In the New Class War...ABC drops the first Propaganda Bomb for the Wealthy

[maxrandb]

Last night I switched from the Civil War Series on PBS to my local ABC station when PBS broke for fundraising (I already donated this year). Anyway, I stumbled upon the last 10 minutes or so of the new ABC show “Secret Millionaire”. What a pile of “goo”. The gist of the show seems to be that some wealthy couple…excuse me…”EXTREMELY” wealthy couple, sneak into a poor community, interact with the people there, and then have a big “reveal” at the end of the show where they “come-out” of the closet as millionaires, and “bestow” some money on a cause they “deem” to be worthy. In this case, the couple gave $250K to an organization that provides service for special needs and mentally disabled kids.

My first thought was “bully for you”. It’s great that you gave some money to this organization. But then I thought… ”Eff that”!!!! It’s all well and good that you donated some of your vast fortune to help these people out, and that is appreciated, BUT, what I really want is for all of you folks in the top 5% to pay 5% more in income taxes so that we can FULLY FUND ALL special needs organizations in the country.

I want you and the rest of the top 5% to pay 5% more in income tax, so that we can afford to hire and retain the best and brightest teachers and equip them with what they need to serve AS MANY SPECIAL NEEDS AND DISABLED KIDS that we can find…and trust me, you can find a lot that are going to be getting screwed over in OH, WI and FL.

I want you and the rest of the top 5% to pay 5% more in income tax so that we can fully fund Head Start and Medicaid, to give EVERYONE the opportunity to amass the kind of wealth you have.

I want you and the rest of the top 5% to pay 5% more in income tax, so that when you play a high-stakes game of Monopoly with “real” people’s money, and then find that you landed on Park Place with 5 Hotels, we have a well-funded regulatory agency to hold you accountable. Now, when the shit hits the fan you feel entitled to get a “Community Chest” card from the rest of America that entitles you to not only “Get out of Jail Free”, but also to “Advance to Free Parking”!!

It’s all well and good that there are folks that are willing to give some of their riches away to help the less fortunate, but I WANT YOU AND THE REST OF THE TOP 5% TO PAY 5% MORE IN INCOME TAX so that we don’t have to simply rely on your “generosity”.

The fact is that the Middle Class in this country are the ones that drive the engine of our economy and ENABLED you to amass that vast fortune.

Our tax code is not punitive, but it can be a gentle reminder of that fact to those of you who have forgotten it, or couldn’t give a “rats-ass”.

[napoleon_in_rags]

1. Its interesting to read about Carnegie and the rest

Rich folks who gave huge amounts to charity... There's a real understanding there between the lines that the charity is necessary, lest the whole thing come collapsing down. So in many ways, the charitable rich are the effective right wing, in that the make the status quo functional, while those who abstain from charity are walking arguments for higher income tax increases.

[rfranklin]

3. But most of the time, the money goes to whoever kisses ass the best...

because you better believe that those folks want to be lauded as heroes and saviours. In many cases, an obscene amount of grovelling is involved. That demeans the recipients.

[fascisthunter]

27. people should not have to rely on charity

and the rich need not feel so guilty that they feel the need to give. Just pay the fucking taxes so money goes to folks with no strings attached and no discrimination is involved. They create the need because of their greed and they know it!

[freshwest]

29. You got it.

Philanthropy is commendable, but it must not cause the philanthropist to overlook the circumstances of economic injustice which make philanthropy necessary.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

[eilen]

42. Carnegie ran sweat shops

Remember the Homestead Strike? Some writers like to absolve Carnegie because he left the country before the strike but telegraphs were working just fine.

When he returned he had a factory full of scabs and that was good enough for him.

[Cherchez la Femme]

59. He was viciously anti-labor

his goal in life was to take everything he could from the working man

yet now most in the U.S. just know of him via "Carnegie Hall" and think what a philanthropist he was! :puke:

[kenfrequed]

60. Exactly

And he is held up frequently as the best of the Robber barons to a degree that they ignore all the others that were even worse than he was. So they take the more generous robber barron at his best and try to extrapolate some goodness out of his actions.

Screw that. Tax em all I say.

[druidity33]

43. Carnegie was a right bastard...

despite the fact that he built a few institutions open to the public.

:shrug:

[prairierose]

2. This show and Undercover Boss are there to convince...

low information voters that rich people are human too and they really do care about the poor or their employees.

How many more of these blatant propaganda shows will we be subjected to? I will not watch this crap and I tell everyone I run across who wants to tell me about how wonderful they are the real purpose.

