The following chart is from the FU Corporate Media website. While it gives a pretty good sense of how much gratuitous money the rich take home in tax breaks and subsidies and how much the safety net is being sliced up to pay for it, the chart does not tell us how or why this is happening, or how to change it.
The fact is that the rich have always used the political system to protect their property and wealth. They are the only ones with the wealth to win a political campaign. They control the flow of information to the public. They use their wealth and lobbying power to push through legislation favorable to their interests. They make sure that the laws are written and enforced to maximize their profits. And they do it through both parties.
Voting cannot change this. The rich never give away anything unless they are forced to. When strikes and direct action cuts into their profits, they may make a few concessions, throw a few bones, whatever the minimum they think it will take to get their workers back on the job and their businesses making money again. However, the same system remains in place, with the wealthy making the rules for their own benefit. They might have to wait a little before they can grab back what they conceded, depending on the strength of the labor movement, but they remain wealthy all the while.
This is what has been happening for the past 30 years. As unions have become weaker and represent fewer workers, the bosses realize they can demand more work for less pay and get away with it. They attempt and succeed at policies that would have seemed preposterous not too long ago, like financing 4 wars simultaneously while also granting and maintaining huge tax cuts.
Voting cannot change this. The rich never give away anything unless they are forced to. When strikes and direct action cuts into their profits, they may make a few concessions, throw a few bones, whatever the minimum they think it will take to get their workers back on the job and their businesses making money again. However, the same system remains in place, with the wealthy making the rules for their own benefit. They might have to wait a little before they can grab back what they conceded, depending on the strength of the labor movement, but they remain wealthy all the while.
This is what has been happening for the past 30 years. As unions have become weaker and represent fewer workers, the bosses realize they can demand more work for less pay and get away with it. They attempt and succeed at policies that would have seemed preposterous not too long ago, like financing 4 wars simultaneously while also granting and maintaining huge tax cuts.
