[flacaltenn]

D-Ray:

I actually looked at that MIT proof of "wealth gap" paper and it's not what you seem to think it is. Most all of the graphs depict a questionably useful variable of "bargaining power" which is derived from a ratio of income to productivity. Thus -- because computers hit the desk top in the 1980's and an influx of 14Mil low wage immigrants came in thereafter -- it would take weeks to debate whether that paper says ANYTHING about a simple wealth or income gap widening. I believe you that there is an increasing WEALTH gap -- it's just that it doesn't look like those graphs..

D-Ray and JonL:

Sorry JonL that you've missed all the class warfare skirmishes. Don't know how you missed the daily Pelosi-Reid soundbites about economic justice and morality of giving the rich tax breaks. Or the attempts to impose CEO salary caps into the businesses affected by TARP. But the Revolution (based largely on class envy) was in FULL swing til the last election. That's when the 1st round skirmish ended. And when I said that Obama was "outed" during the campaign, I was refering to his impromptu remarks with Joe -- that plumber guy. Whom he tried to convince would be better off -- if we just spread the wealth around.

D-Ray & JonL -- do you think that this wealth gap happened because "the rich" STOLE this money from you or the poor? Do you really think that if they get $100,000 bonus that someone in the lower echelons just got robbed?

Let's put some names to this to make it specific.. Can you tell me why Jay Leno should have to pay for 10 additional HUmVees this year? Why the Williams sisters (Venus/Serena) need to defer building their families' security to the tune of subsidizing ethanol production by a couple extra milllion dollars? Why not pick on Elvis?? He's DEAD and he's still making MILLIONS per year.. Why not just take ALL of that? Justin Bieber was pan-handling on the streets just a few ago -- certainly he doesn't need all that income! ALL these folks are 1st generation rich. No dynasties there. Not a threat to me. Why are they your target for our fiscal mismanagement crisis? Why not take an extra 3 or 4% from the Illinois lottery winner? THAT --- was just accidental luck.. Or the guy who's sitting on his ass collecting royalties on the pop-open cans? Or the cardiologist who does 250 bypasses a year? Are THESE the people who contributed to our present sad state of affairs?

The idea that the govt has an equal claim to my Grandma's Steinway as I have or that these people are rich because they screwed 'the middle class' or the working poor is ridiculous.

The answer is -- I want accountability FIRST. I want our money OUT of Chrysler and GM. I want the rest of stimulus RETURNED to the treasury because the fact that it still isn't spent just PROVES it was pirate booty for a bunch of politicians. I want perp walks from Barney Frank et al who said that Fanny/Freddy would never cost Americans a nickel. Most of all -- I want Geitner to get his hands out of the Fed Employees Fund and appoint someone who doesn't use it like a private slush fund..

THEN -- we can talk about shaking down Jay Leno and Kobe Bryant and Arriana Huffington for some cash.