Watch as Democratic State Senator Jon Erpenbach calls collective bargaining “…the backbone for middle class families” and urges supporters to “let Governor Walker and Senate Repubicans know how you feel!”
12 thoughts on “And now, a message from Jon Erpenbach”
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I think this was very informative and to the point. Despite the fact it is constantly reiterated there are a lot of people who believe this is still about money. I do not know how much clearer things can be…
I’ve found that many conservatives believe only what they’re told by Fox News and their Republican elected officials, without actually trying to look into things for themselves.
Honestly, I think it’s the mentality that they’re suffering through this crisis as well. Example as you seen on these charts. They cannot blame the top 1% because that is the hand that is feeding them. And honestly? I wouldn’t completely blame the top 1% either.
Now hear me out, because I’m about to play devil’s advocate. But a lot of these people in the 1% are statistically speaking 3*(10^8) x 0.01 = 3,000,000. Meaning, this statistically, 1 in every 100 people. However it’s important to note that many of these people in the top 1% actually worked up to this level. These are the excellent engineers, doctors, lawyers, artist,s or truly gifted managers who are making well into six figures and where I’m eventually going to climb up into someday. That portion I believe shouldn’t be blamed for the economic meltdown or be scapegoats either. I think it’s not fair to demonize the 1% – since majority of the 1% worked to get there.
It’s the minority in the 1% that is the issue. The folks whose wealth is not a result of some genuine contribution to the economy — not because they are far wealthier than I am but because they have found an alternative avenue to great wealth that doesn’t involve actually producing anything commensurate with their income. Their involvement in manipulating politics or markets for their own personal benefit – especially after Reaganomics? Is what bothers me. This is going deeper – this is the problem in America. The top 0.01%.
There is a difference between the rich and these guys: I know many people who are rich, worked for their money, are giving to their communities, and give back to the rest of society. This percentage of people, are a different scale of hyper wealthy than the regular rich and should be separated into a class of their own.
3*(10^8) x 0.0001 = 30,000
While I am happy for this article that was shown? It hasn’t gone into detail enough, to show the separation between the rich and the super wealthy families? Think about this. It’s the top ONE HUNDREDTH OF ONE PERCENT. Its not the top 5% killing the economy. Its not the rich. its not even the top 1%.
This ruling class which makes up… what? 1,000 families? Maybe 2,000? Either way, I believe my estimate is pretty spot on, Assuming 3-4 living generations in each. This is the problem that’s killing America, not the poor, not the middle class, not even just the rich alone. The broken system of Reaganomics which created the ultra wealthy above the rich upper class – which now uses political games to keep the country under control and them to get money without ever doing a day’s work. They are debatably the ruling families of the world who now sneak their ways into sweet heart deals with the government on both sides.
There is more details about it: http://www.theyrule.net – which sadly hasn’t ever been updated and is probably out of date. But it does show a lot about what I’m talking about.
Overall: What I’m trying to say is Walker is not rewarding the top 1% — he’s rewarding the top 0.01%.
And to me? That makes it even worse.
The top 0.1% are wealthy…not necessarily the top ‘earners’…if you want to tax incomes they may not have any more of a contribution than they do now.
Exacatly. Warren Buffett has noted that his secretary pays more tax than he does.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/money/tax/article1996735.ece
It’s pretty obvious – to be honest I follow Warren Buffett a lot. He’s a good guy who hasn’t been corrupted by money and has common sense. Which is why we need to verify these elements and why the ultra wealthy should be a different classification all together compared to the other 2,970,000. (Aka, the rich 1%)
The only way I can see it adjusted is a wealth tax being applied for the very top 0.01%. However it would have to be adjusted to run in America’s economy, since there are some flaws within that system. (Particularly with the elderly citizens whose income is much smaller than their non-revenue, aluation of illiquid assets including real estate, privately held businesses, antiques, art etc can be purely arbitrary. And wealth valuation fluctuates in time due primarily to the money supply fluctuations.)
I think what I’m trying to say is a wealth tax on them with an estate tax combined with their income tax might be interesting on the top 0.01%. What is even more insane, is they would likely never feel it.
It’s the backbone of the middle class … but he’s claiming its not about the money? There is a logical disconnect in that argument.
Are you honestly representing that cb has no monetary effect at all?
Unions must not be demonized.
The real problem is big money opened the borders to imports so big money could make more without investing here. This has driven wages down, killed manufacturing, and driven up the profits of big money since the 1970’s. The bankruptcies hurt employees not big money who wiped their debts out and put people here out of work and made them think anti-union, or anti-anyone with better benefits, Mostly only the best was imported, which made our products look bad, because better things here cost(ed) more due to decent wages and benefits–middle class. The rich wanted to be richer and have more say, they have achieved much of their goals. They have much of the media, because we don’t pay them like we did with newspapers. Neither part is fault free, all our guilty. Stop blaming each other and look up to the creators of this mess that are taking wages down. What they did not foresee is that their shortsightedness is ruining the American economy. They do not all realize that money is paper, but capital is wealth. Many invested elsewhere when they stopped investing in manufacturing here. They are the real traders, and not just stocks. We must cut expenditures of the government, but remember it is more important we grow the economy here again as it is necessary for or national wealth. Competing with countries who pay low wages and have no ecological concerns is impossible. We have been sold to the rich and powerful who prod us like cattle and buy the “leaders” into office. This may be about knocking the few remaining obstacles down to which protect the middle class so they can make more money here again. It may be about changing our government as well for their benefit, possibly something less than democrat and more aristocratic with some socialism thrown in for appeasement in the interim. Are you a-sheep or awake? I am “Not A Sheep”
T interesting post. Your on to something with the separation of the top 1 percent. But the uber wealthy make their money from investments rather than from income. Our tax system taxes income and not wealth. In other words, it’s the working top 99.99 percent that is most effected by income tax increases.
I disagree with the assertion that it was reagonmics, which cause the system. It goes back many generations. Look at the kennedys, Joe Kennedy had trust set up in foreign countries and when he died his estates tax burden was something like 127 bucks. Ted kennedys estate wasn’t taxed at all.
It may go back many generations and was building up, always a problem: But this was the was the wedge that the hammer smashed between just the rich and the super wealthy. When the tax rate on the super-wealthy was actually higher (pre-Reagan), there were plenty of great American enterprises created through hard work.
Furthermore, as someone who knows a few doctors they actually do need that ridiculously high salary. They’re often using that to pay off for their colleges and spend paying that for years. Not to mention other things as well.
I would personally separate the rich from the 0.01% honestly – make them two different classes and treat them as two different things because they are. A lot of the rich’ actually do need their money, in order to maintain things. And what is worse is the top 0.01% is pushing the rich slowly down as well.