- Nov 14, 2003
- 9,811
- 110
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300 years ago...
A white male was born with huge advantages. He never had to do any physical work, there were always slaves or servants to do those sorts of things. Never have to do his own cooking. Never had to worry about being stuck in the cold or without shelter.
Effectively, he had a very strong vote, because so many other people were simply denied the right to vote. Compared to a non-white male, almost always came out ahead in court or in business.
By virtue of race and rights granted due to race, simply had a longer life expectancy and better general health.
And most important, he passed down these benefits to his children.
I think nearly anyone you could ask would agree that that was a terrible unfair situation. Now, 300 years later, has anything at all changed? Replace race with money, and you find that things really haven't changed.
The rich don't need to work, cook their own meals, or ever fear lack of shelter or warmth.
The rich effectively have a huge stranglehold on our government, through paid lobbyists and even pocket politicians. With money, the court system is a joke, as only those who can afford the best lawyers get a truly adequate defense.
By virtue of having money, medical care and unforeseen medical expenses aren't always devastating, and diseases that are a death sentence to the poor are a mere annoyance (see: Magic Johnson and Aids).
Being rich isn't a sign of success, it's a sign of an imbalance in the system. It's unfair and broken, and the justifications for it are the same justifications used 300 years ago to explain why whites deserved more rights than blacks.
It's time to increase the tax burden of the super-wealthy.
A white male was born with huge advantages. He never had to do any physical work, there were always slaves or servants to do those sorts of things. Never have to do his own cooking. Never had to worry about being stuck in the cold or without shelter.
Effectively, he had a very strong vote, because so many other people were simply denied the right to vote. Compared to a non-white male, almost always came out ahead in court or in business.
By virtue of race and rights granted due to race, simply had a longer life expectancy and better general health.
And most important, he passed down these benefits to his children.
I think nearly anyone you could ask would agree that that was a terrible unfair situation. Now, 300 years later, has anything at all changed? Replace race with money, and you find that things really haven't changed.
The rich don't need to work, cook their own meals, or ever fear lack of shelter or warmth.
The rich effectively have a huge stranglehold on our government, through paid lobbyists and even pocket politicians. With money, the court system is a joke, as only those who can afford the best lawyers get a truly adequate defense.
By virtue of having money, medical care and unforeseen medical expenses aren't always devastating, and diseases that are a death sentence to the poor are a mere annoyance (see: Magic Johnson and Aids).
Being rich isn't a sign of success, it's a sign of an imbalance in the system. It's unfair and broken, and the justifications for it are the same justifications used 300 years ago to explain why whites deserved more rights than blacks.
It's time to increase the tax burden of the super-wealthy.