Spare the Rod, Spoil the Rich

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By Cindy Gomez
Editor

The truth is that parents are not really interested in justice. They just want quiet. - Bill Cosby

Any parent or teacher recognizes the feeling. Loud and annoying kids can drive you to the brink of insanity. And they know it. One of their tactics is to freak out and throw tantrums in public because tantrums are effective. A kid throwing a tantrum will embarrass you, derail your composure, and definitely get your attention.

We’ve all seen it at the local supermarket, am I right? A child trying to avoid accountability; actually howling the minute they are talked to or touched in order to attract more attention and gain sympathy from passersby. The more the adult shrinks and whispers, the louder the kid gets. Parents that decide to give in, get peace and quiet. But for how long?

Inevitably we see these disruptive elements unfairly benefit from their bad behavior in shopping centers, schools and homes everywhere; hogging the attention and time that the well-behaved deserve. We know it isn’t right, but it is what ends up happening out of fear, frustration, or sheer exhaustion. We fold.

Now, adults all across America are adopting the “Oh! Woe is me!” mantra to get attention and special privileges. But those crying “foul!” loudest these days are the most unlikely groups you would imagine. They aren’t the underdog, the underrepresented, or the worst off in society. In fact, quite the opposite is true. It is the small fringe groups; the elite and most privileged among us, representing a small minority of those who have the most access and the least to cry about.

Look at the instant notoriety and unprecedented coverage of conservative people and causes such as: “Joe the Plumber”, the “Ground Zero Mosque”, the “Restoring Honor Rally,” that nut job Terry Jones and his “Qur’an Burning Day”, and the hundreds of “Tea Party” rallies and ralliers.
With real tragedies, disasters, issues, and news happening all over the country (and the world) to a larger majority of its inhabitants, our news outlets chose to tell us about what is affecting the declining populace of the U.S., the most white, affluent and wealthy among us.

In fact, according the the U.S. Census Bureau, this generation is the first in which babies of color born in this country outnumber white babies. In the “18 and under” category, whites will be outnumbered by children of color in the next 13 years. Already whites are outnumbered by people of color in 1 out of every 10 counties in the U.S.

The estimates of when the post-white era tide will turn are open to debate. Since Hispanics are not considered a “race,” but rather an ethnicity, they are forced to self-identify as either “white” or “non-white” Hispanics. This confusion leads to about half of Latinos identifying as “white” and half as “non-white” Which designation is correct is anyone’s guess. But, the number of “white” people is being obfuscated in such a way that the projection for when minorities will be the “majority” keeps changing from 2030, to 2040, to 2050, and beyond.

Over-the-top coverage of fringe news/people makes the news largely irrelevant to the rest of us. Why then, is the privilege of hijacking the public airways given over so easily to such a small group?

Well, let’s examine the demographic of your typical Tea Partier for answers: predominantly white, male, Christian, conservative, Republican, over the age of 50, educated and wealthy. Tea Party members represent only about 18% of the nations populace, that’s it. The “older white wealthy male” crowd is really not representative of the demographic of this country anymore, but “old money” still holds sway everywhere.

The saying “the squeaky wheel gets the grease” stands the test of time as a predictor of outcomes. Today the term is also used to warn that the person who bitches the most, gets their way.

For many individuals being the squeaky wheel served them well; helping them improve their lives. However recently, the tendency is for the grease to land in more palms, instead of greasing more wheels.

You see, it’s not just a matter of bitching power for this group of attention seekers; it’s a matter of buying power. And the demographic of the “haves” versus the “have nots” in the U.S., has never in history been where it is today. The chasm between the super rich and the poor in this country has reached its widest gap since the Census Bureau started compiling income statistics in 1967.

But that’s not all. Despite being the wealthiest and most powerful country, out of all the Western industrialized nations, we have the greatest disparity of income distribution, here in the U.S.
The same people who want to keep the Bush tax cuts are earning more than any of us could dream of. Just yesterday, a news story spoke of Congressional candidate Rick Berg, (R-ND), at an event to “repealing estate taxes.” Yet another example of the wealthiest and most privileged complaining loudest. The sad faced “family farmer” has to be a millionaire in order to even qualify for the taxes. In other words, he’s a millionaire complaining about losing income that to him and his family will amount to a drop in the bucket. Is this they type of representation the masses in North Dakota can expect?

“The Congressional Budget Office estimates that with a $2 million exemption, only 123 farms per year in the U.S. would owe any estate tax, and the number of small businesses is similarly small. In 2001, the New York Times reported that the pro-repeal American Farm Bureau Federation could not cite a single case of a family farm lost due to the estate tax.” http://tinyurl.com/28xg49a

Meanwhile, about 1/3 of all monies that go to charitable organizations, churches, foundations, and non-profits comes from “estates” and the taxes that they generate. So, if these rich complainers have their way, an already hard hit non-profit world will be dealt another blow; which will translate into what it always does - - more need for public services provided by government, and more taxes for the poor and middle class.
And, of course, while the wealthy are talking about how they need more “breaks” and “perks” because they create jobs and growth in the economy, they fail to tell us we won’t get to benefit! They never say that those who earn over $100,000 per year are given 49.9% of all the income made in the country. That’s half! How many of us are in that half? Median household income in North Dakota is $43,753, and $ 57,363 in Minnesota. Here’s how it pans out in the rest of the country. The bottom 40 percent of people in this country own a meager .03 percent of its wealth.  That is not a typo, .03 percent. 
We need to educate ourselves and each other about the distribution of wealth in this country in order to make fairer and better informed decisions about our country’s future.

Giving in to the whining of the privileged kids of America is not the answer. We have to stop constantly giving in to those voices who through might, money, and power have consistently found the means to drown out the rest of us.

The next time these fringe, special interest groups start clamoring for your attention, put them in time out. Their bad habits have already formed, but it is better to begin the discipline now than when it’s too late.

Perhaps we’ve been too tired from the double shifts we must work to make ends meet; too demoralized by the apathy and depression of those around us; too overwhelmed by the barrage of high-pitched tantrums from the wealthy. But it’s time for the adults to say “Enough” to those with privilege behaving as though they’re being oppressed.  If we don’t, we’re going to end up bankrupt, with a spoiled elite holding out their hands for the next bailout. 

For more information on the distribution of wealth in America, visit: http://tinyurl.com/235h4fj

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