Inherent to Capitalism is an economic caste system. Within this caste system exists a “minority” class of (now increasingly becoming the middle class) which share such characteristics as the lack of, or inability to access, such social advantages as: education and healthcare. Education and healthcare, in this country, have always been regarded as for-profit machines versus a moral entitlement or human right.
In a robust economy the for-profit machine operates in a state where financial inequality is obscured and tolerated. Now, in the midst of the prevailing economic state of affairs, we begin to see that what formerly seemed robust was neither viable nor sustainable. Just look at Washington and its for-profit senate seats, or AIG and its for-profit bailout "Senator Bernie Sanders called 'completely unacceptable' the $165 million in bonus that American International Group doled out doled out to its executives over the weekend despite accepting billions in government aid to stay afloat" or the 'big three' car companies and their collective bailouts or even Bernie Madoff (ponzi schemer extraordinaire) and the 'virtual bailout' he received when the federal trade commission failed to appropriately audit his company, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. Come to that, aren't high dollar government earmarks a fiscal bailout for programs that, while possibly positive in and of themselves, ARE NOT A NATIONAL PRIORITY? We begin to perceive the monstrosity we built at the expense of many for the good of the few.
In the great vying for favor that is the American capitalist economy, large institutions are now shamefully being shown to mostly profit the executives at their collective helms. These executives, formerly perceived to be powerful, are now shown to have been nothing but thieves and profligates who did not possess a modicum of foresight or any sense that they are part of a national community whose self interest ought, at least in part, to lie with the investment in its fellows and the future of its children. Did the 'big three' car companies, secondary to world awareness and market insight, long ago begin investing in alternative fuel options and prototype their vehicles based on such a model? Why are the banks investing taxpayer bailout monies in foreign countries?
Now many banks are practicing usury by charging their patrons exorbitant interest rates on their credit cards while concomitantly operating on the billions of taxpayer dollars “lent” them by the Federal government at an interest rate of zero. Isn’t this a perversion that shows us the true nature of the capitalist machine that would seek to operate at the expense of the middle or working class (minorities for all intents)? What about the non-executive workers at these banks who likely belong to the middle class? Aren’t they basically being asked to administrate exorbitant interest rates to their fellow citizens (perhaps their own family members) while concurrently being a taxpayer AND upholding the policy of their employer? Is the Federal government perforce making hypocrites out of these bank employees? And doesn’t that make a mockery of their very employment that, too, would fly in the face of those great many that now find themselves unemployed? Is it better to be employed by the bank as an hypocrite or is it better to be unemployed? A moral question and possibly one that will become increasingly more valid.
Is the taxpayer a ‘lending institution’ for the federal government (even though that taxpayer will never receive any interest on their money (FICA and Social Security taxes) loaned to the government? Doesn't the government profit if the taxpayer dies before he can claim a disability or retirement pension (even though the retired or disabled taxpayer will STILL have to pay for healthcare part in the form of parts B and D Medicare and supplemental insurance for the exorbitantly high part A co-pay)?? Yes, the government is using collective taxpayer hard-earned, sweated-for, money to bail out crooks like AIG and not to prevent crooks like Bernie Madoff from stealing (FTC failure). "Lending" the government money I'll likely never get back (I have to be 70 to collect Social Security retirement), seeing the government earn interest off of my money and then give it to banks who want to stick it to me in the form of exceedingly high fees and interest rates...yeah I definitely see the capitalist caste system at work and I know my place.
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