I do my best to keep this blog about other things. I mean really, if you want to read about politics on the internet you surely don't need to come here to do it. But I just can't let this rest.

Health care in this Country is abominable. It is unfair, unjust, and dehumanizing. Capitalism at it's worst. It takes a person when they are incredible vulnerable and tries to squeeze ats much money out of them as possible. It looks at sick person as says "Helping you is worth X amount of dollars to us."

My insurance at work kicks in today, which is why I have this on my mind. And without going in to details I have had to make a decision between being covered and being able to pay bills and I have not felt so helpless in a long time. I'm not sure I made the right choice.

But my point is, I should not have to make that choice. No one should. And to those who say they oppose a public insurance plan because they "don't want a Washington bureaucrat in between them and their doctor." I have to say it can't be worse than having an overpaid pharmaceutical and insurance CEO's standing there. If you trust the government to run our military, why don't you trust them to pay for doctors appointments?

I was talking to a friend of mine in Botswana, and after seeing how easily and cheaply people there can get medicine she has also become very passionate about this issue. To her, if Botswana can give their citizens affordable health care, why can't the U.S.A? I can't say I disagree.

I am hopeful for change. I just hope our leaders have the audacity to do.

Cred

Just for the record. I wanted to be a community organizer way before it was cool for republicans to make fun of it.

The Way of the World

So a new book just came out called The Way of the World by investigative journalist Ron Suskind. It makes several claims that seem like old news at this point. The Bush administration went to war on false pretenses, they knew there were no weapons of mass destruction, and a lot of other things we already know. BUT this is the first time someone has real evidence of it. Granted there was the Downing Street Memo's showing the White House and Blair's administration planned to go to war no matter what the evidence, and the whole Joe Wilson/Valarie Plame incident, but while those were evidence that they probably knew there were now WMDs, Suskind's book shows that they actually knew.

In addition, he also lays out how the White House ordered the CIA to forge a letter connecting Al Quieda to Iraq after we invaded and everyone was starting to realize they had been duped. This is where things could get interesting as far as impeachment hearings go... or not.

So far the New York Times and other major papers haven't covered the allegations in the book, and while Suskind has done interviews here and there, the book doesn't seem to be getting the kind of press it should. And even though Rep. John Conyers says he's leading and investigation, we'll see if it materializes. I don't really think Nancy Pelosi or the other Democrats in congress want to start that whole process now. It would make them look partisan, when really it's a long over due examination.

Also the main article in the last Newsweek we got by Fareed Zarkaria was a bunch of bullshit, but I won't go into that. He's been disappointing me lately.