This is class warfare writ large and the propaganda is being catapulted into every home that has a TV connected to the networks or cable.

[thanks_imjustlurking]

23. Amen. I've never seen such blatant propaganda. Millionaires and billionaires are worried. Good. nt

[Little Star]

26. Yessireeee Bob!!! Blatant propaganda is right!

[Raine]

28. Both those shows are nothing but crap

total garbage. :puke:

[Sherman A1]

40. Because no one would notice the camera crew

following behind them.

These shows are simply "bunk."

[CrossChris]

4. What about "Outsourced"? The re-release of Arthur? The NFL lockout?

I'm not saying they're all tied together, but I wouldn't say they're entirely separate, either.

[themadstork]

5. I hate how it makes rich people look like some special species.

"Har Har, you silly proles, I'm actually FILTHY RICH! You thought that I was a mere human, like you! Gotcha!"

[maxrandb]

6. Yes, and in reality

It is Middle Class America that has suffered through a 30 years episode of "Punked"!

[bobbolink]

13. But the "poverty class" hasn't?

[maxrandb]

15. Yes, of course they have

Like Jesus said; "The poor will always be with you".

Every stinking tax cut we give to the wealthy is a reduction in help for the poor.

Every stinking cut we make to Food Stamps or AFDC is less food in the mouths of people that need it.

Every stinking cut in education reduces the chance that people could pull themselves out of poverty through education and hard work.

Of course the poor have taken it in the shorts, BUT they have no power to stop the attacks on them. It is the Middle Class that has the power to stand up for the poor, and it is the Middle Class that can either drag us back from the CONservative cliff, or puch us over the edge. They came damn close to the latter in 2010.

[bobbolink]

16. Then, could you please at least mention us?

I would appreciate that.

I am NOT middleclass, and I get really tired of being ignored.

Thank you for verbalizing what should be obvious.... that the middleclass should be STANDING UP for us.

However, they are NOT, and as long as we aren't even mentioned, that is not going to change.

[w4rma]

24. The point is to get the lower class up into the middle class and protect the middle class.

Yes, we do need to help the poor survive, also. But really we need to find more ways to bring the poor into the ranks of the middle class.

[happyslug]

55. I hate that phase, "The poor will always be with you" for it is taken out of context.

Other translation of what is in John 12:8 does a better job of showing WHY Jesus made that statement:
http://bible.cc/john/12-8.htm

Some commentary on that phase:
http://wanderingpriest.com/2011/02/14/the-poor-you-will-always-have-with-you/
http://www.baylor.edu/content/services/document.php/96190.pdf
http://patriciakingministries.com/

John 12 is as follows:
Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. 2 There they gave a dinner for him. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those at the table with him. 3 Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus’ feet, and wiped them* with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. 4 But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was about to betray him), said, 5 "Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii" and the money given to the poor?’ 6 (He said this not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief; he kept the common purse and used to steal what was put into it.) 7 Jesus said, "Leave her alone. She bought it" so that she might keep it for the day of my burial. 8 You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.’

It is also reported in Mathew 26:

When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he said to his disciples, 2 You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified."

3 Then the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered in the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, 4 and they conspired to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him. 5 But they said, "Not during the festival, or there may be a riot among the people."

6 Now while Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, 7 a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very costly ointment, and she poured it on his head as he sat at the table. 8 But when the disciples saw it, they were angry and said, "Why this waste? 9 For this ointment could have been sold for a large sum, and the money given to the poor." 10 But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, ‘Why do you trouble the woman? She has performed a good service for me. 11 For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me. 12 By pouring this ointment on my body she has prepared me for burial. 13 Truly I tell you, wherever this good news* is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in remembrance of her."

It is also reported in Mark 14:7:

3 While he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at the table, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very costly ointment of nard, and she broke open the jar and poured the ointment on his head. 4 But some were there who said to one another in anger, "Why was the ointment wasted in this way? 5 For this ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii, and the money given to the poor." And they scolded her. 6 But Jesus said, "Let her alone; why do you trouble her? She has performed a good service for me. 7 For you always have the poor with you, and you can show kindness to them whenever you wish; but you will not always have me. 8 She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for its burial. 9 Truly I tell you, wherever the good news is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in remembrance of her."

In a nut-shell, the phase is an attack on people who used the poor to justify NOT doing anything else, NOT an attack on giving to the poor. Jesus is quite clear throughout the Gospels, we have a DUTY to help the poor, but in this case Jesus is showing, that duty should NOT be an excuse to NOT to do other good things.

