From the Other Side of the Edge…..
“Income Inequality”…..Self Perpetuated at the Lower End
By Joe Facinoli

It has been said,….

….that if all the money in the U. S. of A., …that belonging to everyone (rich, poor, and in between), was piled up in one huge stack, then re-distributed in equal portions to all the citizens of our beloved country,….

….that within just a few short years (or less), the rich guys would have it all back, and the poor ones would have their hands out again, begging for yet another “second” chance.

It’s just the law of the jungle. Not everyone has the same skills or abilities.

But what everyone should have, is the same range of opportunities,…and then let everything sort itself out.

Undeniably, …there are more “Have-nots”, than “Haves” in our nation, and society.

Doesn’t mean they were born that way, although certainly, they could have been.

And if they were, nothing says that they have to stay that way, not in this land of true and tangible opportunity.

Many drove themselves, by themselves, to one end of the economic scale, or to the other, by their own actions and choices.

But even with all the bumps and perceived obstacles, “warts” and all else which life throws in the way, even in this country, there still is no good reason that an individual giving full effort, can’t change their location to a place further up that scale.

But how and why did they land in a particular spot, in that economic pecking order?

I believe that the answers are more “cultural”, than economic, or even political, at least in the U.S.

In this country,…

….there are Givers, and there are Takers (and you know who these people are).

There are Right thinkers and Left thinkers,….there are the Strong and the Weak,….the Smart and the not so much,….and through all of these varied strata,….there are Do-ers, and those who Don’t (ever, and you know them too).

There are people who take pride in themselves, and in what they do, and in who they do it with, and for.

These people work to make their lives better, and their family’s, as well as those of friends, neighbors, and business associates. And even for folks they have never met, through their charity, good will, and the genuine desire to help others.

These are America’s producers, and entrepreneurs, risk takers, and go getters. They are the ones who made America great, and who grew her into the mighty nation that exists today.

And they are the ones who will, and want to, continue this upward path, and will try with everything they have, as they attempt to “Do the Right Things”, with their lives, and resources, for everyone.

And then there are the “Others”. 

The ones with virtually no pride, not even prideful thoughts, for and about anything. The ones with no care nor concern for humanity, theirs or anyone else’s, possessing no conscience nor thoughts, but for themselves.

Big people, small people, mega-important people, as well as the barely significant,…all fit easily into either category.

It simply depends on their character, and self-worth, and the “culture” they grew up in, or developed and attached themselves to.

Some are allowed, even encouraged, to go through life with their hand out, expecting someone to take care of them, cradle to grave, sun up to sundown, and being angry when this doesn’t happen sufficiently enough to suit them.

They are the ones found most often complaining loudly about, and even belittling, and worse, preying upon, those who work hard, and keep their focus on their futures, and who wouldn’t ever consider taking something from someone, without the full intent and promise to pay back such a gift.

It’s a cultural thing, from where I sit.

Too many of the “have-nots” of today are the latest version in a long line of “woe-is-me” entitled government dependents. The “welfare culture”, and mind set, is so prevalent now that it permeates and influences almost all levels of our economy.

The “Me first”, “Where’s mine”, “Why should I have to work for that, I deserve it”, jealousies, mentalities, and lifestyles have cut the life out of so many families, regions, and even ethnic groups.

They’ve been told that corporate profit, and the capitalism which created that profit, are dirty words, and devices used to keep them down, or in their places, among the permanently downtrodden.

It is pounded home that the bosses, and the company owners are to blame for their plight,….not the fact that they don’t want to work hard to improve themselves in whatever way they can, and certainly not because they quit school early (why should they have to go to school, when they don’t like it, or even want to?), and have virtually no useful skills nor education, and no desire to change that.

Skilled jobs, especially any involving I.T. work, pay much more, but are have-not Americans interested? Nope, not really. That would mean they’d have to work harder, or longer, or go back to school, or go to school at all.

Nope, they’re still looking for the easy way out.

And that’s just not the American way, ….the way the country was built, and the way the great fortunes, and successful lives and families were made. Hard work and perseverance.

And, it defies all Common Sense. But still, we allow it to happen, and then complain about it, and scratch our heads as to how we could have gotten here.

The Unions, and the Government, continually tell all these “have-nots” that they should not have to work for the pittances offered by Corporate America, and that a large minimum wage increase must happen, and that they are absolutely “entitled” to these things, as if they were birthrights.

Nothing could be further from the truth, and from reality, yet they have spent decades, and entire lives of whole families, chasing that false claim and expectation.

In doing so, the world has now passed them by, even as they still cry, ever more loudly,…. “Inequality!!” Problem is, you can’t be “unequal”, if you don’t try,…and especially if you’re not even in the game.

Immigrants, legal or otherwise, now work much harder, and more willingly, than do most “have-not” Americans. And they adjust better, and find ways to those opportunities better, and achieve their goals sooner.

Americans do not, ….not anymore. It’s hard to make changes, or do much of anything, with both hands out.

Ninety nine weeks of unemployment, welfare payments at the drop of a hat, food stamps for anyone with a pulse, and government assistance at virtually every turn, has killed nearly all real life cures for our individual economic troubles.

We just give up, and then go beat a path to the nearest government office, for a quick check, so we can afford our double size bags of cheese curls, super-sized, commercial strength breakfast tarts, two gallon bottles of diet soda, and 4XL hoodies.

Life is good then, but of course, there is no future in that lifestyle.

We are only beginning to find this out, and too late, as all those breakfast tarts and cheese curls are “hitting the fan” now, and in precisely the way you are imagining.

A falsely high minimum wage, and/or equal salaries for all, regardless of effort or productivity, discourages all incentive and self-motivation, on all levels.

If incomes are equal for everyone, and/or bogusly propped up on the lower end, then,….why go to school at all, and why train, or learn more about your job, or trade, or field ??? In other words,….why care?

“Income Inequality”, is the new buzz phrase from those in DC, and all government, most of whom have never worked hard for anything, and never possessed anything of real worth, that wasn’t given to them.

But it is simply another attempt at forcing Socialism further into our American society, and not a very cleverly disguised one, at that.

If “rich” people are not allowed to be, then there aren’t going to be any successful businesses, either. Living well is their incentive, and what keeps them motivated to provide more jobs, and make more and larger companies.

Not everyone can do this, and we shouldn’t expect, nor promise, that everyone can. It’s just common sense.

But what we should expect, is that everyone who is physically and mentally able, ….should pull their fair share of the load.

And that they should be compensated in direct proportion to their “pull”, and as to how much they produce, with their “share”.

The only “Inequality” that I see, in terms of earning a good income, is a clear and distinct “inequality” of effort. And of pride in oneself.

Bring America back.

Work hard, ….a lot of hard. Then it will be there for you.

Joe Facinoli
--Joe can be reached at: joefacinoli@gmail.com
Intelligent Response Encouraged !!

© Copyright 2014, Joe Facinoli