Divergence We Stand

     In 2010 Timothy Noah wrote a series of articles outlining the income inequality that is spiraling out of control in America's economy. The first part of the series The United States of Inequality focuses on the history of income inequality and where the US stands now. Noah points out that the growing difference in wealth between classes over the last three decades is something of major concern and relates this trend to that of the great depression to prove his point.

     The evidence that our society is inevitably doomed seems more abundant than ever. Recently I was having a discussion about this matter with a good friend. Both of us agreed that something doesn't seem right about wealth distribution in our country and that the United States seems be "Corporate owned". Noah states in his article that "few of these experts have much idea how to reverse the trend, because almost no one can agree about what's causing it". Yet the answer seems so simple to me, greed. The people in high places, with wealth just continue to want more of it. We live in a corporate world now and unfortunately it even seems to influence the way our government operates.

http://www.theliberalcurmudgeon.com/2012/02/when-gop-nominates-romney-they-nominate.html

     As the cartoon above illustrates, even the man that the GOP has nominated to run for president is part of the problem, that the "99%" (or at least half) doesn't even care and will still vote for him. This seems asinine to me. Somehow the republican party has convinced people that he is the solution to our economic woes, yet he is, and was a part of the problem. Romney has a record  of growing corporate entities by cutting jobs and increasing gains, while paying  less taxes and avoiding responsibilities by keeping his money in offshore accounts. How will this man help turn our countries economy around?

     In Noah's article he shows the reader that this latest boom of economic growth is closely related to that of the early 20th century. During the industrial the united states saw a large increase in wealth, yet a large majority of that wealth was held by the 1%, about 18% of it. Sound familiar? It should, because it has only gotten worse. Now, after the last  three decades of economic growth the 1% accounts for 24% of the wealth in this country. Why does this matter? Because directly after the industrial era, (excuse my language) the "shit hit the fan" and our country went into the great depression. This is eerily similar to what is happening in the US today.