Hey... is that Rand Paul? Quick, everyone wave..!"
White people and black Republicans will always tell you institutionalized racism is a dead issue in America. Furthermore, they'd quickly label you anti-American if you begged to differ. Hey, we had a few hiccups with slavery, genocide and general dickishness aimed at Hispanics and Asians... But that was all in the past. Now we're all riding a rainbow of tolerance and equality. Look at Obama and Oprah (and ignore Arizona, Kentucky and Rush Limbaugh). But the awkward truth, the uniquely American racist taboo, is still there.
Even as a broke-ass white guy, I know there are still a lot of people worse off than me in America. And oddly enough, most of them are not my skin tone. Sorry America, but you're still sorta, kinda, a bit, you know... how do I put this..? racist-y. How else, for example, can you explain this:
Years of deregulation that led to an increase in high-cost loans is indirectly responsible for the quadrupling of the wealth gap between white and black Americans between 1984 and 2007, according to a study by Brandeis University's Institute on Assets and Social Policy released this week.
Measured in 2007 dollars, the disparity in assets increased $75,000 on average, from $20,000 to $95,000 over the 23-year period. At least one in four black households had no assets.
Sorry to offend the auto-patriots, but how could you say you love a country without reservation where that sh*t happens? Boil it down: You either love racism or you love America less because of its racism. Is there another option?
I know it's not the 1960s anymore and patriotism is off the table as an option. You gotta be. Hell, even our domestic terrorists are all God-fearing, 'Merika-lovers these days who wave the star-spangled banner as they plot the overthrow of government and the murder of fellow citizens. But like it or not, patriotic or not, institutionalized racism is still thriving. So can you really love America while perpetuating its faults by pretending they don't exist? Nope.
To call me anti-American for saying that would be like calling me anti-marriage because I disapprove of my neighbor slapping his wife around. So, wingnuts, shut it. Don't bother. Like Malcolm X said "Wrong is wrong, no matter who says it." Or does it.
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Excellent post Herbie. You nailed it.
ReplyDeleteI get a kick outta the right wing tea bagges who say they oppose Obama because they want ot keep their money. Hey morons! During republican administration, the poor and middle class lose money and the rich get richer. That trend either reverses or stifles during democrat administration.
Why are these ignorant buffoons so ill informed?
Because it's simply not true. Econ 101 will help you understand that it's not a zero sum game. Wealth can actually be created without taking a dime from a poor person.
ReplyDeleteI worked for a small california startup. We started with a modest investment, of our OWN money. We grew the company selling our product and were bought out by Dell.. Not a single poor person was harmed in the process. We did manage to take the company from 10 people to just over 120 by the time it was sold so I would argue that we helped 110 people NOT be poor. GIving money directly to the poor will never, ever, create jobs like that so you are almost always better off making it easy for people with money to risk that money hoping to get richer.
If people have to give more of their money to the government for redistribution then those dollars will simply not be available to invest in the next little california startup. You will keep one poor guy fed but you will miss the chance to create the 110 jobs..
It's not about left or right. It's about broke.
When either party spends money it doesn't have we have inflation. Inflation hits the poor harder than anyone. Sure, my $40 bottle of wine may go to $50 and I'll bitch about it.. The poor guys milk going from $2 to $3 might mean that his kids don't get milk. The rich don't cause inflation. The government does by not spending less that it takes.