[Hubert Flottz]

7. K&R

[closeupready]

8. That's what I hated about Big Give, or the Secret Boss show.

If you are going to be generous, just DO it, and stop promoting your generosity.

[jtown1123]

9. Did you see Bill Maher tear into this show? Amazing.

[leftstreet]

10. Rich people must be getting nervous, if they're putting out PR shows

:rofl:

Fuck em

[bobbolink]

11. You are definitely on the right track! JUSTICE rather than CHARITY.

That is exactly what the RW wants... depending on "charity" to solve all human needs.

It is also a common theme on DU. Charity is supposed to solve it all, and if someone challenges that, then the challenger is "mean" and "hurting their own cause".

Good for you for seeing through the crap, and I hope you will take action, because you seem to have it right.

Thank you! :yourock:

[Raksha]

19. In Hebrew the word for "charity" is derived from the word for JUSTICE.

It's tzedakah and it's derived from the Hebrew root word tzedek, which means righteousness or justice.

That's not a coincidence.

[bobbolink]

20. Yes, thank you. There are many aspects of Judaism that reflect JUSTICE.

Unfortunately, that hasn't been my direct experience.

Like so many USians, that concept gets lost in everyday life.

I think the Indigenous people of the US are the ones who most embody that concept.

SOJO just had a quote yesterday about if you drop some of what you harvest, you are not to retrieve it, but to leave it for those in need.

If that could only apply now...... :(

Thank you for bringing this up. I wish it was more commonly applied.

:yourock:

[EC]

12. But they can't write off taxes.

Plus they don't get the puffed up pride of knowing they've made someone beg for help and they don't get that extra pat on the back for doing good if no one knows they did it.


I always thought true charity was silent and anonymous, not a TV reality show.

[maxrandb]

14. I don't want to demonize the wealthy

There are many that are quite generous, but those (in my experience) have always been the ones that came from little, or understand what JFK said; "From whom much is given, much is expected".

My frustration comes from the fact that people seem to think that if we just leave the wealthy alone with their wealth, and reduce their taxes, "they" will somehow trickle it down to the rest of us.

It just doesn't work that way...and the evidence that it doesn't work is all around us.

Some Americans seem to think that only the "wealthy" have "earned" what they get. If you work 40 years in a factory making cars...you didn't "earn" that promised pension, or those health care benefits...you're the enemy that is now "sucking at the teet" of business.

I sometimes feel like I'm living in a Marvel Comics version of Bizarro World...and then I see blatant propaganda shows like this, and I realize I am living in Bizarro World!

[bobbolink]

18. But that is back to the charity and that leaves us petitioning with hat in hand.

It is time for JUSTICE, and I, frankly, don't see any of the wealthy doing that now.

And that includes the wealthy Dems.

[Obamanaut]

39. JFK got his quote from the New Testament (Luke 12:48) eom

[maxrandb]

54. Yes

And today's CONservatives can be defined as "Old Testament Christians" - (Someone who claims to be a Christian, but hasn't yet read past the Book of Leviticus)

Jesus described these people perfectly in Matthew: Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples, saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do. For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. But all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments. They love the best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues, greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called by men, ‘Rabbi, Rabbi.’

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also.

[Raksha]

17. K & R 1000 times! I couldn't agree more.

Private charity is not and never will be a substitute for a consistent and reliable source of funding for help for the poor and disabled.

[Warpy]

21. You're letting them off a hell of a lot easier than I would

I want a return to the progressive tax structure that has a 90% rate on incomes at the one million mark and a confiscatory 99% rate on incomes over the ten million mark, no matter how those incomes are earned.

Eventually, when the safety net is fully restored, wages have risen to living levels, and the plutocracy is no longer able to buy Congress, I would allow those rates to drop to a more sensible 70%/90%.

Plutocracy is the bitter enemy of democracy and it must be destroyed. Taxation is the way to do that which allows them to live through it.

[JDPriestly]

22. Philanthropy is about control and improving image.

I learned that when I did fundraising and wrote grants.

It was a very disillusioning period for me.

[WinkyDink]

25. But, but, taxing isn't "feel-good" fare for the masses!

[Bombero1956]

30. so they donated $250,000 to a charity

Do they get a deduction on their already low taxes too?

[Rex]

31. Interesting how the shows producers don't know or just ignore the

fact that millionaires live all over the place, even in some of the poorest rural/suburban areas. I guess when you push propaganda, you really need an audience that will watch a dog shit in the grass on TVEE and the replay.

