class warfare

Recently read a Bill Moyers interview w/ Robert Reich. Title: "Who Runs Government". There was lots of good (if painful) stuff there, and I encourage you to seek it out and read the whole article.

Being somewhat of a "data guy" I was struck by a couple of numbers. The Amigo paraphrases here, but carefully:

1. As late as 1980, the top 1% of salary earners accounted for something on the order of 9% of the national income.
2. By 2007, the top 1% accounted for 20% of the national income.

Now Mr. Reich was worried about coming across like a "class warrior". I don't get that part. It seems to the Friendly Venerable One that a) class warfare is deeply entrenched in our society, our economy. It's been around for a couple of centuries. b) the middle class managed to push things in a sane direction for a few decades as the world clawed its way out of the Great Depression. c) since then, the oligarchs have chipped away at what the rest of us have to live on.

The questions I'd like you to ask yourselves are:

1. How long will we stay on this path?
2. How much is "enough". The top 1% is now sucking up 20% of all income. Is 30% enough? 50% 75%? The Old Amigo can't answer that one. Probably each of you has his/her own answer.
3. What can you do about it? (Hint: you know the answer already).

Press on, brothers and sisters. Press on.