What is really going on in the war between Wall Street and Main Street; debunking the argument of envy
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Romney attacks American character
In a stunning remark, Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney claimed anyone who has questions about the distribution of wealth and power in this nation has fallen short by succumbing to envy, one of the seven deadly sins.
The other six, for those straining to remember, are greed, sloth, pride, lust, gluttony and wrath.
The American character has been analyzed for centuries in an attempt to define why Americans behave as they do. Some claim Americans are "great joiners or rugged individualists, optimists possessed by the pioneer spirit, or... dedicated to puritan moral values, materialism and abundance."
Over time, Americans have proven themselves both generous and creative. Never has a majority of Americans been personified as an envious people.
I say the majority of Americans because a recent Congressional Budget Office study revealed 89% of Americans distrust government to do the right thing and 84% disapprove of Congress.
Evidently a majority of Americans question the current distribution of power, including Americans supporting the Tea Party, Occupy Wall Street and most in between.
A Pew Research Center survey released January 11, 2012 finds that about two-thirds of the public (66%) believes there are “very strong” or “strong” conflicts between the rich and the poor—an increase of 19 percentage points since 2009.
Evidently a majority of Americans question the current distribution of wealth in the United States.
Does this characterize America as a nation falling into the sin of envy?
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Too big to fail
Joe Scalise, in a comment on the hub Eat the Rich made a statement that derails the argument of Main Street envy before it lays more track. He said,
"Bad economic choices and reckless investment should not be paid for by taxpayers." Such policies begin a trend where "any gains remain privatized and losses are socialized."
Think about that; corporations too big to fail expect the American taxpayer to cover their losses but not share in the profits.
This is corporate socialism people! Ever hear the one about the guy who sees in others his own failures? The conservative attack on liberal socialism takes on a whole new meaning in this context.
Scalise claims corporations too big to fail began with hostile takeovers in the 1980s. Then President Ronald Reagan with his supply side economics helped move manufacturing industries overseas and our agricultural, manufacturing, mining and energy infrastructure began to dissemble.
"Corporate America went after Ma and Pa businesses with a pac-man appetite, stealing their assets, pension funds and benefit legacy money and then dragged what was left through bankrupcy court."
If indeed corporations are people, it appears they are guilty of the destruction of American productivity, not the creation of it and should be tried in court. Perhaps I should raise funds for a class action suit; Main Street versus a targeted Corporate America.
Are you with me?
Who really cares?
Calling Americans an envious people, especially spoken without conscience by the richest candidate since Steve Forbes in 2000, reveals a mindset okay with another concept accepted by the elite...
It is considered good business practice to lay off employees in order to boost a corporation's bottom line-- and earn the CEO a six figure bonus.
Perhaps a better characterization of the American majority is dispensable. The trickle-down public policy put forth by idealist Ronald Reagan "expected the rich to demonstrate a hefty dose of nobless oblige." Such expectations, according to social scientists Michael Draus, Pau Piff, and Dacher Keitner, rate as “improbable, psychologically.”
In Romney's case, it appears the expectation of nobless oblige is downright sinful.
Are Americans an envious lot?
Has the American character, once considered optimistic, rugged individualist, and puritan succumbed to the seven deadly sins?
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Hi Barb, I've seen Mitt Romney on the news here in the UK. Presidential candidates come and go, but as they are not our own politicians, they have only a cameo role on our news programmes.
Mitt Romney is describing the politics of envy, but the politics of greed are a far more destructive force. The failure of corporate America (and corporate Europe, too) to reward those at the bottom of the pile with anything approaching a living wage, whilst at the same time piling an embarrasment of riches onto the CEOs and senior management, has effectively thrown the Western economies into reverse gear. Even poor people spend money, and the less they have to spend, the more businesses will suffer and fail. It might start with Ma and Pa businesses falling by the wayside, but failure creeps ever upwards.
A successful economy needs strong roots to keep it growing. Once the nations poorest people are comfortably housed, well-fed, educated and healthy, the rest will surely follow.
Dear Jon, I understand that polls are flawed. They are a bit more targeted than just picking 1000 random people out of a hat. But I accept your claim that this- and probably most polls- is a flawed report.
However, I do not see the point of what you write in relation to the points I have raised. Can you find a poll that says Americans of either party are happy with the performance of Washington politicians? I don't really care who did what to whom. There are legitimate arguments on both sides of the voting aisle.
