Several years ago now, TC had a short take featuring the billionaire Nick Hanauer. I was very impressed with Hanauer and his clarity of thought on who the job creators were. A billionaire was recognising the middle and working class people as integral parts of society and the economy. In the article, you'll read about his background. But even better, you'll be able to share his perspective.
I see pitchforks.
At the same time that people like you and me are thriving beyond the dreams of any plutocrats in history, the rest of the country—the 99.99 percent—is lagging far behind. The divide between the haves and have-nots is getting worse really, really fast. In 1980, the top 1 percent controlled about 8 percent of U.S. national income. The bottom 50 percent shared about 18 percent. Today the top 1 percent share about 20 percent; the bottom 50 percent, just 12 percent.
But the problem isn’t that we have inequality. Some inequality is intrinsic to any high-functioning capitalist economy. The problem is that inequality is at historically high levels and getting worse every day. Our country is rapidly becoming less a capitalist society and more a feudal society. Unless our policies change dramatically, the middle class will disappear, and we will be back to late 18th-century France. Before the revolution.
And so I have a message for my fellow filthy rich, for all of us who live in our gated bubble worlds: Wake up, people. It won’t last.
If we don’t do something to fix the glaring inequities in this economy, the pitchforks are going to come for us. No society can sustain this kind of rising inequality. In fact, there is no example in human history where wealth accumulated like this and the pitchforks didn’t eventually come out. You show me a highly unequal society, and I will show you a police state. Or an uprising. There are no counterexamples. None. It’s not if, it’s when.
Many of us think we’re special because “this is America.” We think we’re immune to the same forces that started the Arab Spring—or the French and Russian revolutions, for that matter. I know you fellow .01%ers tend to dismiss this kind of argument; I’ve had many of you tell me to my face I’m completely bonkers. And yes, I know there are many of you who are convinced that because you saw a poor kid with an iPhone that one time, inequality is a fiction.
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The most ironic thing about rising inequality is how completely unnecessary and self-defeating it is. If we do something about it, if we adjust our policies in the way that, say, Franklin D. Roosevelt did during the Great Depression—so that we help the 99 percent and preempt the revolutionaries and crazies, the ones with the pitchforks—that will be the best thing possible for us rich folks, too.
Click through for the rest of Hanauer's memo to the rest of his fellow Zillionaires.
These videos are from 2014 and 2015 respectively, and the article is from 2014, but the background of the discussion doesn't change, whatever the year.
7 Responses to “The Pitchforks Are Coming … For Us Plutocrats”
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Reading Nick Hanauer's memo and watching his interviews made me aware again that we mustn't tar all the zillionaires with the same tar brush, that there are some with humanity left in them and who aren't psychopaths, so I hope those exceptions get the chance to escape when we come with our pitchforks.
As Hanauer so accurately describes it isn't only the money this percentage is after, for them, and in fact for almost all of the 1%, it is about power, status and privileges. For them money and power are indissolubly linked and more money means more power. And they're not going to let go of that, no matter how much sense Hanauer makes in his memo. The 1% wants more of it and if things aren't turned around soon, that little group will have so much money and power that there's no one, like a government, that can turn things around, by abolishing tax-cuts for them and for their companies and raise taxes instead. Soon they will own that government and pay for tailor made legislation, and the only thing then is pitchforks, which is – as history has shown – not beneficiary to anyone either. So better make sure that we'll get governments in place which will finally turn things around.
They are well on their way to owning the government now. we can still stop them by voting. Too bad so many people watch FAUX.
Watch for Squatch's Open Thread of 02/11/15 and an article on American Fascism.
It looks like everyone has found it, but just for reference it is on Care2 at http://www.care2.com/news/member/775377582/3923244
He had better get to someplace safe, because there is no way (as the NRA should know but clearly doesn't) to tell a "good guy" from a "bad guy" by sight. Yes, he has done some interviews, but his face is still not widely known, certainly not on Faux, and I suspect the Faux viewers will be the most vicious pitchfork wielders of all. Heaven knows they have the "vicious" down pat. I don't think for a second that Terrie can compete with them in evil (although the laugh is world class), but I will be happy to join her with my knitting and knit or purl a stitch for every head.
We need to get the votes out NOW for the 2015 and 2016 election not only on the national level but in state and local ones as well. We need to get the GOP/TP/Koch Party out of office, period! Otherwise we will be faced with "unfettered capitalism" everywhere. If that happens, our country will become an uninhabitable swamp.
Thanks everyone. I have seen Hanauer on TED talks and other venues after being introduced by TC. His message has not really changed . . . he gets it!