Why are rich people so villified in this country (U.S.)?

not complicated wrote:

Todd T wrote:

The richest 400 families employ the citizenry at large, you imbecile. I can't imagine a more generous approach, actually. You think the government should steal from the productive and give to the nonproductive? hahahahahahahaha

How do you reconcile your philosophy with the fact that as more and more of the wealth has been accumulated into fewer and fewer hands at the top of the heap we have had more and more joblessness? Same thing that happened in the era of the robber barons in the later 1800s and in the 1920s.

I don't think it is complicated at all. This has been coming for a while. We are now in a society that values "brain" power. When I was growing up, I remember a teacher telling our class that in the next couple decades as we entered into a global economy and the idea of graduating from high school and going to work at the factory (with their crazy high salarie/benefits compared to the skill level the job involved) ended, there would be a large shrinkage of the middle class. He predicted it would result in class warfare. Keep in mind he had NO idea we were going to allow millions of illegals to cross our borders and flood schools/ welfare/food stamp/Medicaid and still thought it would happen. He was right.

Until people value getting an education - whether that be in college - earning a degree that is in demand - or learning a skill in a vocational school - again, one that is demand, there will be problems. Unfortunately, too many people would rather sit back and collect their checks than work hard and learn skills needed in this job market.

Waaaah wrote:

This is all too complicated. No need to get all philosophical. We could just return to 90s tax rates and a lot budget problems are reduced. The 90s were fine. The very rich did very well.

People spend a lot of time turning this into something bigger than it is.

not complicated wrote:

I don't think it is complicated at all. This has been coming for a while. We are now in a society that values "brain" power. When I was growing up, I remember a teacher telling our class that in the next couple decades as we entered into a global economy and the idea of graduating from high school and going to work at the factory (with their crazy high salarie/benefits compared to the skill level the job involved) ended, there would be a large shrinkage of the middle class. He predicted it would result in class warfare. Keep in mind he had NO idea we were going to allow millions of illegals to cross our borders and flood schools/ welfare/food stamp/Medicaid and still thought it would happen. He was right.

Until people value getting an education - whether that be in college - earning a degree that is in demand - or learning a skill in a vocational school - again, one that is demand, there will be problems. Unfortunately, too many people would rather sit back and collect their checks than work hard and learn skills needed in this job market.