It seems that today’s political fashion is either to blame the poor or the rich for all the problems of the Nation. If you are a Republican,then,you have to blame the poor for being uneducated,lazy,and living off the land on welfare. If you are a Democrat you have to take from the rich, penalize them for their success and give it away to the poor. There really must be another way .
The other day on Roosevelt Island, Hillary Clinton announced her bid for the Presidential nomination, obviously by the Democrats. She gave a very good speech. She was in control of the media. She was not strident as I have heard her on other occasions. She looked really good and she has my support. However, even she, seemed to feel that there was something wrong with some people being very wealthy and others being very poor. I agree with her to some extent. I simply[ly don’t believe that the way to cure the situation is to penalize the rich. After all most of the time people become exceedingly wealthy in a system that permits and encourages wealth. Everyone wants it.
In the 1930’s when Roosevelt was elected President, he was faced with the worst depression the country had ever known. He created the WPA, built dams and bridges and roads and created jobs by building the infra structure of the country. He did this with the help of the wealthy people who understood that he was saving the Nation. He won their personal support because they understood what he was doing and where the money was going. They were willing to help him to rebuild the country. Instead of penalizing them for their wealth, he asked them for their help. They understood where their money was going and they supported him. Don’t you believe that today, there are wealthy people who would support the same kind of effort, if they actually believed in what was being done. It seems to me that the real thrust of the next administration should be to restore the confidence in this Nation and the possibility that we can all help and that our vote again counts.
Even though he may sound like he is penalizing the wealthy, Bernie Sanders is asking the wealthy to do just what FDR did. Pay more in taxes so that the wealth of our nation may be distributed via vast infrastructure projects which we desperately need. And not only infrastructure. More money to education means more and better paying jobs for teachers. In every area, more jobs and more money flowing into the economy benefits everyone. People spend that money on the very things industry wants to make and sell. I think the anger at the very wealthy that might bleed over into the taxation debate is at people like the Koch Brothers who are buying off our politicians. And it needn’t be just them. Big money calls the policy shots in Washington. I think there is really only one issue in America today – getting all money out of politics. Everything else flows from there.