Monday, 5 March 2012

Socialism, Class Warfare, Tax Code, OH MY!

So, a big thing in the news and politics right now is this idea of the 99%, Wall Street, Class Warfare, etc. As evidenced by the Occupy Wall Street movement (which... lets be real, smelled more than anything else), Americans are becoming frustrated with rich people. But I think this is the wrong label for this movement.  What is fundamentally wrong with the so-called 1%, is not necessarily that they have money, but the feeling of entitlement for what they have, and the feeling that these people have been treated specially in a political system that (allegedly) favors the (white) man with money.  Just read this article on http://www.cracked.com/blog/6-things-rich-people-need-to-stop-saying/ that I think puts into words well most of my viewpoints. It's obviously a bit biased, but here are some great points I think it makes.



1. Not everyone can be an investment banker.  The world needs plumbers, construction workers, and hey, even musicians sometimes. Don't think I'll be making anything over six figures for the rest of my life.
2. Just because you work hard, doesn't mean I don't.  I understand I didn't choose the most lavish lifestyle, but we both work hard, we can both afford to do our part.
3.  The country doesn't run just because of rich people.  The country works because your employees come to work everyday and make your company function.  Mind you, in my field, most professional orchestras are sponsored largely by corporations, which puts a bit of an anchor in my argument, but I still believe it could work without.

I have no problem with others being rich, as long as you and I are held to the same social responsibility.  It's a complicated issue, with probably no good right answer (except a flat tax rate maybe?). What do you think?

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