[SnakeEyes]

32. 5% won't be nearly enough to fund all that.

[grahamhgreen]

34. Make it 50.

[madamesilverspurs]

33. Back in my more clueless days

I worked for a while at a high-end department store. One of our customers had purchased a gown, matching shoes, gloves and fur stole; a few days later she returned the entire ensemble for a full refund. She'd worn the outfit to some charity event, her picture had been in the newspaper. My supervisor said it happened all the time, that management viewed it as "good for business". We peons couldn't figure that out, seeing as how such refunds would be denied to us if we ever attempted such a scam. One of those society matrons returned a case of crystal stemware after she'd used it at a party; someone had actually driven over one end of the box, the contents were crushed, and she got the full refund. Guess what happened to our commissions when purchases were returned.

-

[hfojvt]

35. a mere $250,000?

If they make over $10 million a year then they saved more than $292,500 by not having the Bush tax cuts expire for incomes over $250,000. More, if they have significant income from dividends.

[lonestarnot]

36. I paid, GE got a rebate.

[truebrit71]

58. Me too. I am getting fucking sick of this bullshit.

...

[rpannier]

37. Rockefeller and his give-away of dimes was one of the most appaling media circuses in US History nt

[Enthusiast]

38. How about 10%?

Really.

[ipaint]

41. The rich need PR. They are parasites.

Society's real philanthropists-

"When someone works for less pay than she can live on — when, for example, she goes hungry so that you can eat more cheaply and conveniently — then she has made a great sacrifice for you, she has made you a gift of some part of her abilities, her health, and her life. The 'working poor,' as they are approvingly termed, are in fact the major philanthropists of our society. They neglect their own children so that the children of others will be cared for; they live in substandard housing so that other homes will be shiny and perfect; they endure privation so that inflation will be low and stock prices high. To be a member of the working poor is to be an anonymous donor, a nameless benefactor, to everyone else."
— Barbara Ehrenreich (Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America)

And charity is a bandaid, another form of pr for the wealthy to cover up their crimes against humanity.

[callous taoboy]

44. I am a teacher: Get this shit:

I was at an ARD for one of my students yesterday. She has had auditory disability for two years due to ear infections. It took this long into the school year, despite my efforts, to finally get the state to let her "borrow" an FM system so she can hear me as I teach. There is no guarantee that she will get to use it next year. We teachers have to literally go begging to get the things we need to be effective in the classroom.

Fuck the greedy sons of bitches that would let our nation come to this.

[harmonicon]

45. ah, a UK propaganda import at that!

That show's existed for at least the 4 years I've lived in the UK. I've seen bits of it a few times, and it's made me completely sick. The fact that this is seen as acceptable is very telling about the present state of the world. I only disagree with you about the "middle class". There is virtually no middle class in the US, but at least 80%, maybe up to 95% of the country are the poor and working class.

[Corruption Winz]

46. Millionaires and billionaires get a nice, little high....

Out of helping out the poor, little people of America. Wonderful for them. Why do I have a feeling that they get paid more for being on the show then they actually donate on any of these particular basis?

Damn. The garbage that people will watch.

If these people were so generous, they'd do all their donating with taxes. Not for the glory of being on television.

[PotatoChip]

47. It's not really their money to give in the first place

IMO since they have not paid their fair share in taxes since the days of Reagan. Thanks for the OP. It makes this and other excellent points very well. Recommended.

[onlyadream]

48. FYI

found this info on the net:
"According to census data from 2007 income, the top 5% of the US population earns $177,000 per year or more. This is yearly income, not total wealth. Don't ignore their significant investments, business equity, real estate holdings and all their other assets.
In 1999, the top 5% of the US population held 68% of the nations financial wealth and 59% of the economy's net worth.

The bottom 20% holds statistically zero wealth.

The top 2% of the US population have a yearly income of $250,000 and up.

The top 1% have a yearly income of $12.7 million and up.


Read more: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_salary_would_you_need_to_earn_to_be_in_the_top_5_of_wage_earners_in_the_US#ixzz1IeVruKuk"

[Taitertots]

49. The wealthy can not exist without causing the poor to exist

I've yet to hear the reason why they think that making a tiny cabal of people ultra-rich will increase production. Or at least I've yet to hear a reason that wasn't totally wrong. If changing the division of wealth isn't going to increase productive gains, than it is a zero-sum game.

