At the risk of being a broken record, I am a huge believer that at the root of many social issues such as crime, is economic prosperity and education.
Before FDR, the federal government dabbled in taking an active role in bettering peoples’ economic situations but mostly focused on being the referee and letting the free market do its thing, for good or for worse.
Since FDR, we are comfortable (some would say too comfortable at times) with letting the federal government get involved in “social engineering” through government programs and taxes.
Yet regardless of where one falls in that debate, the facts are undeniable. In the last few decades since the advent of ‘trickle down economics’, increased automation & reliance on technology, and increased global trade, the 1% continues to get richer and the remaining 99% do not.
You probably know the facts just as well as I do, but some of the mind blowing ones to me over the last few years are that:
- 172,400 Wall Street executives made twice as much in bonuses alone as all 895,000 nationwide full time minimum wage workers made in actual pay in 2015
- The world’s richest 1% have as much wealth as the bottom 50%
- 43% of the world’s millionaires live in the US
- 54,800 people in the world are worth at least $100 million
- 5,700 people in the world are worth more than $500 million
- 49% of the people in #4 and #5 live in the US
Now no one said life is fair, and nothing is owed to any of us, and those that have dreams and work hard should not be penalized for their efforts, but we would do well to remember our patriotic duty, and that we as a nation and indeed as a global community are only as strong as our weakest members.
We have a moral obligation to, as Tim McGraw says in his song “Humble and Kind”……“when you get where you’re going, don’t forget to turn back around and help the next one in line”.
Perry Waag 