Open Thread: Three Inconvenient Truths for Occupy Wall Street
While the Occupy Wall Street protesters may not have accomplished much in the way political change, they are taking credit for bringing the topic of income inequality to the national stage. They are not completely wrong about incomes, either. American incomes have grown more unequal, but as AEI's Nick Schulz explained at the Los Angeles Times, there are also three inconvenient truths about income inequality for the OWS movement.
What do you think? Are there any "inconvenient truths" you would add to the list? Check out Schulz's list after the break, and let us know your thoughts in the comments.
As protestors would contend, the rich are getting richer, which has widened the gap of income inequality. According to Schulz, "Two forces — globalization and advanced technology — have combined to heap enormous rewards on the top of the income distribution." This is especially apparent in the "bluest" areas of the country, including New York, Washington, Chicago, and California. However, the proposed remedy, to tax the rich even more and redistribute their wealth to lower income people, has a threshold. Even New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has been critical of new taxes in New York, fearing a grim economic future if the state continues raising taxes and being anti-business.
A second problem, at the opposite end of the spectrum, is adding large pools of unskilled immigrants to the labor pool. Doing so inevitably "depresses the wages of the native born at the low end of the income distribution." While there is a wide range of views on immigration, many of the OWS protestors support the welfare of undocumented immigrants, a large driver in creating the very income inequality they denounce.
Finally, the collapse of stable family units has also widened economic inequality. With the growth in single-mother households without two incomes supporting the family, there has been an explosion in economic disparities. In fact, "Social scientists routinely find that individuals raised in intact families are generally better equipped to thrive in the economy. Today's 99% is teeming with tens of millions of Americans who were not raised in a stable home environment, and their earnings potential is compromised as a result." Of course, there is no easy fix to this cultural problem, but it is unlikely that OWS has proposed any solutions to fix it.
- NB Staff's blog
- Login to post comments
Comments
Here's an inconvenient truth:
Submitted by motherbelt on Thu, 12/01/2011 - 11:20am.
Here's an inconvenient truth: Camping out in a park won't reduce Wall Street's profits.
Now a candlelight vigil....that's what works!!
A candlelight vigil.....
Submitted by miss911ninja on Thu, 12/01/2011 - 10:25pm.
.....while they do that stupid "mic" thing they do, or whatever it's called. That parrot thing! I remember back in the 70's when the lefties called themselves "non-conformists," but what could be more conformist than blindly repeating what someone else has said without THINKING about it first?
...my three
Submitted by vrwc13 on Thu, 12/01/2011 - 11:22am.
v
The burden of life is from ourselves, its lightness from the grace of Christ and the love of God. - William Bernard Ullanthorne
You want income equality ?
Submitted by NeoKong on Thu, 12/01/2011 - 11:33am.
Go live in Cuba.
Nobody is rich.
Happy now.....?
OWS
Submitted by Free Stinker on Thu, 12/01/2011 - 11:39am.
Another 3:
Bathing is important.
So is mouth wash and toothpaste.
. . . And wearing clean clothes
/// Sarah Palin Fan since July 11, 2007 /// خال
He needs our help!
Submitted by jon_torlin on Thu, 12/01/2011 - 11:43am.
America, President Downgrade Soetoro desperately needs our help!
Needs another term to finish!
He says we're not out of the woods yet, and needs another term to keep us in the woods!
Not out of the woods yet
After all, he's cut our taxes and wants to keep cutting our taxes. As as everyone knows, his idea of cutting taxes leaves us with less money for ourselves.
Soetoro: I've cut your taxes!
So please, help this guy continue to destroy our country! It's our most desperate hour.
H/t to Drudge for above links. sarcasm courtesy of j_t(that's me for those of you in Rio Linda)
-Jon
He needs another term to
Submitted by ricklail on Thu, 12/01/2011 - 12:10pm.
He needs another term to finish? I believe if he goes unchecked he can finish dragging this country down by next January.
rick,
Submitted by Dave. on Thu, 12/01/2011 - 1:25pm.
He would finish us off by next January, but he's too friggin' lazy.
-Dave
Vote for the American in November
Yeah he needs to sleep on
Submitted by Sude23 on Thu, 12/01/2011 - 2:22pm.
Yeah he needs to sleep on it...
let's drive our S&P Rating down to A-
Submitted by Free Stinker on Thu, 12/01/2011 - 3:00pm.
Poor ObamAA+ needs another 4 years to become who he truly wants to be: President ObamA-
Chant with me! "Four more downgrades! Four more downgrades!"
/// Sarah Palin Fan since July 11, 2007 /// خال
Lazy?
