What the 1% Don't Want Us To Know

SeaBreeze

Endlessly Groovin'
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USA
Watch the video or read the transcript on what the 1% do not want us to know. http://billmoyers.com/episode/what-the-1-dont-want-you-to-know-2/

"Full Show: What the 1% Don’t Want Us to Know

April 18, 2014

The median pay for the top 100 highest-paid CEOs at America’s publicly traded companies was a handsome $13.9 million in 2013. That’s a 9 percent increase from the previous year, according to a new Equilar pay study for The New York Times.


These types of jumps in executive compensation may have more of an effect on our widening income inequality than previously thought. A new book that’s the talk of academia and the media, Capital in the Twenty-First Century by Thomas Piketty, a 42-year-old who teaches at the Paris School of Economics, shows that two-thirds of America’s increase in income inequality over the past four decades is the result of steep raises given to the country’s highest earners.


This week, Bill talks with Nobel Prize-winning economist and New York Times columnist Paul Krugman, about Piketty’s “magnificent” new book.
“What Piketty’s really done now is he said, ‘Even those of you who talk about the 1 percent, you don’t really get what’s going on.’ He’s telling us that we are on the road not just to a highly unequal society, but to a society of an oligarchy. A society of inherited wealth.”


Krugman adds: “We’re seeing inequalities that will be transferred across generations. We are becoming very much the kind of society we imagined we’re nothing like.”
 

The rich get richer, and the rest of us are lucky to be treading water. It is increasingly obvious that the "Oligarchy" is quickly taking control.
 
I think that $13.9 million is low compared to here!

CEOs get a "Golden Handshake" of several thousand/
millions just to join a company, usually in finance or in
banking, then they get an obnoxious salary plus a very
large bonus, even if they are not up to the job and get
sacked after a few months.

Mike.
 

I personally don't spend time worrying about what someone else makes, and focus on what I make. Even when I was an owner and CEO of my own company I never concerned myself with what other folks (other than my employees) made. And every other CEO that I've known or currently know also does not worry about what other CEOs make-maybe because they don't spend time worrying about such trivia they have more time to actually be productive and make money.
I also don't spend time paying attention to the media when they wave the class warfare banner. I understand that the "1%ers" also invest their money in projects that net them more money, and at the same time employ and pay the hoards their salary and hourly wages. They don't keep that money in a mattress in their mansion. Quite frankly, it's a one sided view, and a view that's jaded and incomplete at best.
 
I personally don't spend time worrying about what someone else makes, and focus on what I make. Even when I was an owner and CEO of my own company I never concerned myself with what other folks (other than my employees) made. And every other CEO that I've known or currently know also does not worry about what other CEOs make-maybe because they don't spend time worrying about such trivia they have more time to actually be productive and make money.
I also don't spend time paying attention to the media when they wave the class warfare banner. I understand that the "1%ers" also invest their money in projects that net them more money, and at the same time employ and pay the hoards their salary and hourly wages. They don't keep that money in a mattress in their mansion. Quite frankly, it's a one sided view, and a view that's jaded and incomplete at best.

Interesting that "class Warfare" is the mantra of the wealthy, when it is the dwindling middle class and poor that are, in fact the victims of exactly that....class warfare.
 
Thank you SeaBreeze. Moyers and Krugman really make clear the detrimental effect that inequality plays in today's society. Nothing can change if the 1% controls the reins of political power which their money can so easily buy. Paul Krugman says the situation is not hopeless, but I don't see any prospects of even a leveling off of the rate at which inequality continues to increase.
 
The rich get richer, and the rest of us are lucky to be treading water. It is increasingly obvious that the "Oligarchy" is quickly taking control.


And they are controlling the corporations who are using lobbyists to control the government and the decisions that they make (in their interests, not yours and mine for the most part) which is why in America's case, your country is continuously involved in conflicts somewhere in the world, how Monsanto and other such are getting footholds planet wide and the news is controlled. Couple weeks ago I read an article that says that there is a revolving door between political life and lobbyists. Ex-politicians are becoming lobbyists for those corporations who are making 'suggestions/decisons' for the government and lobbyists become politicians who continue to make decisions for their corporate 'masters'.

