When Jimmy McMillan, New York's perennial candidate ran for office on “The Cost Of Rent Is Too Damn High” platform and party, he had valid point. The cost of rent is “too damn high.” As a matter of fact, the cost of virtually all of life's necessities are “too damn high.” I say almost everything because I can just about guarantee that if you are middle-class or poor, there is one thing that isn't “too damn high” and that would be your paycheck! Due to the corporate job offshoring free for all of high paying manufacturing jobs depressing the U.S. job market, turning it into a corporate buyer's market and turning American workers into virtual serfs, most workers haven't seen a pay increase in years! Paying low wages to their employees hasn't stopped the very same corporations from constantly raising the prices of their products at the drop of a hat and it hasn't stopped greedy commodities gamblers...er, I mean speculators from driving up the price of everything from gasoline to coffee to milk. All of that is happening right before our eyes, for all to see. That's why I was a little taken aback when I read a tweet from President Obama's Twitter account that endorsed raising the minimum wage (a great idea that is long overdue). So why am I shocked by President Obama tweeting out his support for raising the minimum wage? Here is the tweet, you decide “A lot has changed in five years—but the minimum wage has stayed the same. #TBT #LiveTheWage.” It included a graphic from an organization that I fully agree with called Live The Wage that is as follows “From 2009 To 2014, The Price Of A Dozen Eggs Increased 23% But the minimum wage hasn't changed.” Can you see the inconsistencies in what the President is saying? The true cost of living, as opposed to some cooked statistics, have gone up drastically on his watch! Over the past few years, the Federal Reserve has kept the interest rates that it charges banks at near zero percent. Much of that money has found its way into speculative investments a.k.a. gambling (we so need Glass-Steagall.) Part of that near zero percent gift to banksters and Wall St. is gambled on everything from gasoline to butter, turning the very food that we put on the table into betting opportunities for the greedy! Translation, government's bailout policy has helped the rich and destroyed the middle-class and the poor by causing the price of life's essentials to go through the roof. While raising the minimum wage in an important temporary band-aid to slightly reduce the suffering endured by the working poor, it doesn't fix the underlying causes of income inequality and it doesn't help those on a fixed income. Those were created by the electeds of both parties when they vigorously supported and still support job killing, wage lowering, “free” trade agreements and when they support bailout policies that line the pockets of the wealthy and rob us. If the President calls for an increase in the minimum wage without also addressing the underlying issues that to some extent, he helped cause, he is being disingenuous. Can you say Trans-Pacific Partnership?
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If you still have a job, you're probably noticing that you haven't had a pay raise in a long time. The price of almost everything that we need for everyday life has jumped up like crazy, making life a struggle to survive for working families and people on a fixed income.
Corporations are lucky in that they can give themselves unlimited pay raises by raising the prices of the products they manufacture or sell. When bloodsucking commodities speculators raise the price of gas, coffee, many foods or for that matter, anything by even a small amount, America's corporations take that as a signal to raise their prices by large amounts. Good old "free" enterprise works wonders to help line the already bulging pockets of the top 2% wealthiest Americans at the expense of working Americans, people on a fixed income and the ever growing poor that now includes many former members of the middle class. Each and every price increase is taken out of the hides of the bottom 98%. Let's see, stagnant or non existent incomes, prices that seem to rise logarithmically overnight and indifferent electeds who, at best just pay lip service to the problems of the bottom 98% while they cater to the needs of the top 2% is a sure fire recipe for trouble. Many of the great politicians of the past realized that and knew that extreme capitalism can be as dangerous as any other system. Even President Nixon instituted wage and price controls at one point. My message to our electeds is that they had better kick the high priced corporate lobbyists out of their offices and start listening to "We The People", represented by America's unions before it's too late! |
AuthorHave you noticed that there's no one on Talk Radio who speaks for John and Jane Q. Public? I want to change that situation. When I go into the studio and get on the air, I say the things that you've always wanted to say. The big corporate interests have their lobbyists, I want to be your voice. Just think of me as your guy fighting for your interests. Proud To Be On:Archives
May 2017
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