Submitted by ricklail on Thu, 12/01/2011 - 3:02pm.
I tried to find a strong synonym for lazy but couldn't find one. Oh well, I'll just put it the way grandma did, he is so lazy he wouldn't strike at a snake if it was about to bite him
From Benny Hill
Submitted by ClarinetAndrew on Thu, 12/01/2011 - 8:32pm.
He’s lazy
He’s lethargic
And working he resents
He’s slower that a nudist
Trying to climb a barbwire fence
What's up with Boehner now??
Submitted by jon_torlin on Thu, 12/01/2011 - 12:08pm.
So apparently he's going to work with the Dems to keep the government going even though the GOP doesn't want to increase spending or taxes(as is their goal to keep taxes from going up and to cut spending).
Boehner working with Dems
Why is he cutting his own throat for this?
-Jon
This is good
Submitted by ricklail on Thu, 12/01/2011 - 12:26pm.
Former sheriff of the year arrested sent to jail named after him I bet you don't hear anything about this because it involves homosexual activity.
It was on Yahoo!'s home page,
Submitted by goodone91 on Thu, 12/01/2011 - 2:08pm.
strangely enough. I don't know why they did that, considering it shows how wrongheaded their policy prescriptions are, but it was there.Inconvenient Truths
Submitted by driguana on Thu, 12/01/2011 - 12:25pm.
I would add the question, "just who are the rich"? and does the OWS movement recognize all of them equally? Does the rich include actors, singers/hip hop artists, artists, filmmakers, record producers, politicians? Some of these very people are supporters of OWS and are not being called out.
An inconvenient truth?
Submitted by KornKing on Thu, 12/01/2011 - 12:28pm.
Having a degree in "Women's Studies" is proof positive that you're too stupid to have a degree....
One of the biggest factors in
Submitted by robert108 on Thu, 12/01/2011 - 12:32pm.
One of the biggest factors in the increase in income inequality is the housing crash, which destroyed the assets of large chunks of the middle class, when their homes were most of what they had. This crash was a direct outcome of the Dem affirmative action home loan mandates, which were designed to eliminate "housing inequality".
The Rev. William J. H. Boetcker said it best...
Submitted by FearMonger on Thu, 12/01/2011 - 12:43pm.
You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift.
You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong
You cannot help the poor man by destroying the rich.
You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred.
You cannot build character and courage by taking away man's initiative and independence.
You cannot help small men by tearing down big men.
You cannot lift the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer.
You cannot keep out of trouble by spending more than your income.
You cannot establish security on borrowed money.
You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they will not do for themselves.
"Ask not... guy a (D)
Submitted by vrwc13 on Thu, 12/01/2011 - 1:15pm.
...he borrowed it.
v
The burden of life is from ourselves, its lightness from the grace of Christ and the love of God. - William Bernard Ullanthorne
Right on vrwc
Submitted by Cool Arrow on Fri, 12/02/2011 - 12:04am.
It galls me no end that Kennedy plagiarized Kahlil Gibran's quote Are you a politician asking what your country can do for you or a zealous one asking what you can do for your country? If you are the first, then you are a parasite; if the second, then you are an oasis in a desert.
The other is Teddy and Robert being attributed George Bernard Shaw's "Some people see things as they are and ask why. I see things as they could be and say why not"
Obviously none of the Kennedy boys had to study much. Doubt if they did their own homework, too.
Just a few questions
Submitted by ricklail on Thu, 12/01/2011 - 1:24pm.
What's up between Holder and The Daily Caller? I know some but what is the full story? I know it has to do with Fast and Furious.
Why have the records of the death of border agent Brain Terry been sealed by Obama? I hear there were roving gangs out just to kill border agents. If that is the case then Big Sis has lied about border security. (We know she has lied but this would just add to her lies,)
What is up between Mark Levin and father of the year Alec Baldwin? When his name is mentioned on his show, Walking Round in Women's Underwear, is playing in the background.
You Are A Liberal If...
Submitted by HardRightTurn on Thu, 12/01/2011 - 2:11pm.
You believe life should be more fair.
To more fully comprehend the Left, one must read “Leftism As Psychopathy” by John Ray, M.A., Ph.D. Caution, it might scare you a little bit.
http://jonjayray.tripod.com/psycho.html
Good News...Siri is pro-life!
Submitted by vrwc13 on Thu, 12/01/2011 - 4:06pm.
10 things iPhone Siri will help you get instead of abortion
Virtual assistant answers why she's opposed to procedure: 'I just am' h/t WorldNetDaily
v
The burden of life is from ourselves, its lightness from the grace of Christ and the love of God. - William Bernard Ullanthorne
ACLU is on it already... look out Siri!
