Class Warfare

“Class Warfare in America” Class warfare is an issue that most people don’t think about on an everyday basis. Instead, it is something that is steadily becoming prevalent in our society whether we like it or not. Often people think of class warfare only existing centuries ago in European countries and possibly in reference to caste systems. The opposite is true. An ideology can creep in unawares and change a whole society’s way of thinking. There is a lot of misinformation out there at the public’s disposal that has to be really looked at twice before it is taken at face value. As Adolph Hitler said, “If you tell a lie long enough, and loud enough, and often enough the people will believe it.” Sadly, we are becoming engaged in the problem of class warfare without knowing what devastating results it can have. As defined by (Wikipedia): Class conflict, or class war, is both the friction that accompanies social relationships between members or groups of different social classes and the underlying tensions or antagonisms which exist in society due to conflicting interests that arise from different social positions. As you drive down the street of a rich neighborhood, do you automatically think negative thoughts of those that live there? Do you find yourself suddenly believing that wealthy person obviously obtained their riches by ill gotten gain? If you drive through a bad section of town, do you look at people with disdain because they are poor? Let us put to rest some common misconceptions. The majority of rich people obtained their position in life because they worked hard and achieved their dreams. There are always those that got their money through less than legitimate ways. On the other hand, just because someone is poor, it does not mean that they cannot help their status. There is one point that should be made about the term “poor.” Sir Richard Burton said, “Broke is a temporary condition, poor is a state of mind.” This also brings up the issue of contentment. Some of the happiest people in the world have the least amount of money. It is all in the perspective. A man may have a good wife and family and feel like he is very wealthy. There must not be resentment toward other people based on their financial status. Usually class warfare is a resentment or jealousy towards people of another monetary class. What is the agenda or purpose of those who wish to use class warfare for their own gain? There are a variety of reasons that this issue would be exploited especially through propaganda. Perhaps the most common reason that class warfare is used is through politics. Politicians know how to push the buttons of their voters and sometimes play them right into their hands. Sadly, many people do not know the true motivation and make decisions without knowing the true impact. It has been said that ignorance is the most expensive commodity in America. Voters often vote on a whim or campaign speech without knowing facts about an issue. If a legislator wishes to raise taxes, he will often tell the lower class voting block that the rich do not pay their fair share and they should pay more. In reality, the rich often are paying the majority anyway but it is never enough to satisfy those on the lower income scale. The same rich people that use their profits to grow their businesses and hire more people will seek to shelter their money, thereby hurting the same people that wished ill will on them in the first place. The people on the bottom end of the income scale need to do some research before making decisions that are fueled by public sentiment. The “majority rules” is not always a good thing. Elections and nominations have been decided through misinformation. Poverty is usually the focal point of this class struggle. America is the most generous nation in the world and it is hard for people to have any callous feelings against the underprivileged. Giving has increased on a national scale every year and charities have never done better. We assist third world countries trying to fight poverty. Jesus said, “For the poor always ye have with you. (John 12:8) Although there are segments of the population that are truly poor, the facts point out that the poor don’t have it as bad as often portrayed. Having personally visited a third world country, I can attest that I have never seen a situation in America that compared to some of the living conditions I saw in Mexico. There was a family that wished to make me a special meal that they literally saved weeks of wages to pay for. America has the highest standard of living in the world. Sometimes the definition of hardship to us is not eating out at a restaurant for a week. As Americans, the poor can still consider themselves fortunate by many standards. Forty-six percent of all poor households actually own their own homes. The average home owned by persons classified as poor by the Census Bureau is a three-bedroom house with one-and-a-half baths, a garage, and a porch or patio. Seventy-six percent of poor households have air conditioning. By contrast, 30 years ago, only 36 percent of the entire U.S. population enjoyed air conditioning. Only 6 percent of poor households are overcrowded. More than two-thirds have more than two rooms per person. The average poor American has more living space than the average individual living in Paris, London, Vienna, Athens, and other cities throughout Europe. (These comparisons are to the average citizens in foreign countries, not to those classified as poor.) (Rector) Our supermarkets have huge food selections and we can literally almost anything we want. We have a far contrast from the Soviet bread lines that we read so much about. We currently do not have lines of cars waiting to get gasoline. Food rationing is not something that we have to worry about. The poor have access to emergency healthcare, shelter, and food if they are truly needy. Even the homeless who stand on a street corner have the opportunity to make a better life. I can remember an instance from personal experience that demonstrated this. While driving in Oklahoma City, I would regularly drive by a homeless man on the same street corner. On one occasion, the light turned red and my care was almost even with his vantage point. He asked me for some cash and I pointed out that an employer was hiring across the street from him. His short lived excitement turned into a sigh of disgust when he saw that it was a fast food restaurant. It did not seem to me that he was on his last rope if he wasn’t willing to look for gainful employment. Even the most underprivileged have opportunities to make a better life for themselves. America has social safety nets in place for those who are disadvantaged. The wealthy in America are often mischaracterized as evil people simply because they are rich. People need to realize that rich people usually did smart things to obtain their status. In America, the sky is the limit to one’s dreams and almost anything is possible barring physical or mental handicap. In your mind, think of a wealthy person that you know personally. Did that person get their riches through an honest means? Most likely they worked hard, invested resources, and saved money to reach the point that they have. According to research done of American millionaires, approximately 90% of them are first generation wealthy. 