General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsKrugman nails it. The far right and the billionaires will only accept total surrender. No compromise
JANUARY 30, 2014, 5:38 PM
Godwin Help Us
Not my line, alas Jonathan Chait uses it as the excerpt for his report on the WSJs editorial defending Tom Perkins, now famed for comparing criticism of the one percent to Kristallnacht. And boy, am I jealous.
...........................
Slightly more seriously: the attitude of that WSJ editorial brought to mind Lincolns description of the attitude of Southern politicians in his Cooper Union speech. Obligatory declaration: I am not saying that a high income share for the top one percent is anything like slavery. The similarity lies not in what is being defended, but in the demands of those feeling insecure namely, that any form of criticism be banned.
Lincoln:
Yep. Until we all declare that the one percent is the source of all good, until all mention of inequality as a potentially troubling thing is expunged from public discussion, the rich are being persecuted by totalitarian liberals.
http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/01/30/godwin-help-us/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_php=true&_type=blogs&module=BlogPost-Title&version=Blog%20Main&contentCollection=Opinion&action=Click&pgtype=Blogs%C2%AEion=Body&_r=1&
http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2014/01/wsj-obama-isnt-hitler-but-hes-pretty-hitler-y.html
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/01/30/1273837/-Krugman-Godwin-Help-Us
added relevant toon:
moondust
(19,917 posts)There's probably a causal relationship between how much grotesque excess somebody has and how paranoid they are. More assets --> more to protect --> more distrust and paranoia.
"You're kissing our asses and thanking us for it...or you're against us!"
anAustralianobserver
(633 posts)Maybe all evil is based on paranoia (even the smug, 'humorous' O'Reilly variety).
moondust
(19,917 posts)Although some people obviously do a lot of evil just trying to accumulate the kind of wealth that might cause them to be super-paranoid.
anAustralianobserver
(633 posts)"You're kissing our asses and thanking us for it...or you're against us!" sums up the article pretty well!
okaawhatever
(9,453 posts)isn't Obama, it's these guys. The bought and paid for media can only delay the voters from finding out the truth, not completely stop them. Then they'll really be pissed....
grahamhgreen
(15,741 posts)Hekate
(90,189 posts)grahamhgreen
(15,741 posts)through new Federal contracts. He can set the rate as he likes. $10.10 is $21,000/yr, which puts a family of four in poverty.
For a worker contracted to the Federal government, I think it's completely unacceptable.
$22 is $46,000.
TheMathieu
(456 posts)We must remember that, even while we bicker amongst ourselves.
grahamhgreen
(15,741 posts)It is our job to cure them for their own good
ladjf
(17,320 posts)them. nt
grahamhgreen
(15,741 posts)ladjf
(17,320 posts)Half-Century Man
(5,279 posts)You do not treat an addict by allowing them unrestricted access to their "drug" of choice. But, money is not inherently lethal for the user, the lack of money available for others by the hoarding of the addict is the problem.
So....I don't know; I'm not a doctor.
But I do believe your right to flail your arms around ends at my nose.
grahamhgreen
(15,741 posts)anyone. Really, it's not healthy, just look at the Walton's or the Koch's.
Course, my freinds are Dems... and not one of them complains about taxes.
Now were seeing it like we should have.
Better late than never!
-p
Iliyah
(25,111 posts)My way or no way - GOP
Even the latest immigration bill from the house show total contempt. Only the well to do immigration person should afford that total crapola.
mstinamotorcity2
(1,451 posts)a fight. I may not win but I damn sure die trying. The people of this Country are worth it to me. To help them is to help myself and the ones I love plain and simple.
Agony
(2,605 posts)you can't make this shit up...
"In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, AIG CEO Bob Benmosche came out with the worst analogy for the 2009 financial crisis. Benmosche compared public outrage over AIGs bonuses to the Deep South lynching African-Americans. It was just as bad and just as wrong, he said, because employees were used to a certain way of living:"
http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2013/09/24/2671131/aig-bonus-outrage-lynching/
Agony
SoapBox
(18,791 posts)dinger130
(199 posts)I never thought that Madame Defarge was that much of a villain.
Glorfindel
(9,706 posts)with a disposition, if anything, far too forgiving of those who had wronged her and hers.
malletgirl02
(1,523 posts)Yes she was fueled by revenged, but she was greatly wrong. She was given a sypathtic back story. In addition, until his daughter married Charles Darney, the good doctor felt the same way. It is his written statement in which he wrote in blood while he was in the Bastile which damns Darney/Everymode. Dickons gave Defarge a great deal of just justification.
DonCoquixote
(13,615 posts)and the fact she did not care about cannot be ignored.
anAustralianobserver
(633 posts)On a related note: Using the ambiguous term 'inequality' in this type of discussion necessitates distinguishing between income inequality and opportunity inequality.
To save time arguing over some of the ambiguities, you can append the word 'fairness' to terms like 'income' and 'wealth distribution' - ie 'income fairness', 'wealth distribution fairness'.
democratisphere
(17,235 posts)It is time to push back.....REAL HARD!
kmlisle
(276 posts)Founding Fathers of the John Birch Society. Sons of bigamist, poker player, oil man and billionaire HL Hunt. And yes they are characters from the series Dallas.
Billionaires who sold their oil to North Vietnam during the Vietnamese Military action. And we stopped bombing the harbors when their ships came in under a foreign flag.
Caught in the 80s and fined for manipulating and destabilizing the world silver market and not paying taxes and declared bankruptcy.
Involved in oil fields in Libya and Iraq. Their oil deal with the Kurds of Northern Iraq threatened to destabilize the newly formed Iraqi government. Conservative political activists and major Supporters of the Bush Family
Recently have remade their billions on the Bakken Oil fields in North Dakota.
I read years ago about how they repeatedly stole oil revenues from their poorer neighbors living on tribal land and were repeatedly caught. On the third time in court the judge asked why they kept trying to cheat them out of their oil revenues. One of the brothers responded that they were entitled to any money they could take from anyone. This is a good way to get a sense of at least some of the 1%. Entitled psychopaths.
blkmusclmachine
(16,149 posts)Spitfire of ATJ
(32,723 posts)Eleanors38
(18,318 posts)and found there is little and, in any case, easily rolled. It is more concerned with consolidation of power and assets than with a nattering buzz in its ear.
hfojvt
(37,573 posts)if we get rid of the legendary 1%, we will not suddenly eliminate inequality.
The top 24% get far more of the pie than the bottom 50% do. In fact, they get more than the bottom 75% do.
That is, the top 25% without the top 1%.