Submitted by vrwc13 on Thu, 12/01/2011 - 4:58pm.
Siri can't direct you to an abortion clinic
Siri can help you find drugstores and bars, but the iPhone 4S digital assistant is clueless when it comes to the locations of abortion clinics, according to the American Civil Liberties Union.
The advocacy group this week launched an online petition asking people to send e-mails to Apple saying that "if Siri can tell us about Viagra, it should not provide bad or no information about contraceptives or abortion care. Send a message to Apple: Fix Siri."
v
The burden of life is from ourselves, its lightness from the grace of Christ and the love of God. - William Bernard Ullanthorne
Latin wisdom
Submitted by Unsane on Thu, 12/01/2011 - 3:58pm.
Why is there "income inequality" Deal with it, people. The skills it takes to become a brain surgeon, for one example, is a bit more difficult to develop than the skills needed to be a janitor. For starters.
Know this Latin phrase, and economics becomes EASY:
Res tantum valorum quantum vendi potest.
And, by the way, that also applies to labor.
"CONSUMED DEMOCRACY RETURNS A SOCIALIST REGIME" - Slayer, "Fictional Reality", from Divine Intervention (1994)
My dad
Submitted by Model850 on Thu, 12/01/2011 - 5:05pm.
Unsane,
My dad probably didn't know the Latin but he knew the principle. He always told anyone who commented about owning some valuable coin collection or "rare" item worth big bucks, "It's worth nothing if no one wants to buy it."
Wanna make sure no ever blows their horn at u again?
Submitted by vrwc13 on Thu, 12/01/2011 - 4:01pm.
Bumper sticker at WorldNetDaily:
"Honk if you will pay my mortgage"
...that ought to keep them quiet.
v
The burden of life is from ourselves, its lightness from the grace of Christ and the love of God. - William Bernard Ullanthorne
Hey Blonde, what gives?
Submitted by vrwc13 on Thu, 12/01/2011 - 5:25pm.
Would you really like to live there?
America's saddest cities revealed...
and three of them are in the Sunshine State
...and this is the state with the 'Happiest Place on Earth'?
v
The burden of life is from ourselves, its lightness from the grace of Christ and the love of God. - William Bernard Ullanthorne
Allow me to help out here.
Submitted by Newsbubba on Thu, 12/01/2011 - 7:19pm.
FL is a GREAT place to live. In fact, it's sooooo great that every old codger in the eastern USA has, or is, moving down here.
If you can't get a job in this place, it's because you don't want one, or you consider bartending or cocktail waitressing beneath you. I don't know a single bar or restaurant owner who can get help that will stay sober and show up. When they do they make plenty of money!
The anti-depressant thing is probably true. I suspect some of the seasoned citizens who move here are already on prescription crack of some sort before they show up, and when they get here and aren't instantly happy, they punch out.
Now me, I'm an old bastard who was pretty happy before moving back here, and I was a hell of a lot happier after I got back! The only anti-depressant I use is vodka, and my doctor says that is really a depressant. Good thing it brings me down, because i couldn't stand to be any happier.
To wake up everyday in February and see 75-80 degrees and 67-71 at night without a drop of rain or even a cloud in sight, how could you be depressed? And that's the lousy time of year!
Yeah, I'll take Florida.
The reason....
Submitted by Blonde on Thu, 12/01/2011 - 7:46pm.
That Tampa & St. Pete are on the list is because the idiots from the Northeast drive in the left lane at 55.
Miami on the list is a lie. I'd maybe believe Jacksonville.
I'm w/Bubba on this one.
Handy Reference Guide to Obama's Gaffes and Goofs ~ Currently Numbering 200 (and Counting)
The idiots who do that aren't confined to the NE
Submitted by UpNorth on Fri, 12/02/2011 - 11:35am.
or Florida, Blonde. They're everywhere!!!
Ha Ha, UppNorth
Submitted by Blonde on Fri, 12/02/2011 - 2:35pm.
Here in SoFla, we just kind of push them out of the way (rude people tailgate w/in an inch of their lives)....they get the message eventually and move over. Not so over on the West Coast. GAH!
Handy Reference Guide to Obama's Gaffes and Goofs ~ Currently Numbering 200 (and Counting)
Watch this video, then lock and load.
Submitted by Newsbubba on Thu, 12/01/2011 - 7:06pm.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fUPDSpCcdg&feature=youtu.be
Islamists on way to control Egypt
Submitted by jon_torlin on Thu, 12/01/2011 - 7:40pm.
If anyone's surprised by this, you're a damned fool.
