The wealth gap "should be wider"

[blue_onyx]

That's according to Clark Durant, who is running for the Republican nomination for the Senate in MI.

"In regards to the Occupy Wall Street movement, Durant said the protesters should “go find a job.” In regards to the wealth gap the movement decries, Durant said, “I think it should be wider.”

“Does anybody think Steve Jobs should not be (sic) in the 1 percent? He made life better for the 99 percent of the rest of us. You want to create opportunities for people with their unique gifts,” he said. “They have created value and wealth.”

http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2011/11/senate_candidate_clark_durant.html


I actually appreciate that he's honest about the economic goals of the Republican party

[LisaM]

1. Recommend "The Agony and Ecstacy of Steve Jobs"

A one-man show by Mike Daisy. He went and visited China to see where they make Apple products.

There are produced by workers in China in a building that has nets around it to prevent suicides.

Also, what does he mean by 99%? I can't afford Apple's products and I doubt if 99% of Americans, much less the rest of the world, can.

What a dumbass.

[pitohui]

5. good post lisa

real people don't buy apple's products, that's just horseshit

much as i don't like bill gates much either, at least he wasn't trying to rape you on price

steve jobs is completely irrelevant to the life of people who work for a living

[Tesha]

13. Wow! You don't get out much, do you?

A huge portion of all cellphones sold in the
United States are now iPhones. Many of these
people (including Mr. Tesha and myself) "work
for a living".

Tesha

[sarcasmo]

2. One of the many one percent enablers.

[HockeyMom]

3. If you eliminate the Middle Class,

the POOR won't be able to afford what the Steve Jobs are creating.

[valerief]

4. I don't have an iPad or iPhone or Mac computer (except for my 1988 Mac). How has Jobs made life

better for me? Most people don't have products by Jobs.

[sufrommich]

9. Who cares? The OWS movement isn't trying to outlaw

millionaires anyway. Don't fall for shit like that.

[valerief]

10. I don't. I also know Jobs hasn't made my life better. nt

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

6. To me, this is not about fairness

How do you measure the value to society of Steve Jobs? To me, the issue is whether we will have an efficacious society. A society that runs smoothly is one that gives the greatest chance to people to lead a good, comfortable life. It has nothing to do with whether a progressive income tax is fair or not. The issue is whether it works to make society better in general. If a 90% tax rate for people like Steve Jobs enables people to get the best possible free education and healthcare then so be it. The question of whether it's fair to Steve Jobs or not is not relevant to me and I don't know how you would measure fairness, anyway, since Jobs could not have made his money without an educated population and the infrastructure of the commons.

[saras]

7. "...honest about the economic goals of the Republican party " But he's not.

he is implying that he wants to widen the wealth gap by having more productive wealthy people, when in fact they don't care enough about that to work towards it in practice. Instead they want to widen the gap by impoverishing the poor and working classes.

[sufrommich]

8. I love the way republicans are trying to pretend OWS is

about getting rid of millionaires as opposed to taxing them at a fair level.They get away with it because the media never calls them on it.

[rbixby]

11. What a very 1% mindset....that's the thing...

I think its more of a mindset than an income tax bracket. You can be rich and be a 99%er at the same time.

[hifiguy]

12. That klown needs to see a tree-chipper

from the inside, looking out.

[aka-chmeee]

14. There is that damned term again!

They create wealth! They can't create wealth....they can acquire wealth. And the greater the wealth they acquire, the less there is for everyone else. Yes, I know the money supply is not static, but I think for purposes of this concept, the increase of the amount of cash in circulation cannot cover the transfer to the wealthy.