There’s such a push these days to demonize those who have been successful.
Those labeled the 1% have gained an immense amount of wealth; many earn in a single day what thousands of Americans will earn in a whole year. But are they greedy? Do they have more than they NEED or DESERVE?
My take, for what it’s worth:
Bernie Sanders said in the Democratic debate that we are the worst in the world in income inequality, truth is we’re 42nd. The solution of those on the left to income inequality is to make the rich less rich, instead of the poor less poor; it’s to create more taxes, instead of more tax payers; it’s to expand dependency programs rather than decrease the number of dependents.
We enjoy so many of the benefits brought to us by families classified as 1 percenters (think Vanderbilts, Rockefellers, Devos, VandAndels, Meijers, Waltons, etc.). Now they’re to be demonized for being so successful?
Our constitution was designed to guarantee equality of opportunity, not equality of condition. Those in the 1% took advantage of their opportunities and created opportunities that weren’t there.
The rest of us are not in the bottom 99% because the greed of others is holding us back. We’re there because we borrow more than we can afford, we spend more than we earn, we refuse to save for our own futures, instead expecting social security and other programs to fill in the gaps and keep us afloat. We spend more time looking for people and factors to blame, rather than for solutions to our problems and shortcoming, and opportunities to lift us to the next level. And we’re constantly reminded by our fearless leaders that it’s not our fault; we can’t be expected to succeed when there are so many at the top not paying their “fair share.” They owe us! They don’t deserve what they have, and if they won’t give it to us, we should take it from them! That’s an extreme interpretation of their position, but it’s not far from the truth.
I’m happy to be in the 99%. I’m happy I’ve had to earn what I have thus far. I’m grateful to have what I have and plan to one day EARN my way into the 1%. Dave Ramsey often says that we ought to “live like no one else, so that later we can live like no one else,” but the last line of that statement adds, “and give like no one else.”
Earn it! Join the 1%! Live and GIVE like no one else!
Bunch o' Bunk 