91% never received, as a gift, as much as $1 of the ownership of a family business. (Stanley 16) The opportunities are unlimited for Americans to expand their education, work hard, and grow businesses. Whether we like it or not, our society is moving towards income redistribution. The animosity towards wealthy people could also be called class envy. Let’s be frank here. Think of a rich person who is driving their brand new Mercedes Benz on their way to a private vacation home. There is a little jealously that wells up inside most of us that wishes we could have that status. That same person is paying a large amount of taxes but we feel that the police power of the government should be used to take his money and give it to us. As soon as a politician speaks to a crowd of poor people promising to “stick it to the rich,” voters come out in droves to put that person into office. There are segments that still believe that socialism is good by nature. Liberal ideologues continue to push for a collectivism where everyone is one big happy family and the wealth should be shared evenly. We have seen the results of these types of systems. Russia is a prime example. If you want a prime example of extreme poverty and socialism, look at foreign countries that have failed economically. Taking money from one person and giving it to another who has neither earned nor appreciated it is socialism. This is a socialist system in nature and has never worked. It has once been said, “If you took all the money in the world and spread it out evenly, within ten years it would be in the original hands.” There is an underlying principle here that must be remembered. What motivates you to get up and go to work every day? Is it the desire to achieve and obtain a better position in life? If everything is on an equal playing field, what is the point of trying to succeed? If you are punished more harshly as you earn more money, what is the message that we are sending to our children? Work hard, be successful, and earn more so that you can have it taken from you and given to those who have no desire to achieve. Instead, we should have admiration for those who have succeeded and fulfilled their dreams. So what steps have been taken to help those who do not make much money? There have been attempts to help the poor by raising the minimum wage. Politicians cater to their constituents and promise to raise the working wage and help low income workers. This all sounds well and good but there are unintended consequences that often do not benefit the very people that they are trying to help. Government mandated wage hikes imposed on private businesses artificially increase labor costs, which unfairly harm small businesses. Because businesses have to allocate more capital to labor costs, they not only cut jobs, but often pass onto the consumer the mandated government cost increases. Increased labor costs lead to higher prices for consumers, decreasing purchasing power overall. Higher costs of goods and services, which result from government imposed “living wages,” only hurt those with lower incomes or those living on fixed incomes. (Jackson, 74-75) Every time the government increases its role in the private sector, a segment of the economy suffers. Look at programs designed to help that have failed because of the mishandling by government. Social Security is an extremely liquid pool that is estimated to fail by 2040. Medicare is going bankrupt because government bureaucracy cannot run the system as efficiently as the private sector would be able to. Programs implemented by government are not the answer. The individual has incredible power to work, succeed, and expand the American economy. Corporations are often looked at with the most disdain because everyone “knows” that they don’t pay their fair share of taxes and their load should be increased. Nothing sounds better to the ordinary working man than the idea of having big companies pay more taxes to “alleviate” the I’m going to make a statement that some may disagree with, but it is absolutely true. Corporations do not pay taxes. As you are reading this, you are probably thinking to yourself, “Is the writer crazy?” No, the truth speaks for itself. Every time a new tax is levied against a corporation, they simply pass the cost along to you. Yes, the very person that wished to heap more responsibility onto the company ends up paying for it through higher prices of products. Accountants will figure out how to keep the profit margin the same or higher if needed. Prices will be increased and the consumer is hurt the most. There is only one entity in this country that actually pays taxes, and that entity is the individual. Businesses and corporations merely collect the taxes from individuals and pas them on to the government. Taxes are paid from wages, and in this country only individuals earn wages. It’s even accurate to say that the assets of our federal government are owned by the people who live here and pay taxes—though exercising any degree of control over those assets might be difficult. (Boortz, 32) So the next time you hear some pundit say, “Corporations don’t pay enough taxes and they should be increased,” just grit your teeth and realize that you will be the one that really foots the bill. So what can really be done to curb the trend of class warfare? Most importantly, we have to gain a new perspective. Instead of despising those who have done well, we should be motivated to achieve a better status. So that you do not think that I am somehow wealthy and just want to protect my own interests, I would like to clarify a few things. I am an average middle class worker who is trying to succeed like most people. Going to college and working overtime can make a very challenging schedule. I don’t expect handouts from anyone to get ahead. Instead, working hard and continually expanding education is what keeps me on the right track to achieving my dreams. It is sometimes disheartening knowing that a good portion of my tax withholdings go to people who choose not to work hard and choose to live a lazy lifestyle. The younger generation has the opportunity to prove their worth and not slide toward a socialist mindset. Instead of finding more ways to redistribute from one class to another, we should find ways to capitalize on talents and find ways for those on the lower economic spectrum to be able to improve their livelihood. We shouldn’t just give a person a fish and fee them for a day. Rather, we should teach them how to fish so that they can eat for a lifetime. Capitalism made this country great and stands as a great example of the strength of the American economy. However, we are at a crossroads that threatens our very way of life. In an effort to improve the lives of people, fanning the flames of class warfare does not help American citizens. There must be an inner desire to do better and achieve in spite of whatever obstacles are put in the road of life. Works Cited:Wikipedia: Online Encyclopedia. 2007. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Class_warfareThe Bible. King James Version. Rector, Robert. “Poverty in America” http://www.heritage.org/Press/Commentary/ed083107b.cfm 2007Stanley, Thomas J., Danko William D., The Millionaire Next Door, Atlanta, Longstreet Press, 1996Jackson, Gregg, Conservative Comebacks to Liberal Lies, Ramsey, JAJ Publishing, 2006Boortz, Neal, The FairTax Book, New York, Regan 2005

Marvin

www.youtube.com/truthforamerica
www.blogtalkradio.com/truth4amer