90% of Republicans Prefer Socialist Country's Wealth Distribution!

[MNmom]

Run time: 02:58 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tktC4s3sstM   Posted on YouTube: September 05, 2011 By YouTube Member: WAMMMall Views on YouTube: 56   Posted on DU: September 07, 2011 By DU Member: MNmom Views on DU: 5007

 
When Americans are given clear information about the wealth distribution in the U.S., they don't like it. It's obscene that the wealthiest 20% own 84% of this country while the bottom 40% only have less than 1%.
Across the country programs for the poor, elderly and disabled are being cut. Tuition is being raised. Monies for local governments have been cut but those Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest can't be touched - outrageous!!!
And today's news showed that Sweden still surpassed the U.S. in having a competitive economy - Sweden is #3 and the U.S. is #5. (from the World Economic Forum)
Things have to change!!!!!!!!!!!

[MplsAnnie]

1. And 1 in 4 kids go to bed hungry at some time during the year here.

The U.S. is NOT a poor country!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's insane that greed is acceptable these days while kids are hungry and the country falls apart.

[AlbertCat]

2. The U.S. is NOT a poor country!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I really hate the "we're broke" bullshit!

As a civilized nation, the Government should support programs to help those in need, as well as stuff deemed "superfluous" like NPR and the NEA. Culture improves the quality of life. It'd be nice to not have to go abroad to find some. And citizens who need help should be helped by their government... in a civilized country.

[MplsAnnie]

3. I think it's even worse than the pie charts - 1% owns about 40% of the wealth.

Now what do they need all of that for???????????? What do they need to buy that costs 40% of the U.S. wealth - crazy, crazy greedy.

[liberalmike27]

16. Yea

And one wonders, if all these republicans feel this way, why the F*** do they keep voting for republicans??

[DeSwiss]

4. Given the level of intelligence in the US.....

...that's what it will take to get people to understand what the hell is going-on -- pie charts/pictures.

- K&R

[Enthusiast]

9. Even pie charts won't do it.

You would have to intercept them on the street as in the clip because the average American has no way to hear this information. Like many other issues it is kept under wraps.

[annm4peace]

5. Great video! Citizen journalism lives!

I'm sending this to my Senators. My Rep Ellison is cool but Sen Klobuchar is too conservative.

wish MSNBC had this on instead of the GOP debate.

[annm4peace]

6. I wish we could down load that chart

I would love to use that with my co-workers who i have to keep reminding them they are not billionaires nor will they ever be

[MNmom]

7. Here's a link to the pie charts. They are so much more powerful than just words and numbers

about the wealth inequality in this country. It gives me hope that 90% of the Republicans chose Sweden's distribution of wealth (not knowing it was Sweden).
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/2011/08/wealth-how-does-the-us-slice-the-pie.html

[annm4peace]

8. excellent !

I'll use them tomorrow at work

[annm4peace]

26. so I sent the graph to my co-workers

some got it some didn't. but at least it got them to use their brain

[MNmom]

27. It's those 2 little slivers that make up 40% of the American people and they only have .3% of the

wealth that is also shocking. How can you want a country where 20% have almost all of it and 40% have hardly nothing?????

[florida08]

10. Needs to be on billboards across the country!

Sweden~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ US

[MNmom]

19. We're going to put those two pie charts on 1/2 page flyers or cards

with the questions on the front and info on the back. We plan to leave them in coffee shops, libraries, offices, bulletin boards, churches, anywhere we can.

I think the Republicans support the "don't tax the rich" policies because they have no idea that the rich ALREADY have most of the wealth!!!

[florida08]

21. Excellent and great idea!

[spicegal]

11. But you can be sure that these self described

Republicans will continue to vote for the Republican, despite the fact they don't agree with their positions. Americans are generally ill-informed voters who continue to vote against their own economic best interests.

[baldguy]

12. Americans have been deliberately and consistently lied to about their country over the last 30 yrs.

And the "solutions" we're offered tend not to do anything to solve the problems they're supposed to correct, but exasperate them.

