Mort Zucker Wants Rich People to Destroy America.

[The Spartan]

Meant to post this here, but goofed and put it in the "Hispanics fleeing Arizona" thread. Anyhow:
Meanwhile I see this posted on Yahoo:

• 83 percent of all U.S. stocks are in the hands of 1 percent of the people.
• 61 percent of Americans "always or usually" live paycheck to paycheck, which was up from 49 percent in 2008 and 43 percent in 2007.
• 66 percent of the income growth between 2001 and 2007 went to the top 1% of all Americans.
• 36 percent of Americans say that they don't contribute anything to retirement savings.
• A staggering 43 percent of Americans have less than $10,000 saved up for retirement.
• 24 percent of American workers say that they have postponed their planned retirement age in the past year.
• Over 1.4 million Americans filed for personal bankruptcy in 2009, which represented a 32 percent increase over 2008.
• Only the top 5 percent of U.S. households have earned enough additional income to match the rise in housing costs since 1975.
• For the first time in U.S. history, banks own a greater share of residential housing net worth in the United States than all individual Americans put together.
• In 1950, the ratio of the average executive's paycheck to the average worker's paycheck was about 30 to 1. Since the year 2000, that ratio has exploded to between 300 to 500 to one.
• As of 2007, the bottom 80 percent of American households held about 7% of the liquid financial assets.
• The bottom 50 percent of income earners in the United States now collectively own less than 1 percent of the nation’s wealth.
• Average Wall Street bonuses for 2009 were up 17 percent when compared with 2008.
• In the United States, the average federal worker now earns 60% MORE than the average worker in the private sector.
• The top 1 percent of U.S. households own nearly twice as much of America's corporate wealth as they did just 15 years ago.
• In America today, the average time needed to find a job has risen to a record 35.2 weeks.
• More than 40 percent of Americans who actually are employed are now working in service jobs, which are often very low paying.
• or the first time in U.S. history, more than 40 million Americans are on food stamps, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture projects that number will go up to 43 million Americans in 2011.
• This is what American workers now must compete against: in China a garment worker makes approximately 86 cents an hour and in Cambodia a garment worker makes approximately 22 cents an hour.
• Approximately 21 percent of all children in the United States are living below the poverty line in 2010 - the highest rate in 20 years.
• Despite the financial crisis, the number of millionaires in the United States rose a whopping 16 percent to 7.8 million in 2009.
• The top 10 percent of Americans now earn around 50 percent of our national income.

There's commentary as well as just the statistics. Here's the link

[Temujin]

Okay so, I was thinking we should go ahead and start designing new heraldry now, in anticipation of this 'ruining of America'. How does everyone feel about this:

Do you have a larger version, because that is fucking awesome.

A few months back when I was bored and angry at work I was trying to come up with some stuff like that, mainly a new flag. But that just puts my work to shame.

[Ritterin Sophia]

Okay so, I was thinking we should go ahead and start designing new heraldry now, in anticipation of this 'ruining of America'. How does everyone feel about this:

Do you have a larger version, because that is fucking awesome.

A few months back when I was bored and angry at work I was trying to come up with some stuff like that, mainly a new flag. But that just puts my work to shame.

Unfortunately not, but I do have a page sized flag for the Union of Soviet States of America.

[Xisiqomelir]

If Big Business would deign to pay some corporate income tax, I might feel more sympathetic.

[Starglider]

If Big Business would deign to pay some corporate income tax, I might feel more sympathetic.

Say what? Corporation tax (for large US-registered corporations) is 35% of net income.

[The Yosemite Bear]

as long as theres no barbs on the horizon and the bread and circuses keep going out to the phlebians the patricians should have no problems with their power hold.

[aieeegrunt]

Look at the stats The Spartan posted again, particularly the 60% paycheck to paycheck and 35 weeks to find a new job. That's a bomb waiting to go off.

[Xisiqomelir]

If Big Business would deign to pay some corporate income tax, I might feel more sympathetic.

Say what? Corporation tax (for large US-registered corporations) is 35% of net income.

That is the nominal rate, yes.

[ShadowOfMadness]

I doubt the economically downtrodden populace of the USA are going to almost spontaneously rise up ala France and Russia, with rebel tank battallions rolling down Wall Street and Constitution Avenue, more likely in a worst case scenario the USA is just slowly going to go fallow (imagine Detroit writ large), with the US Military slowly degrading and eventually becoming the largest, most expensive collection of giant paperweights in the world.

It's sad that Detroit's collapse could serve as the national standard in coming years, but seems more and more likely as things progress currently.

It won't be quite that bad. The US economy (overall) will not look like the crown jewel of the Rust Belt. That said, I suspect many more cities will go the way of Detroit in my lifetime.

Look at the stats The Spartan posted again, particularly the 60% paycheck to paycheck and 35 weeks to find a new job. That's a bomb waiting to go off.

Not really. I doubt 60% of China goes from 'paycheck to paycheck'. Its probably more like 90%. I suspect the same is true for most of the non-First World country. The US had more than 10% of the population unemployed during the Great Depression...and I doubt many people weren't going from paycheck to paycheck during it. If we were going to revolt against Big Business, it would have happened then when Communism looked like it could be practical.

