Wealth Inequality In America

A must see video reveals staggering wealth inequality in the United States.

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[riparianlife]

The richest people in this country have made their money selling things to poor people: Soda companies, cigarette companies, banks that charge $35 for being overdrawn, fast food empires... Companies that sell to rich people never reach anything close to the top of the food chain. Someone needs to tell poor people to buy locally made goods, and locally grown food, and to put their money in credit unions, not banks. 

[ufoformdad]

this chart was made 11 years ago, I can't image what would it look like today

[gravityreligion]

I've only worked retail my entire life. I have nothing. I'm terrified of my future here.

[cobistuk]

The problem is the super wealthy rig the game in their favor. Like one player being bank in monopoly and being able to change the rules as well to favor them winning the game.

[JudsonChung]

The top 1% has earn more then enough than what they can spend, yet they still try to earn more by layoff and out sourcing. The greed minority made the majority of this country suffer.

[ImmortalTiger]

The goal of socialism isn't to distribute wealth equally, that's communism. The goal of socialism is to help the poor and working class succeed economically, so they can become full participants in a democracy.

[leosurname]

That's horrifying. If you as an American are not enraged watching this then may God have pity on you cause these people will stomp onyou and your dignity forever.

[NewYorkHavana]

+Jim Proser Things are arranged by the wealthiest so they can become wealthier at the expense of others.  There is no justification for such a lopsided distribution of wealth in America.  You can say all you want about the value of the innovators, how important the CEOs are to companies, etc.  That is true within limits,  but I repeat,  there is no justification for the lopsided distribution of wealth described on this video.  It is obscene.

[jonzemail]

No income, no taxes. A little income, a little tax. Some income, some tax. More income, more tax. Sounds fair to me. 18% tax for everyone, no deductions.

[hsw-tvty]

This video is being used in schools. Is it updated?

[DiskCrasher]

"The republic of Rome died not because it was inefficient, but because the leaders behind that system had been corrupted and blinded by greed and glory. The very people they were meant to serve they exploited and in the end, those very people turned against them resulting in the republic’s ultimate collapse. This should be a very important lesson for anyone about the dangers of greed and excess at the expense of others." -Ronald Smith

[deltasword]

I never said that every single american was living the good life. But we americans (like many other countries) feel compassion for our fellow man. We are willing to help them out through charity, or social security (like food stamps and what not). No one is starving to death.

[BigMathis]

Because wealth is not the same as money. The vast majority of rich peoples wealth is invested in factories, ships, buildings etc. These are things that provide jobs, goods and services to all people. Would a redistribution of this kind of wealth really make anyone better off?

[artgoat]

It's not the population who are voting themselves the treasury. When you figure out who is getting the most out of tax revenue—through government contracts, tax breaks, and public distribution of risk (while profits are privatized) you'll realize who is ACTUALLY "voting themselves the treasury." For example, the bank bail-out in 2008/2009 could have paid off EVERY MORTGAGE IN AMERICA.

[BigMathis]

This video does not demonstrate what people can or cannot afford. It only shows the distribution of wealth. I myself would be at the very bottom since I have no wealth. In fact I am in debt, which is negative wealth. Because I am a student and thus consume my entire income plus the money from my student loan. If you earn a million dollars and consume a million dollars, you will have accumulated no wealth. This video is just misleading.

[attnpa]

The making of the constitution provides a good example of how moral and ethical principles are involved in the idea of the state. As they constructed the framework of the new nation, the writers of the constitution were similar to other Americans in most of their views of the world. However, their preoccupation, as expressed in the written constitution, was with the question of equality; a question, that is, of the equality of men, which was perhaps an ideal, rather than a practical reality.

[EdwardDouwesDekker]

What we need now is the following video, showing:
+ where on the chart are members of Congress?
+ where on the chart does the money for political campaigns come from?

[Logan-AI]

Making sure everyone has an education, health care, and enough money to afford goods and services is clearly the right thing to do, even if he hurt the top 1%. But in reality, if everyone contributed to the economy and had enough money to buy things, invest, and pay taxes, even the 1% would be better off.

[Jjames]

The sad part is that people are working harder and harder for less and less. They literally don't deserve this horrendous treatment.

[diskpanic]

Thank you. That's EXACTLY the fact that people are missing. No one believes that they should have to go through the 40+ years of work to get what they want.