There are two tiers to our economy: the upper for the wealthy, and the lower for the middle class and the poor. (I don’t know where I put myself. Supposedly, I’m in the upper 10%. But why do I feel so poor? Because my wealth could disappear in the blink of an eye, that’s why).
If we were going to try to raise the lower tier, what would we do? Essentially, we would inject money into it, concentrating on all of the necessary things. Like what?
Education – Should be provided on an even playing field, basically eliminating any difference between public and private schools.
Healthcare – Everyone should get the same treatment. Private money should not buy doctors, hospitals, treatment, or drugs that others cannot get.
Transportation – Everyone should have full access to ground transportation and possibly to air transportation as well.
Communication – Everyone should have a cell phone and access to the Internet.
Food, Water, Air, Clothing and Housing – These are the basics of life.
A Job and unemployment insurance.
Social security, equal pay for equal work, and maternity leave.
We have the bill of rights; these are the economic bill of rights, espoused by people like Bernie Sanders.
I would add a Universal Basic Income.
And the right to a society without corruption. This latter is difficult to achieve so long as there are individuals with great wealth. When we know that the wealthy Jeffrey Epstein, a notorious sex maniac and pedophile, was permitted to bring young girls in his private office while he was in jail, we know that wealth can trump all things. Which is why Trump can trump so many things.
Are there things which wealth can still use to build a top-tier? Yes, of course. The wealthy can buy the best seats to entertainment, sporting events, and political events. So long as we have first-class seats and business class seats in transportation, the wealthy can buy those. They can purchase maids, cooks, and butlers for their mansions. They can buy jewelry and fancy artwork, membership in exclusive clubs, fancy wines and liquors, dinners in fine restaurants, stays at excellent hotels. They can buy things that allow them to exclude themselves from ordinary life.
So long as we have a society that allows one person to have $160 billion, there will be a huge gap between the wealthy and the poor. So long as we insist that leaving individuals free to produce wealth for themselves is an appropriate goal for our society, we will have a high top tier and a low bottom tier. But if the bottom tier can have security and happiness, and if our society eliminates corruption, that will make our society a good one worth having.
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