That said, I suspect, the rich will give up enough wealth to avoid a revolution if they think it is coming. Assuming they aren't complete morons. Revolutions are bad for incomes, wealth, and one's survival...if one is rich, especially.

[PeZook]

Depends. If one is rich, it's possible to be on your private jet on the way to the Caymans within hours.

[Executor32]

Okay so, I was thinking we should go ahead and start designing new heraldry now, in anticipation of this 'ruining of America'. How does everyone feel about this:

Do you have a larger version, because that is fucking awesome.

A few months back when I was bored and angry at work I was trying to come up with some stuff like that, mainly a new flag. But that just puts my work to shame.

Unfortunately not, but I do have a page sized flag for the Union of Soviet States of America.

Have no fear, comrade, for I have dredged the depths of the Internet for the glory of the Motherland:

[Temujin]

Look at the stats The Spartan posted again, particularly the 60% paycheck to paycheck and 35 weeks to find a new job. That's a bomb waiting to go off.

Not really. I doubt 60% of China goes from 'paycheck to paycheck'. Its probably more like 90%. I suspect the same is true for most of the non-First World country. The US had more than 10% of the population unemployed during the Great Depression...and I doubt many people weren't going from paycheck to paycheck during it. If we were going to revolt against Big Business, it would have happened then when Communism looked like it could be practical.

I don't have any figures available, but the standard of living is lower and they do get better social programs so the money they do have can go farther. In America, it can be a lot harder fall if you slip through the cracks; as is trying to get back up.

That said, I suspect, the rich will give up enough wealth to avoid a revolution if they think it is coming. Assuming they aren't complete morons. Revolutions are bad for incomes, wealth, and one's survival...if one is rich, especially.

While the American people seem to lazy, fractured and unorganized to revolt, this is only the beginning. Given time and enough of a continuation of this bullshit anything can happen. As for those who run, if wanted badly enough, they may not find respite.

Have no fear, comrade, for I have dredged the depths of the Internet for the glory of the Motherland:

Right clicks save. Why thank you comrade.

[Einhander Sn0m4n]

They threaten to destroy America if they don't 'get their way'? Sounds exactly like something Osama bin Fucktard or Armored Dinner Jacket would say. Ship these plutocrats to Gitmo and use the enhanced interrogation techniques THEY lobbied for to use on us! They are the real threat to American Democracy now.

[Zixinus]

They threaten to destroy America if they don't 'get their way'?

If I were American, I would say, let them leave. What they want is destroying the USA, so if they pack up and leave, no big loss. Trying to please them would be a lose-lose situation.

[Big Orange]

Business executives as a group have generally lost any/all respect for their workers or the countries they operate in. US business leaders had a surprisingly high amount of this in the mid 20th century, but the 1980s paved the way to discarding such attitudes in favor of 'I've got mine' and 'profit at any cost'. The general population developing a loathing of wealthy elites, if it actually happens, is a wholly appropriate albeit three decade delayed reaction to that.

While it's starting to dawn with some plutocrats the amount of arrogant delusion amongst the higher ups in big business and Anglo-American banking is still astounding. While blown a bit out of proportion it's in pretty bad taste to see City employees having a big party.

They threaten to destroy America if they don't 'get their way'? Sounds exactly like something Osama bin Fucktard or Armored Dinner Jacket would say. Ship these plutocrats to Gitmo and use the enhanced interrogation techniques THEY lobbied for to use on us! They are the real threat to American Democracy now.

Yes, it's interesting that while destructive Neoliberal economic policies were beginning to bite back in 2001/2 with the .Com Crash, the collapse of Enron and WorldCom, and outsourcing to Chindia seriously ramping up we had the huge 9/11 attacks and the US invasion of Afghanistan grabbing everybody's attention (but that was partially the point).

[Stargate Nerd]

Of course there is no guarantee that a revolution would improve the situation of the lower classes in anyway. For all we know this country could turn from quasi fascist to outright fascist and we'd be the ones fucked even worse, while Big Business and the new rulers chilax together.

[Kanastrous]

What's that old expression about the Russian Revolution - it's principle achievement for the proletariat was exchanging Tsar for Commissar...

[Big Orange]

For all we know this country could turn from quasi fascist to outright fascist and we'd be the ones fucked even worse, while Big Business and the new rulers chilax together.

No Big Business, but in a worse case scenario there would by state businesses under the absolute control of a Neo-Fascist (or Neo-Stalinist) regime that would be very murderous, corrupt, and autocratic, with the Teabaggers proven right like a stuck clock. That's why I don't think going about as Internet Tough Guy Bolsheviks is the way to go, even though Neoliberal Globalization has to be neutralized somehow before it tears down the Western World.

And here's an interesting interview from many years ago (1994) with GATT being debated found on Google video (featuring Sir James Goldsmith).

[Zaune]

Personally, I'd say it's better to try and make things better whilst running a risk of making things worse than to simply put up with the status quo.