Islamists will likely win Egypt
When I posted the beginning of the elections recently, the link I had had a picture of women in line to vote and it was apparent by many of their comments(in that article) that they were going to vote for the Muslim Brotherhood to take control. I said I hope they like being under Sharia.
Because that's where they are headed, and those women just voted for the LAST TIME. They just voted away their freedom, whatever they had left, for a group of thugs who will institute Sharia as soon as possible, which means, they will lose any rights they might have had. So when we start hearing how the women are being treated badly and etc, I'm not going to have any sympathy for them, none whatsoever. Sounds harsh? Hey, they wanted to have them around, and they should be more familiar with how the Bro'hood is in their own area. I just hope the rest of the Christians get the hell out of there.
Just another foreign policy success for DuhOne.
Those damned fools!
-Jon
No, it's not surprising, jon...
Submitted by Jer on Thu, 12/01/2011 - 8:09pm.
But the course was set by the Bush administration's undermining of Mubarak. I wouldn't call them fools, much less damned fools--I'll defer to you for labels such as that--but, for better or worse, we are reaping what they sowed. The vision of an Arab Spring was an energizing by-product of our Iraqi venture. We need to realize a dismantled dictatorship or deposed monarchy won't always be replaced by Jeffersonian democracy.
Jer
Really, Jer?
Submitted by jon_torlin on Thu, 12/01/2011 - 8:49pm.
Really, Jer, you're going to blame Bush for this one too?
Lest we forget, it's DuhOne that had contact with the Muslim Brotherhood that instigated all these "arab springs," not Bush. This had absolutely nothing to do with Iraq.
-Jon
Really, jon t---
Submitted by matthewdean on Thu, 12/01/2011 - 11:25pm.
Ol' Jeringo never misses a chance to paint the other side of the aisle as the miscreants.
Unless, of course, he is trying to put another entry in his "I call out both sides" ledger.
MD
Provably false and shameless projection, Matthew...
Submitted by Jer on Thu, 12/01/2011 - 11:44pm.
and there's not a thesaurus in the world big enough or thick enough to conceal it.
Jer
What's provably false, Jeringo?---
Submitted by matthewdean on Thu, 12/01/2011 - 11:56pm.
What projection?
What kinda thunder lizard is a thesaurus?
Conceal what?
Whassamatta you, boy?
MD
Don't worry Matthew*
Submitted by cajun2 on Fri, 12/02/2011 - 12:01am.
Jer knows he must keep an accurate count
cajun---
Submitted by matthewdean on Fri, 12/02/2011 - 2:38am.
I am glad you are keeping an eye on his tally sheet.
I am too busy ragging on him. :o)
MD
Incorrect Matthewdean, It's Jer ragging on us.
Submitted by upcountrywater on Fri, 12/02/2011 - 1:26pm.
You are just righting the standard, that has been jerked to the left, by the verbose house lib.
Thank you very much. (smiley face soon to be installed here)
You Didn't Build That.
upcountry---
Submitted by matthewdean on Fri, 12/02/2011 - 10:54pm.
Indeed.
Verbose vandals who are in variance with our beliefs, are inside the perimeter of NBs and voluminously vomiting vacuous verbiage.
They must be vanquished, never venerated - even if a house lib.
Vengeance, I say, through venery. (Either definition of venery works - hunt 'em down, or move them all to Intercourse, PA, and lock 'em in)
MD
Really, Jer?
Submitted by UpNorth on Fri, 12/02/2011 - 11:40am.
Last time I looked, Mubarak was still the president of Egypt on January 20, 2009. And, the "Arab Spring" was the result of Iraq? More likely, it resulted from the incubation and hatching by the current administration.
Jon, That article you linked, has this PC line in it.
Submitted by upcountrywater on Fri, 12/02/2011 - 1:12pm.
Continued success by Islamists could allow them to give the country's government and constitution a more Islamist character.
Ain't that special and soooo democratic.
You Didn't Build That.
Ain't it tho?
Submitted by jon_torlin on Fri, 12/02/2011 - 1:52pm.
Talk about leading lambs to a slaughter, they don't know they will walk themselves to their deaths.
And that's what's happening here, they are all giving up their freedoms for a more Islamic characteristic country. And they think that's a good thing!?!
-Jon
Morning Funnies
Submitted by Agnostic on Fri, 12/02/2011 - 10:28am.
Just when I was really missing the classic WB cartoons in the morning I read this.
ABC article:
“This administration – I try not to pat myself too much on the back – but this administration has done more in terms of the security of the state of Israel than any previous administration,” (President Obama) added.