[DaveJ]

15. About the pie chart thingy

I am going to play devil's advocate here and say, the definition of being rich is having a bigger slice of the pie. If every economic group had an equal slice of the pie, that would mean everyone has the same amount of money, and there would be no rich people. That's how a society with various levels of wealth works. It is really not surprising that the pie chart is like this. It is sort of a straw man against the repukes so it will never work on them.

The real key is to help the "bottom" 40% lead comfortable lives. There are things that have stood in the way of that. These things should be our focus and I believe have been the focus of Obama. For instance after he was elected a consumer protection law was passed that made it illegal for credit card companies to charge a card if it overwithdraws the account (thereby resulting in ridiculous fees)... sure that is a tiny example but little things like that are way big business have made the lives of our 40% miserable.

Being in the bottom 40% does not need to equate to suffering and there is no need to be jealous of the super rich if we are leading decent lives. Right now I'd say we still have a way to go. There are too many under or un-employed. The sick and disabled are not being adequately attended to.

The rich are still have too much control over our lives. They should not be the ones who determine whether we can have a house/car/education/healthcare/job, really, what gives them the right, who have never lifted a finger to accomplish anything, to decide on how we should live our lives?!?!?!?!?

That is what we should focus on, imo.

[MNmom]

18. When 40% of the population only has .4% of the wealth, it means that many people are homeless

and hungry. It does mean suffering - eliminating credit card charges does not help the homeless and hungry group.

[DaveJ]

22. Housing is a serious issue

It is a travesty that the super rich feel they are privileged enough to denying homes to people. They create computer algorithms that calculate individuals' credit worthiness. To them it is just a game, but it is a demented game. As far as food goes I was always able to find food at pantries when I was homeless. I am not aware if things have changed since then.

I think that the above mentioned credit card policy will help a few more fall into the 'accepted' category. At least people who have not already been destroyed. But that is not nearly enough, I know. I know it is a small and silly example. But it is more than private enterprise would have done left unchecked.

There is nothing really to make anyone proud of the U.S. now. If we started making homes available to everyone, somehow, then people would truly feel pride in this country again. It is horrible that the U.S. withholds essential needs from people in the name of capitalism.

[TBF]

13. Of course working people agree - it is the "leadership" of the parties that force the split.

But there are MANY more of us than them.

[TxVietVet]

14. Things will get a whole lot worse before it gets better.

My father told me that before he passed away, when ronnie raygun was f*cking this country up. He survived the Great Depression and serving 5 years in the Army during WWII. He also told me that any person that works for an hourly wage and votes for conservanazis is voting against his/her own self interests.

The conservanazis are consolidating their power and will create a country where there will be nothing for average Americans except poverty. The American "dream" will NEVER materialized for a huge majority of Americans. The military war machine will be starting useless wars and robbing our country of money and young people.

Change will come at a price. It may be a revolution. One thing will probably will have to be erased from our society. Our political system. It's doomed. We've got the best democracy money can buy. US capitalism is very corrupt and immoral.

[Jim_Shorts]

17. Repugs know how to appeal to the lizard brain

Your not going to change peoples minds with charts and facts.

Soon we will all live in Hoovervilles and people who vote for the Rethuglians might wake up.

[ChoppinBroccoli]

20. Is That John Edwards At Around The 1:00 Mark?

If you show this video to Republicans, their response would be: The richest 10% work harder than everyone else, and therefore DESERVE to own all the wealth. Facts will never defeat talking points hammered home through indoctrination.

[wxgeek7]

23. Ingenious

Wow! Ingenious way to hold a survey, and possibly/quickly change minds at the same time! This should be reproduced at street corners all over the country!

[MNmom]

25. YES!!!! More people should be on street corners talking with people about what's going on.

The corporate media is NOT going to get the relevant info out.

We've been at Mpls' downtown mall every Thursday at noon, talking with people, passing out flyers, doing some videotaping. Sometimes we're Billionaires expressing our thanks for the tax cuts. We always try to put in an anti-war angle because WAMM is Women Against Military Madness. It's usually a lot of fun to interact with people on important issues.

We have to do a better job of distributing the videos. Please forward this one to your friends!!!

[Uncle Joe]

24. This blind pie chart polling is an excellent approach to get past the

emotional, idealogical barriers and reach the peoples' reason.:thumbsup:

Too late to formerly recommend.

Thanks for the thread, MNmom.