That is very significant considering that nearly half (372 of 793) of the billionaires in the world live in the U.S.A., while there are no billionaires in Denmark because the Danes more sensibly and more fairly ensure that they share the wealth.
Of course, most Americans are generally very caring and generous, and we want to use the common wealth for the common good. Just look at how generous Americans are in their giving to charitable food drives, toy drives, and relief efforts to victims of natural disasters.
Unfortunately, the U.S. Government rarely represents the people in that respect. It does in rare cases when it becomes absolutely necessary and politically expedient, but it usually represents the wealthy few, especially under Reaganite Republican rule. Consequently the wealth is not shared and the majority of Americans are certainly not rich.
While the highest incomes of the rich few keep increasing, the median (average) household income keeps falling. In fact, the incomes of the richest 20 percent of the population grew by 30 percent during the last two decades while the incomes of the lowest paid 20 percent of us declined by more than 20 percent in the same time period, and the buying power of the minimum wage declined significantly.
Another part of the problem is that a lot of people been led to believe that the American Dream is all about making it to the "top of the financial ladder" in one way or another, or grabbing the "brass ring" of fame and fortune. Even worse, too many people have become tempted and corrupted and think they can make it to the top even if it's by hook or by crook, because they think the end justifies the means. That has become a widespread attitude, demonstrated clearly by many people, and even by he who holds the highest office in the land. But that's just not true and it's not right. The American Dream has been twisted, distorted, and perverted. It's not about the individual rising above everyone else. The real American Dream is actually about equality and prosperity and happiness for all -- not just a privileged few.
We should hold this truth to be self-evident, that all people are created equal, and we are equally deserving to be successful in our pursuit of happiness. We should all be able to be fairly rewarded for our labor and enjoy a reasonable and fair level of prosperity. We all deserve that.
But, we have been going backwards, away from that. That's is the real legacy of Reaganism, and it has had many terrible consequences, the worst of which is that it has increased hunger, homelessness and poverty. That is even indicated by "official" government poverty guidelines, which, as I said, are far too low because they are still based on outdated 1955 assumptions and formulas. The actual number of American children in poverty is about twice the "official" number, which means there are probably about 30 million American children living in poverty. And it's no wonder. Right-wing conservative Reaganites (and Bushites) claim that the poor simply deserve their lot because they are lazy. They claim that the poor merely have to work harder and lift themselves up by their own "bootstraps."
In other words, right-wing conservatives blame the victims. And they are simply wrong.
The truth, as I've said and should repeat, is that 74 percent of the tens of millions of American children who officially live in poverty live in families with at least one parent working full time. And in many of those families both parents have to work, and some of them even have two jobs just to try to make ends meet.
The real truth is that the best antidotes to poverty and hunger are jobs that provide adequate wages to support a family.
Besides that, recent academic research studies demonstrate that child poverty's ill effects in a host of areas cannot be explained away as mere side effects of single parenthood or teen parenthood, or race, or parents' low IQs, or lack of education. The research disproves those who blame poor children's problems on deep-seated traits inherent in poor families. The truth is that the problems caused by poverty are not the by-product of poor motivation, poor values, limited parenting ability, or other deep-seated character traits that some misguided American conservatives attribute to poor families. In fact, the research confirms what many compassionate people already knew, especially those who work in public social service agencies and non-profit agencies and food banks that at least try to help those who really need help.
Furthermore, even though right-wing conservative Reaganite Republicans claim that the working poor simply need to work harder or get a better education to get better jobs to improve their financial situation, someone has to do the jobs they are now doing!
So, the problem is not laziness. The problem is definitely that the incomes of the working poor are simply insufficient and too low. No one who works for a living should be poor. Period.
Poverty can, for the most part, be ended by providing a real living wage to those who work for a living, and by ensuring that the common wealth is used for the common good. And, until we finally accomplish that, poverty can in the meantime be alleviated by supplementing the income of those who have insufficient income and cannot afford the basic necessities of life. For it is our moral obligation and duty to care for the poor and the least of our brethren, especially when they are trying as hard as they can but are foiled by a horribly unfair political-economic system that rewards the rich and punishes the working poor.
It would also help if we reject the absurd Republican folly of cutting taxes for the rich, and ensure that the rich finally pay their fair share of taxes. After all, even before Bush's tax cuts, with all the previous Reaganite tax cuts, tax loopholes, tax shelters, government subsidies, giveaways and welfare for the rich that have been created during the last 27 years, most of the very wealthiest Americans had been paying only about 7 percent of their income in taxes while the working poor with the lowest incomes have been paying about 10.8 percent.
The wealthiest people should pay at least 50 percent of their yearly income in taxes, as they do in many European countries. That is how it should be, without any tax loopholes, shelters, subsidies, etc. And we, the people, can ensure that is the case.
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