Rich foment class warfare

In tough economic times, it's popular for the middle classes to war between themselves or have the middle and lower classes go at it.

The so-called "liberal media" is all too eager to see the middle and lower classes mix it up.

Our local paper today ran a story on the top of the front page about how "everyone" is mad at teachers' unions in Central Oregon. A few weeks ago, the paper's editor declared war on the unions in this latest round of class warfare. Of course, police and firefighters' unions don't receive similar scrutiny.

It's bizarre to be attacking unions when less than 12 percent of the workforce is unionized. Even if two people were left in a union, the "liberal media" would still attack them.

In the 1980s, Ronald Reagan and the Republican Party portrayed black women, representing the welfare state, as the great enemy of the free market system. Also, by firing the air traffic controllers, Reagan showed it was open season on the American worker. So, naturally, the culture, particularly the "liberal media" picked up the cue and highlighted the differences between working Americans and welfare America. Also, it pitted union versus non-union worker.

Consequently, the middle and lower classes fought among themselves while the rich got richer than ever.

The ratio of average CEO compensation to the average worker pay in 1965 was 24:1. By 2005 it was 262:1.

Census data show that since 1979 median income has increased just 12 percent, but that for the ultra rich it went up by nearly 400 percent. See a column here for more startling numbers.

The middle and lower classes don't understand the very rich and have the mistaken belief that they'll be one of them someday. That's like saying someone reading this blog will star in the NBA some day. Fat chance.

And yet, whenever anyone holds up data to show the growing disparity between rich and poor, the rich whimper that they're being picked on. It's just class warfare.

So, the goal of the rich is to have classes below them duke it out, while the rich cheer on the sidelines.

The local daily's piece on teachers' unions doesn't show that when the economy is robust, teachers are extremely lucky if they get a 1 percent or 2 percent raise. In bad times, such as now, teachers are taking pay cuts through furlough days plus no increases in pay. But, since it isn't as great a cut as the rich would like to see, they stir up the masses to oppose teachers.

No one complains about a Realtor making a $1 million in one year in Central Oregon, which many did during the last real estate bubble. And what exactly did these "professionals" contribute to society aside from land speculation? Not much.

It is way past time for the middle and lower classes to stop squabbling among themselves for the scraps thrown their way by the rich elites.

Look upwards, to the class at the top, for the source of your current financial woes. It is there that battles should be waged. We are in our current economic crisis due to the very rich destroying the economy but blaming people for securing home loans they shouldn't have qualified for. It's a classic class warfare tactic of the rich.

The stock market has surged over the past year, but, more than likely, your portfolio hasn't kept pace. Don't wonder why, because the rich are just taking candy from us babies.

If teabaggers want to make any difference, they need to first recognize the enemy. It is not your government but your CEOs and bailed-out bankers making billions in bonuses who need to be stopped. Don't listen to them, or the "liberal media," when they say it's all the government's fault.

Demand greater government oversight over the lords of capitalism. Demand that companies who ship jobs overseas do not get government subsidies for doing so. Demand that CEO compensation be capped. Demand that the media does its job by reporting the truth about the ongoing war by the rich against everyone else.

Fight the power.

And Happy Easter.