Our tax code is not only not punitive, it is regressive when the total impact is considered. Working people pay a higher percent of their wages to taxes when you consider the bonanza of taxes they face when they try to buy goods and services.

[GTurck]

50. Here, here....

I watched last week's episode because my 14 year old grandson wanted to. He had never heard of a Skid Row and I had to tell him about it and how I once lived @a mile from the Chicago Skid Row as a child.
Anyway I watched and commented and came away with exactly the same feeling. Better to pay more in taxes than to become a media star by handing out some of that money they have gotten. You know Jesus said that those who stand in the spotlight have already gotten their reward (a paraphrase).
The millionaire on that episode was so frightened by the poor people and I told my grandson that most of them were too exhausted from trying to survive that they could care less about some guy ambling on the street - laying down drunk or drugged would be different.

[hatrack]

51. Oh, goody - more fluffing for the 1%

:puke:

[jimlup]

52. Yeah in my view these shows are nothing but propaganda for the ultra-rich

"Undercover Boss" is another example. They are revolting in my opinion.

[russspeakeasy]

61. But one of the Boss' cried, so he must "care". Right?

[Bragi]

53. It's hardly "the first" such propaganda bomb

Other than that, I agree it is just another illustration of the class warfare going on.

[Plucketeer]

56. Kay & Arghhhhh! n/t

[Fire1]

57. Impress me by paying THEIR FREAKIN SHARE OF TAXES!!! n/t

[SaveAmerica]

62. Yesterday someone here on DU said her family earns 100k but brings home 60k after taxes

There's something really wrong with that when you compare it to what Mr. and Mrs. Richey Rich earn and bring home. Pay your share!!

[Ron Green]

63. $250,000, or whatever these people give, is chicken feed compared to

a prime time Teevee budget. The purpose, as your OP title suggests, is propaganda for privatization and charity and against a progressive tax structure.

[jwirr]

64. I did not watch the show but I worked in a railroad museum in a town

that was pretty much a shipping, iron ore docks and railroad center. Of course we had a Carnegie library. But there was also a club house for families and children with a swimming pool in it, a camp grounds for people in the summer and of real interest the first non-profit HMO (over 50 years old) and hospital in the country. All provided with these "charities". Sounds good if that is all you know.

However, the workers of the area were all strong union and are to this day. All the charity in the world did not make up for a living wage and job safety. The charities were just the bosses way to keep workers from striking etc. It was not out of the goodness of their heart. They gave charity only where it did them some good. Today it is even worse - they think charity is donating to their own political party.

[Deep13]

65. The rich view social obligations as discretionary.

They believe charity is something for them to bestow if they think something is deserving and not a social obligation they are required to support. They remain in control.

[brewens]

66. If I accidentally switch to one of those reality tv shows, I'm outta there

before I even find out what it's about. Glad you gave us a rundown on what this latest crock is about. I hope not many of us really watch that crap much. Thanks to the people that do, networks get to crank out cheap crap and deprive us of anything with reasonable quality. Remember when M.A.S.H. and The Bob Newhart Show were on. Sure, we also had The Brady Bunch and some other silly ones, but they weren't too bad. And I remember programing being called a wasteland back then!

[KansDem]

67. Isn't this called "slumming?"

But instead, they drop off a few bucks before returning to their gilded lifestyle...

[Vinca]

68. Bingo! I hate shows like this.

The "small" people win the reality show lottery.

[bongbong]

69. Listen to this socialist

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJDhS4oUm0M

I wonder how he ever became so evil? A lot of people pin it directly on Nancy, the best BJ artist in Hollywood.

[ooglymoogly]

70. Great; steal a few trillion from the public coffers by lobby and fiat,

Give back $.00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000001% to one or two groveling charities and guilt be gone...The stick halo is polished and gratification that fascism allows them to raid the public coffers, into eternity; while keeping the middle and poor classes at bay; at the same time making them pay for the American equivalent of the KGB and Brown shirts to keep themselves poor and not any kind of threat.

This is akin to tossing a quadriplegic beggar a quarter to polish the shit off one's $2,000 Prada shoes

With forced for profit insurance and for profit jackboot gulag prisons for the uppity who have the temerity to push back, the circle is complete. It is a win, win, win situation.

By blatantly robbing the folks of this country, they have forced their way to inestimable wealth; they are able to buy governments and the keys to our vast wealth and resources.

They have become Robbinhood's Doppelganger.

[Dawson Leery]

71. Corporate media = pro corporate/wealthy propaganda

Carnegie was infamous for using violence to crush labor uprisings.