American Jewish Congress chairman Jack Rosen, who hosted Obama fundraiser at his private home..., America’s never been as supportive to the state of Israel” than since Obama took office, he said"
Thirty Obama supporters each paid at least $10,000 per person to attend, said a Democratic official
WHAT!!! (again, sorry, but...)
Submitted by vrwc13 on Fri, 12/02/2011 - 10:32am.
...this administration has done more in terms of the security of the state of Israel than any previous administration,” (President Obama) added.
...and the moon is made of cheese
v
The burden of life is from ourselves, its lightness from the grace of Christ and the love of God. - William Bernard Ullanthorne
vrwc13,
Submitted by Agnostic on Fri, 12/02/2011 - 10:35am.
I'm not sure what is more shocking the feigned humbleness or the statements themselves.
...equally shocking but
Submitted by vrwc13 on Fri, 12/02/2011 - 10:39am.
...for 'won' with a narcissistic personality disorder, they are both equally expected.
v
The burden of life is from ourselves, its lightness from the grace of Christ and the love of God. - William Bernard Ullanthorne
...you forgot
Submitted by vrwc13 on Fri, 12/02/2011 - 10:35am.
This administration – I try not to pat myself too much on the back – but this administration has done more in terms of the security of the state of Israel than any previous administration,” he added.
...you lie
v
The burden of life is from ourselves, its lightness from the grace of Christ and the love of God. - William Bernard Ullanthorne
You lie?
Submitted by Agnostic on Fri, 12/02/2011 - 10:59am.
Not necessarily. Remember to many of these intellectuals the only way to end war and violence in the ME and bring about peace and security is the destruction of Israel. This is perfectly acceptable in their mindset.
Peace in middle east
Submitted by jon_torlin on Fri, 12/02/2011 - 11:12am.
And remember, the Islam idea of peace is the destruction of Israel and any infidel left in the world. If you're not of Islam, you are against peace.
They truly are the "religion of peace" when you put it in terms of "peace through tyranny" because that's what it really is.
That's the kind of peace I can definitely do without.
-Jon
...laying low
Submitted by vrwc13 on Fri, 12/02/2011 - 11:21am.
Thus, the teaching is that Muslims are to fight when they have sufficient strength to win, and that this fight is obligatory. When Muslims are not strong enough to fight their enemies, they are to lie low until such a time as they can fight, according to another prominent modern Muslim scholar. Quoting as-Suyuti, as-Saleh wrote,
"The command to fight the infidels was delayed until the Muslims become strong, but when they were weak they were commanded to endure and be patient."17
v
The burden of life is from ourselves, its lightness from the grace of Christ and the love of God. - William Bernard Ullanthorne
And boy are they patient
Submitted by jon_torlin on Fri, 12/02/2011 - 12:36pm.
They are a very patient lot, that's for damn sure, that's what makes them frighteningly difficult to fight, you can't say that they are "gone" or whatever if they aren't doing anything. It just means they are waiting for the right time.
Proof of that was how they went after the WTC in 1993 and then again in 2001, more successfully than the first time(even though they tried, which makes it a successful attempt). They took their time and planned it very carefully with devastating results.
This is why you never turn your backs on them.....EVER.
-Jon
patience
Submitted by Agnostic on Fri, 12/02/2011 - 12:45pm.
Admittedly, patience when you are weak is a good military strategy. Unfortunately the leaders in the western world are not thinking militarily because they think giving exit strategies is a good idea - yes, let them know how long they can plan for the next attack after you are gone.
Leaving Iraq wide open
Submitted by jon_torlin on Fri, 12/02/2011 - 1:00pm.
And this thing about leaving Iraq at the end of the year is just leaving it wide open for the jihadists to come down on them like a ton of bricks.
This is one enemy that can't be made peace with, they MUST be destroyed utterly.
Because they would do the same to us. It's their code, they livelihood, their way of life that worships death.
-Jon
creeping Islam
Submitted by Agnostic on Fri, 12/02/2011 - 3:22pm.
I always think of this fictional essay and how people seem to not recognize the slow steady creep of the western world into financial problems and social issues that wouldn't hinder an Islamic nation. Islam has ways of handling social issues that are permanent and inflexible.
American History Condensed - the 2nd Amendment
Submitted by Retired Geek on Fri, 12/02/2011 - 10:24pm.
Want a clear and concise understanding of our 2nd Amendment right to own and possess firearms?
Those of you who are experts in American History - this will be a great refresher course and those who are NOT History buffs - this will give you a solid foundation on understanding the 2nd Amendment as our Founding Fathers intended for their times and Today.
http://thpatriots.blogspot.com/2011/12/american-history-condensed-defend...