America’s wealthy has been largely dismissive of income inequality, some have even celebrated income inequality. Criticism against the top one percent wealthiest Americans has been unwavering since the organization of the Occupy movement, and now it seems that the one percent is becoming nervous.
Politico reported that America’s rich and their cohorts are experiencing “a deep-seated anxiety that the national – and even global – mood is turning against the super rich in ways that ultimately could prove dangerous.” Maybe the rich are starting to realize that solely having money doesn’t realize and control mass opinion. However, in the same breath, so what? Who cares if the wealthy are worried?
Any proposed legislation designed to offset income inequality would have very little effect on the wealthy’s bank accounts.
Studies mostly support the notion that raising the federal minimum wage wouldn’t have any adverse effect against. The only real “recovery” since the recession has been enjoyed mainly by Wall Street banks and corporations, with CEOs receiving record earnings, and the wealthy pay lower taxes now than they did in the 1980s.
A certain tactic has been used among one-percenters amid all of the “rich-guy persecution.” On occasion, one-percenters like to compare the criticism and negative opinion against them to Nazi Germany and persecution of the Jews. The most recent case being venture capitalist Tom Perkins’ comments.
Perkins, in a letter written to the Wall Street Journal, wanted to “call attention to the parallels of fascist Nazi Germany . . . to the progressive war on the one percent.” Perkins further exuded the “paranoia and megalomania” that New York Times columnist Paul Krugman indicated the rich of having, alluding to Perkins’ “prediction” of progressive Kristallnacht against the wealthy. One hundred people were murdered during Kristallnacht. And Perkins’ former capital venture firm distanced itself from him.
The top one percent have most of the country’s money and almost all of the political influence because of donations and endless lobbying budgets. But they still have the nerve to victimize themselves in a “progressive war,” fueled by unfair persecution. They are not the victims, and the “persecution” is anything but unfair.
Joshua de Leon is a writer and researcher with Ring of Fire.
