America for All
This is a strange land,
A tumbled, upside-down land
Where our economic woes are caused by
the elderly and the poor,
the sick and weak
and the children.
Where the elite on Wall Street,
proclaiming total innocence,
harvest great wealth and power
from our financial losses.
Where we demonstrate our peacefulness by
spending our resources waging war on other nations
and killing more civilians
than soldiers.
Where we boast of equal rights for all
while denying rights
to the impoverished
or those of certain
races, cultures, religions.
Where speaking freely of your dreams or opinions
can brand you as
a traitor.
Where we can dream a dream
of the Constitution’s America,
the United States of America,
and hope someday we can all
make it real.
Hal C Clark – April 21, 2011
I get very tired of hearing how the lower and middle class are the reason we are having economic problems in the United States. According to members of congress, if we could just eliminate spending on education for our children and let the elderly die off instead of taking care of them, our nation would create more wealth. I, for one, am ready to move away from more wealth for the wealthy and set our sights on prosperity for the nation.
The poorest Americans pay the highest percent of their income on taxes. I realize they often don’t pay Federal income taxes. I have heard it said that half of all Americans pay no Federal income taxes, but that is because their earnings put them below the poverty level. But they do pay the property taxes on the apartments they rent, sales taxes on purchases, and any overhead and taxes from the services they use (utilities, transportation, etc.) These Americans tend to spend almost all of their income each month at the retail level.
The middle class pays most of the income taxes in America. My tax rate, all considered, is about ten percent higher than that of the Koch brothers because they can afford the tax attorneys to hide income and defraud the system. The business expenses in this “small” business include several private jets, numerous houses and vacation lodges, and any cars they might want.
Cerrtainly, we need to increase revenue and reduce spending in order to catch up with our debt, but why put all the burden on the lower and middle class whose splending carries our economy. The top three percent, who control seventy percent of the wealth in this country, spend less than one percent of their income at the retail level, whereas middle income families spend most of their income at the retail level. Ninety-seven percent of americans are working with 30 percent of American wealth, which is why the income of lower and middle income families continues to drop while the income of the wealthiest climbs at an exponential rate.
My frustration at seeing some of the wealthiest Americans being able to buy power to control the government of this country is apparent. I can’t change the direction we are headed by myself. Some corrections must be made. As I said earlier, I think it is time to move away from more wealth for the wealthy and toward prosperity for the Nation.
It is time to speak out about how we feel. A silent majority has no power. Be bold.
Hal C Clark's Blog 