In Canada's case, our government has been moved to abandon all environmental standards, changing laws and ignoring Constititutional requirements such as having to consult with our First Nations people before passing bills that directly impact the environment of the regions that they live in. The result is that much of our governmental scientific organizations have been either fired or muzzled and my guess is that the purpose is two fold: to make life extremely easy for those 'polluting' energy corporations and to make connections that will stand those government officials in good stead when they no longer chose the political life. Being on the board of various energy companies can be quite lucrative in ones 'retirement'.
 
I personally don't spend time worrying about what someone else makes, and focus on what I make. Even when I was an owner and CEO of my own company I never concerned myself with what other folks (other than my employees) made. And every other CEO that I've known or currently know also does not worry about what other CEOs make-maybe because they don't spend time worrying about such trivia they have more time to actually be productive and make money.
I also don't spend time paying attention to the media when they wave the class warfare banner. I understand that the "1%ers" also invest their money in projects that net them more money, and at the same time employ and pay the hoards their salary and hourly wages. They don't keep that money in a mattress in their mansion. Quite frankly, it's a one sided view, and a view that's jaded and incomplete at best.

Nobody suggests that you keep your money in a mattress, however, to suggest that the views expressed here are jaded and one sided ignores totally the fact that the numbers of people living below the poverty level is increasing, the numbers of middle class are decreasing and the amount of money in the investment portfolios of the top 1% is increasing far beyond what they/you (?) will ever spend in their lifetime while life for everyone else becomes more difficult with each passing decade.

I would also suggest that those 1% aren't by and large investing their money in projects that create jobs so much as they are plugging it into the stock market, etc. which gets higher and higher every year, even while the numbers of unemployed also get higher every year.

Nick Hanauer, self made millionaire in Seattle, did a TedTalk that actually got banned and I suppose because it offended some 1%. The title of his talk was "Rich People Don't Make Jobs". Excellent talk and I've found a link here to a portion of it in case anyone has an interest: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKCvf8E7V1g
 
What's even more distressing is the fact that ALL the major news and cable stations are owned by just 6 Corporations. These corporations decide what we hear and how the news is presented as well as who gets air time. So they are able to manipulate pubic opinion.. and in essense who gets elected. The saving grace is the internet.. So far it has been open and neutral.. but not for lack of efforts of corporations to control that..
 
I personally don't spend time worrying about what someone else makes, and focus on what I make. Even when I was an owner and CEO of my own company I never concerned myself with what other folks (other than my employees) made. And every other CEO that I've known or currently know also does not worry about what other CEOs make-maybe because they don't spend time worrying about such trivia they have more time to actually be productive and make money.
I also don't spend time paying attention to the media when they wave the class warfare banner. I understand that the "1%ers" also invest their money in projects that net them more money, and at the same time employ and pay the hoards their salary and hourly wages. They don't keep that money in a mattress in their mansion. Quite frankly, it's a one sided view, and a view that's jaded and incomplete at best.

The 1 percent may not keep their money in a mattress, its more likely in an offshore tax haven.....

The richest of America’s rich—the top 0.1 percent with at least $20 million in net wealth—held 23.5 percent of all U.S. wealth in 2012 after adding in estimates of how much was hidden in offshore tax havens, said Zucman, a visiting scholar at the University of California at Berkeley. That compares with his previous estimate of 21.5 percent.​
The complete piece is at:http://www.truthdig.com/eartotheground/item/one_percent_literally_rich_beyond_measure_20140807


This along with all the other tax breaks for the 1 percent is made possible by Republicans.
 
It's a complete falicay that giving the wealthy more money will create jobs and prosperity for everyone.. In reality, giving the poor and middle class WILL.. The poor and middle class will spend 100% of the additional income by buying goods and services.. This increases demand... and when demand increases, corporations will rush to meet the demand by expanding their businesses and hiring more people.. THESE people will then go on to pay taxes and to purchase even MORE goods and services..

