Income above a certain level has been widely proven to not contribute at all to ones life, liberty, or pursuit of happiness, whereas its means of acquisition necessitate the reduction of access to such rights for others. Allowing unrestricted gains without actively minimizing the differential between highest and lowest earners in a chain can be seen to cause a direct loss of rights access to millions of Americans, and millions more that we effect overseas. It can be seen in the minimized access to nutrition, health care, and education; in the criminalization of poverty; in the favoring of rich white christian mens privileges over the basic rights of all others; in the inability to be heard or compete politically in a environment where there is a direct correlation between campaign spending and election results; in unfair work conditions that border on slavery; and in numerous other facets of life. Permitting not just some, but the major of wealth in our society to be consolidated where it does no good to anyone - to entirely lock it away from the economy strictly so other people cant have it - and to allow those who are wealthy far beyond their needs and usage to continue reaping what they dont need from those who do need it, (through economic structures that amount to sweeping non-governmental taxation in addition to openly handing them the majority of actual taxes collected almost entirely from those beneath them), is a continuing act whose unconstitutional and inhumane nature should never be permitted, condoned, or forgiven, much less rewarded. Under the current system, this problem will remain and grow until the economy becomes so stagnant and top-heavy that it collapses. An income differential cap must be sought out and enacted in some form. If economies are to succeed and survive, they can only grow from the bottom up. When those at the top want more, they should have to start by paying more for the services they get from those at the most distant bottom. The minimum wage has proven to be insufficient over every decade of its existence. It was a good start, but now it is time to plan the next step forward, before the road crumbles beneath us and we fall back to the middle ages. Our economy is becoming dangerously stagnant and top-heavy. Throughout history, almost every economy that reached this point collapsed violently into a long depression. We have more accumulated accessible knowledge, and freer flow of ideas than at any point in human history. We can fix this. Not through silence. Not through acceptance. Not by shrugging and saying theres nothing we can do. There are tools at our disposal. The first tools are our ideas, and the voices with which we share them. Open the discussion. As a society, we need to have a serious discussion about what we want to do next.
Posted on: Sat, 15 Nov 2014 19:02:12 +0000
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