Over the last 30 years, wealth in the United States has been steadily concentrating in the upper economic echelons. Whereas the top 1 percent used to control a little over 30 percent of the wealth, they now control 40 percent. It’s a trend that was for decades brushed under the rug but is now on the tops of minds and at the tips of tongues.
Since too much inequality can foment revolt and instability, the CIA regularly updates statistics on income distribution for countries around the world, including the U.S. Between 1997 and 2007, inequality in the U.S. grew by almost 10 percent, making it more unequal than Russia, infamous for its powerful oligarchs. The U.S. is not faring well historically, either. Even the Roman Empire, a society built on conquest and slave labor, had a more equitable income distribution.
Read the rest here.
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Over at Groping the Elephant, Doug B has been blasting away at current politics in a series of hard-hitting, fact-based posts to be found here, here, here, here, here, and here. His posts are beautiful to behold because Doug is -- so far as I can tell -- telling the truth.
Telling the truth. What a novel idea!
And these days, it seems increasingly up to bloggers to do that, because so few others are. I wish that was an exaggeration, but so far as I can see, it is not.
Moreover, as Doug points out, "...there is no substantial liberal voice in D.C. looking out for the interests of the poorest and most vulnerable Americans. There is no political left anymore, only a right and far-right." I don't think you will hear that said too often in the mainstream media, but it seems about right.
Neeley v NameMedia Inc, et al, (5:09-cv-05151)(11-2558)
ReplyDeletePDF APPELLANT BRIEF
PDF APPELLEE BRIEF OF NameMedia Inc
PDF APPELLEE BRIEF OF Google Inc
PDF APPELLANT REPLY BRIEF
How will the judges invent a way to allow unregulated USC 47 153 ¶(52) wire communications to continue?
The ruling has been pending for MONTHS!
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Glad to see you still blogging sir.
GOOG owns most of the Internet - that fact is hard to avoid and gets more difficult all the time.
GOOG at least lets us all think they support free speech.
Click an ad and show your support.
Hi Curtis! It's good to see you!
ReplyDeleteGreat links, thanks.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Paul, so much for the kind words about my blog and most importantly for helping me get the word out: we need a national left turn in our politics. I used to blog about politics all the time at my former blog, but became discouraged because the right always drowns out common sense with all their ludicrous noise. I have become increasingly disappointed as I watch President Obama's soaring rhetoric while trying to win the presidency turn into surrender since he got into office. Some battles are worth fighting on principle, even if in the end you lose. Now I'm more inclined to defend the great legacy of modern liberalism that seems all but dead, killed by greed merchants who run Washington D. C., than I am to be content to say, "well Obama, after all, is better than any of the Republicans." That is just lame. I'm calling on you and everyone who is liberal in mind and heart to make as much noise as we can in refuting the idea that our country was made great by conservative principles. That has never been the case, as looking always backwards never is a recipe for success.
ReplyDeleteLausten North -- you are welcome, and thanks for dropping by the blog.
ReplyDeleteI think you're onto something in this respect, Doug: the future of Liberalism in our country now depends not on an elite leadership -- our leadership has all but sold us out -- but on the grass roots.
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