Another way is to increase taxes on Corporations... encouraging them to limit bonuses and salaries for CEO's and keep more money in their business by expanding and research and developement, in order to decrease their tax burden. This also leads to more jobs.. Lowering taxes on Corporations only encourages them to pull off the profits and either stash them in overseas accounts or gamble on the market causing an over inflated market. Of course we would need regulations making offshoring more unattractive.

None of this will happen so long as Citizen's United is allowed to stand and elections can be rigged and allowing corporations to write legislation that is favorable to their interests. Why do you think the Koch brothers are so invested in politics?
 
It's a complete falicay that giving the wealthy more money will create jobs and prosperity for everyone.. In reality, giving the poor and middle class WILL.. The poor and middle class will spend 100% of the additional income by buying goods and services.. This increases demand... and when demand increases, corporations will rush to meet the demand by expanding their businesses and hiring more people.. THESE people will then go on to pay taxes and to purchase even MORE goods and services..

Another way is to increase taxes on Corporations... encouraging them to limit bonuses and salaries for CEO's and keep more money in their business by expanding and research and developement, in order to decrease their tax burden. This also leads to more jobs.. Lowering taxes on Corporations only encourages them to pull off the profits and either stash them in overseas accounts or gamble on the market causing an over inflated market. Of course we would need regulations making offshoring more unattractive.

None of this will happen so long as Citizen's United is allowed to stand and elections can be rigged and allowing corporations to write legislation that is favorable to their interests. Why do you think the Koch brothers are so invested in politics?

You are right on, QS, as always! I don't understand anyone that makes light of the inequality in our Country, or thinks it is trivia, as Debbie said, the facts are in the numbers.
 
What's even more distressing is the fact that ALL the major news and cable stations are owned by just 6 Corporations. These corporations decide what we hear and how the news is presented as well as who gets air time. So they are able to manipulate pubic opinion.. and in essense who gets elected. The saving grace is the internet.. So far it has been open and neutral.. but not for lack of efforts of corporations to control that..


I agree with you on all points here. And in your next comment you referenced what we all know as 'trickle down economics' and doing a quick search, I came across Bill Moyers website (thank you Josiah for mentioning him) and as luck would have it, Nick Hanauer did a piece on exactly that, 'trickle down economics'. Good read for sure. http://billmoyers.com/2014/09/11/a-wealthy-capitalist-on-why-money-doesnt-trickle-down/

Nick mentions in the article that by 2040, it is estimated that 48% of the work force will be working low wage service jobs. How does a family survive on a waiters wage? Or even two waiters wages? Here in Nova Scotia it is not unusual to see people in their 60's working at those low wage jobs because they can't even afford the 'luxury' of retirement. And yet the rich are leaving the burden of supporting both Canada and the US's infrastructure and economies to those low wage workers as they access off-shore accounts and tax loop-holes.
 
While I don't disagree with QS's suggestions about taxing corporations, the point that Krugman made in the video clip of taxing wealth and not just income is the fundamental tax reform that will bring about the redistribution of wealth that this country so desperately needs. Needless to say this is not a concept that will be very popular with the 1% crowd
 
One only has to look at history... After WWII when corporations were taxed at 94%.. and the government spent money to put people to work... building schools, hospitals and our Interstate Highway system, the middle class grew by leaps and bounds.. People could live on one paycheck... afford a house, take a vacation and send their kids to college.. We paid down our war debt due to people working and paying taxes. Yet this is ignored. Why? Because corporations are now writing the rules and rigging the game.
 
When I recall the last presidential election, I cringe to think that a person like Mitt Romney(Mister 1%er) even had a shot at the oval office. Had he gotten elected, I believe that would have conveyed the message that the majority of American voters can be manipulated into supporting a political agenda that is contrary to their well-being.

Oh, my bad- I forgot about the GWB years....
 
Unfortunately, there are people who will continue to vote against their best interests based on the R of D behind th name.
 


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