When I say Romney is calling Americans envious, do you agree that the reason many are angry with the distribution of power and wealth has been caused by envy?
Do you disagree that the American taxpayer has been charged with repayment of the economic crisis but not privy to the gains achieved by many of the companies that helped cause our economic collapse, and therefore have viable complaints?
Please direct your remarks to these questions, as I am a bit dense and cannot make the connections myself.
Storytellersrus
I was not privy to candidate Romney’s remarks except that he enjoys firing people ( insurance companies ).I do have some comment to links that you refer to.
Published: October 25, 2011
THE NEW YORK TIMES/CBS NEWS POLL
Americans’ Approval of Congress Drops to Single Digits
The article is flawed and shows a bias reporting of the facts and results to the present condition of American society.
QUESTION
Do you think the Republicans in Congress do or do not have a clear plan for creating jobs
DO- 20% DO NOT- 71% NO OPINION -9% I would question the 71%
Source: Based on nationwide telephone interviews conducted October 19-24, 2011 with 1,650 adults
THE ARTICLE: New Poll Finds a Deep Distrust of Government
‘’Not only do 89 percent of Americans say they distrust government to do the right thing, but 74 percent say the country is on the wrong track and 84 percent disapprove of Congress — warnings for Democrats and Republicans alike.’’
‘’more than half of the public say he lacks a clear plan for creating jobs,’’ REFERRING TO PRESIDENT OBAMA
The president’s administration actions has destroyed the job market in the energy and oil productivity of our nation‘s natural resources. Job killing regulations placed on businesses, manufacturing and service industries that are non productive to each industry is a major job problem..
1 ‘’Congressional Republicans are viewed even worse than the President, with 71 percent of the public saying the party does not have a clear plan for creating jobs.’’
2. ‘’The disapproval toward Congress has risen 22 percentage points since the beginning of the year when Republicans took control of the House.’’
3. ‘’But nearly three-quarters of the public lack confidence that Congress will be able to reach agreement on a plan to help create jobs.’’
4.’two-thirds of the public said that wealth should be distributed more evenly in the country. Seven in 10 Americans think the policies of Congressional Republicans favor the rich. Two-thirds object to tax cuts for corporations and a similar number prefer increasing income taxes on millionaires.’’
My comments to the above: please verify my comments should they be questioned.
1. The Republicans won the House in Jan 2011 ( note, ½ of Congress) the Democrats took Majority control of Congress Jan. 2007. In 2009 the Democrats took 100% control of our government. For the first 2 years of the Obama Administration , the Democrats had a Super Majority of Congress ( super majority means Republicans had no power to filibuster or DELAY any legislation.)
2. Note that Congress is made up of the House and the Senate. The Senate has been controlled by the Democrats since 2007 to the present. The President and the media don’t report that ½ of Congress, Democrats , are delaying 24 job bills passed by the House waiting to be debated and voted on in the Senate.
The Republicans (1/3 ) of government since jan.2011 has passed a 2011 budget (hold over from 2010), passed a 2012 budget ( Senate and Obama has yet to provide a budget ), (Feb. 2011), passed 25 jobs bills ( held up in the Senate ), passed the payroll extension bill for 1 year ( Obama and the Senate would not agree ) eventually passed for 2 months. The propaganda goes on and on. Another vote to continue funding the government will again come up for a vote in Feb because the 2012 budget has yet to be approved..
3.President Obama and the Senate are obstructing passage of jobs bills , that‘s a fact.
4. The President and the Democrats are the primary ones preaching class warfare .The CBO report that you refer to is from 1979 to 2007.Nothing has changed as far as the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer. The people should be placing the blame on Government for the problems we have today.
We are not a Socialist Government or Country as of today. Thank God for that because what we have today is a corrupt government.
Side note, it has been reported that Goldman Sachs is the largest donator to the Obama 2012 election campaign, close to $ 400 million.
I ENJOYED READING YOUR HUB. Please excuse the long reply.
Thank you for your comment, Me Happy! I have not seen your name on my hubs for a very long time and it is most gratifying. I hope you are well.
Great article Mrs. Storyteller!
I am not surprised that Mit Romney would have said something of that sort. I think he is worth somwhere in the vecinity of two-hundred and fifty millon dollars ...
