Wealth is a Privilege; Not a Right
America is a country of great opportunity. However, not everyone wants or needs to be rich. There are many hard working middle class people who will never be rich, but appreciate the values of fairness, prudence and equal opportunity afforded everyone in the Constitution of the United States. Yet, many of those who are fortunate enough to become wealthy think that they have attained a special status that makes them better than others. They think they have a right to better health care, better education and a better job. And, they assert this status as a right instead of the privilege that is by growing increasingly greedy at the expense of others.
The sad evidence of this fact is the present situation on Wall Street where many, whose jobs were saved by a government bail-out with taxpayer money, are now taking huge bonuses as the middle class continues to suffer. With job losses, home foreclosures, and bankruptcies reaching record levels, Wall Street executives continue to enrich themselves at the expense of others. This greedy class of people seems to believe that wealth is more of a right than a privilege. And, all the while that they are enriching themselves, they support the destruction of programs and policies such as Medicare and Social Security that help those whose rights have been violated by a marketplace Wall Street helped to destroy. The great irony here is that with the destruction of the Middle Class in America, Wall Street will eventually destroy itself as all of the 401k plans diminish with the lack of investment by a vibrant and healthy working class.
This situation creates a clear picture of what needs to be done to get the economy and the budget back on track. David Stockman, Past Budget Director of the Republican Reagan Administration, has suggested that a “transaction tax” must be levied on Wall Street Firms by Congress. However, this recommendation has fallen on deaf ears as Congress and even the media can only talk about budget cuts instead of finding ways to tax the rich and ease the burden on the Middle Class who have suffered enough over that past several years.
Now is the time to speak out as we begin a new election cycle to elect those leaders and legislators who will support the rights of the Middle Class and the poor while they find ways to facilitate the help by the rich and the privileged. There are many wealthy Americans willing to pay their fair share in taxes, especially to ease the burden of others. However, we must elect members to Congress and the Senate who understand the difference between rights and privileges and act to protect those who need help the most.
Copyright 2011, Global Leadership Resources
