Some Thoughts on this Fourth of July 2011

It seems that over the past several years, our country has been crippled by the extremely partisan politics of our leaders. It’s only appropriate that on this day that we celebrate the birth of our nation, we all reflect on the intentions of our founding fathers. 

A student of history, of which I am not, will tell you that these men of honor had so many differing and conflicting views, and yet they successfully collaborated and came up with the most sophisticated, yet simple, set of rules and laws which would serve to govern us over these 235 years. 

They were smart men, with the foresight of prophets. When you read the Preamble to the Constitution, it summarizes everything, but most important was its beginning, “We the People of the United States… .”  

Take a look at this link on the meaning of the Preamble; it’s very interesting: http://www.usconstitution.net/consttop_pre.html. You’ll find this definition under WE THE PEOPLE of just what “We the People” means:

“The Framers were an elite group — among the best and brightest America had to offer at the time. But they knew that they were trying to forge a nation made up not of an elite, but of the common man. Without the approval of the common man, they feared revolution. This first part of the Preamble speaks to the common man. It puts into writing, as clear as day, the notion that the people were creating this Constitution. It was not handed down by a god or by a king — it was created by the people.”

Why can’t we find that place in our hearts and minds to come together as our founding fathers did 235 years ago and govern for the benefit of ALL people, not just the interests of the rich and powerful?

We have let the greed and impudence of the wealthy shape the direction of our country toward the creation of two classes – the very rich and the poor, and the elimination of the middle class. We need to wake up and recognize what has put us in the economic situation in which we middle class find ourselves. 

Robert Reich, a former Secretary of Labor, recently put into words and pictures a simple explanation of what happened to our economy. He states that since 1980, our economy has doubled, yet people’s wages, adjusted for inflation, have barely increased. All those gains flowed to the superrich.

As a senior officer at Bankers Trust during the late 1980s and into 2002, I can attest to that observation, as I watched the bank continually overly compensate the highest wage earners with huge bonuses, and only provide the most meager raises to the rest of the workforce. These employees contributed to the success of the bank, yet only the most senior officers received compensation in line with that success. 

Reich further states that in 1980 the top 1 percent earned 10 percent of the income in the United States, but today, the top 1 percent earns 20 percent of the income in the United States – 40 percent of the wealth in this nation is held by the superrich. 

With their wealth came political power and the creation of laws and loopholes in the tax code to protect their assets. The superrich pay roughly 17 percent in taxes, and this is a primary contributor to the huge budget deficits we have incurred.  

Please link into Robert Reich’s 2 minute 15 second video – it’s quite simple, yet an almost complete explanation on the trouble with our economy: http://front.moveon.org/scribbling-sharpie-illustrates-the-truth-about-our-economy/?id=28084-7937349-%3DLswk2x. 

I hope you enjoyed these reflections and decide to get involved and make your voices heard. Let’s not just hear from those extremists who choose to pass along all that rhetoric which contains no substance, and is full of negativity, rudeness and misinformation.