I wonder if anyone ever told him that coffins have no pockets ...
Thank You for writing this. All the best!
KatyWhoWaited, sorry I made you wait for this reply lol! I was writing my last response as you wrote your comment, and it wouldn't let me open a new window. Then I got distracted by a sick dog and well, I am sorry! I love your image of coal miners. Kick me again, harder, right? As if we are dogs in the dirt of capitalism, waiting to be thrown a bone.
FIS, Okay. I stand corrected, having misread your statement! (Which surprised me, having read your hubs.) Thanks for the heads up.
Gypsy, great question. Any reader have an answer? I choose to hope so, but would have to research it. I tend to think Udall of Colorado is a good guy. I know his work. I think his ambitions are for the good of Colorado. But I would have to do a bit of digging and possibly meet the guy before I could say for sure.
Perhaps it is the case that, as Mitt Romney said in the article I linked, folk go to Washington to change things and end up entrenching-a paraphrase.
Interesting read. Are there any good politicians left and can Americans survive them all? Like a tennis game with the American people as tennis balls between two oddball politicians.
Oh... I don't believe that all religions in America believe what I said... I said that most Christians do... I also didn't say that I believe it.. I believe just what you said... the word sin means error... I do believe that it is inevitable that we make mistakes.. but I believe that mistakes are learning opportunities... I don't think of them as some cosmic evidence of ultimate evil in conflict with ultimate good. I'm a mystic, I believe that God is everywhere in everything acting through everything and that the purpose of life is to recognize him. ::sigh::: Even in politics I suppose.
FIS, Thomas Jefferson eloquently wrote the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, annotated by the Virginia Historical Society here http://www.vahistorical.org/sva2003/vsrf.htm
was the forerunner for first amendment religious freedom rights. It is worth reading and rereading.
I disagree that all religions in America believe man was born in sin. I, for one, do not believe this in the least. I believe the act of procreation is a beautiful gift from God and that we are born with lessons to learn, not sins to commit.
Love your thesis. The fact the the majority of Americans, according to the Pew Research Center survey, believe there are strong conflicts between the rich and poor indicate that FINALLY Americans have been able to shake off the shakles of illogical rhetoric spewed forth by the likes of Limbaugh and associates. For so long we've acted like the coal miners of Appalachia "back in the day," who took on the values of the company store and actually defended those who "owned" them. No more!
I'm a big proponent of not talking about religion in a political context for several reasons. Most of them involve a personal distaste at seeing the sacred and transcendental profaned by being in such close proximity to humanity at it's worst. Also... people who pontificate on religion and politics in the same breath have a tendency to think that their religion is the only correct religion and forget we are a democratic nation filled with all sorts of people with all sorts of different religions that may just disagree with them on a little, a lot, or everything. Even those people who want to make a case that this is a Christian nation don't necessarily take into account that their denomination may have serious disagreements with other denominations on morality and what constitutes a Christian.... Baptists are not Episcopalians who are not Presbyterians who are not Methodists who are not in the Assembly of God who are not Lutherans who are not Roman Catholics and on and on.
There is something that all of those denominations agree on though... all humans are sinners... that... though we are required to do good works... we can only be good by the gracious free gift of God.
So yes to the majority of those who call themselves Christian, the American character has succumbed to the seven deadly sins.. succumb is probably the wrong word though in that, it would suggest that it was ever free of the seven deadly sins and... it never was.
That said... Mit is a Mormon. Mormon males are all members of that particular church's clergy. It may be that one of his jobs, as a clergyman,is to deal with sin. It is not the job of the government to deal with sin. We have parents. We have churches we have our beliefs and, based on those beliefs we should do our best. The job of government, in the United States at least is to: "establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare and secure the blessings of liberty." I have negative, personal, opinions about whether or not Mr. Romney can accomplish that.
Storytellersrus Hub Author 4 months ago
Amanda, your argument is articulate and clear! One might think you had billions in a Caymen bank- little joke at Romney's expense. He can afford it!
I believe we have returned to being serfs and when I think of serfs, I think of Monty Python, which brings to mind England, which reminds me of you! Now, there is an idea for a hub- an artist's depiction of poverty. Or have you done one? We have been out of touch since the credit union collaboration.
Read any good books lately? I am reading Love in the Time of Cholera. Thanks for your compassionate comment, dear Amanda!