When a conservative reads about the wealthy getting richer while the rest getting poorer, what do they think?

that the rich are just working that much harder now... and everyone else is getting lazier?



http://www.csmonitor.com/Business/The-Da鈥?/a>



but it's interesting...



http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20572828/ns/鈥?/a>When a conservative reads about the wealthy getting richer while the rest getting poorer, what do they think?
It rather does suggest that something may be systemically wrong. Though I'd be wary of overly simple solutions to complex problems.
Nah. They think they're not being bootstrappy enough. I guess they shouldn't have eaten those bootstraps to stave off hunger, huh?



Seriously though, it has nothing to do with productivity. They just think the poor are stupid. Which for the most part they are, just not in the way most people think. As someone once said "there is no such thing as a poor Americans, just rich Americans who are temporarily down on their luck" (I paraphrased, but you get the idea). Americans believe this to such a large extent that huge numbers of them are willing to vote against their own best interests just in case they are rich some day. Never mind they are destroying their own infrastructure, from bridges and buildings and roads to education, in the meantime. They just don't want to have to pay taxes when they're rich. This is how you end up with someone like me paying less than a quarter of the amount in taxes as what my domestics pay. (as percentages of our respective incomes, of course) I am apparently being rewarded for successfully being born into a wealthy family as I've heard repeatedly "success shouldn't be punished".



Also remember the USA is full of religious nutters, some of whom adhere to Calvinist doctrines that teach predestination. There are actually those (usually the wealthy) who believe the wealthy are blessed in this life and that is a sign they are predestined to heaven while the poor are OBVIOUSLY predestined to hell and the long burn which is why they are poor. Helping them would be contrary to the will of god, then. (they're not even the worst of the religious nutters in the USA either, which is rather scary)



I'm pretty sure this is a cultural thing as in my home country we know the safety, health and well being of our neighbors impacts us as well, so they are cared for and given the proper tools to go on and care for themselves and others in the future. Because of this we do not even have poverty. In the USA it is "everyone for themselves" and if you have homeless folks dying of untreated illnesses in your streets (which you do), then so be it, they should have been more bootstrappy and whatnot. Or at least that seems to be the current POV. Unfortunately, as someone who works with the poor and homeless near her US home on a regular basis, I've noticed that some of the people who used to stick their noses up at the less fortunate are themselves part of the monthly food bank crowd now. The US is reaching a tipping point and the more of the former middle class I bump into on the street because they fell on the wrong side of that point - well, you saw what that did to the former Soviet Union. I'll make a killing because my hedge funds "bet" against the USA's economic success since they've proven they'll do anything to destroy themselves, but the rest of you are screwed. My condolences and please don't eat me if you end up one of the poors, ok?When a conservative reads about the wealthy getting richer while the rest getting poorer, what do they think?
As a Conservative, I think the principles of our American Constitution as set forth by our Founding Fathers are not being properly applied in our every day life.

The Constitution limits Power to prevent Tyranny.

Banks are too Powerful.

Corporations are too powerful.

Unions are too Powerful.

The Medical Industry is too Powerful.

Insurance companies are too Powerful.

Power Corrupts.

Our founders knew that. They were establishing a Government and put in place balances and Limits on Power and gave most of the Power to the individual citizen. Each was responsible for himself and his family.

That Government by the Constitution has never been adequately used and few Americans even understand it.

Most of those in Power are Elitist Despots and represent Special Interests.

It is time for the citizens to have another Tea Party and, as the original Tea Party declared, they need to fight Tyranny!

We need to seek a proper balance.
It's fitting that your own article says that the standard of living began a steep descent three years ago. I wonder what happened three years ago that could have caused this? Oh yeah, a certain destructive force was elected President.



When a liberal reads that 50% of Americans pay almost no taxes, what do they think? There is no 99%. There is the 50%, the 1%, and then there are the 49% in the middle. And isn't it funny that the 50% who pay nothing want the 1% to pay MORE?When a conservative reads about the wealthy getting richer while the rest getting poorer, what do they think?
"Mission Accomplished." The fact that that phrase is so associated with another GOP disaster is just a coincidence.

They are also congratulating themselves on successfully convincing enough simpletons to accept as gospel the fraud that is trickle-down economics.
I agree with the CSM. There is a reason that millionaires are up 20%. These are the people who have worked hard and sacrificed and are being rewarded. The rest have not, or have made poor choices. This recent statistic of 'income inequality' is meaningless.
it does not affect me one iota. the rest are not getting pooree, unions want everyone to make 20 an hour but do not care about the cost of product going up to achieve such a standard. who cares if you make 20 an hour if milk is 10 dollars a gallon. why the wealth envy?
"When a conservative reads about the wealthy getting richer while the rest getting poorer, what do they think?"



I think that for the 50 plus years I worked at blue-collar labor I didn't ONCE

feel the envy you do.
That is right. The rich deserve it.

America as a whole has gotten lazy thanks to liberals, ever since the beginning of the 20th century.
A conservative is familiar with concepts like "compound interest" and "simple math."
Yup, that's exactly what I think, maybe you outta try WORKING harder instead of spending all your time whining and fretting over that someone has more money than you....GET A LIFE!!
We don't think about it. Just laugh, have a money fight, then drink bourbon....and that's about a summary of our day.
Thought bubble: "Aces! The plan is working!"
The first thing i think is "SOCIALISM FOR THE WIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
they are enjoying the fruits of their labor
Actually, yes.



Anecdotally speaking, I'm not rich (well under 50k a year for a family of 6). I'm blue collar and my coworkers suck and are lazy. Friends that are in unions are even less motivated. Maybe Californians are just lazier than the rest of the country. I work for a rich man who is really good to me. I earn bonuses for my hard work, time, and effort. I've been moving up because of my actions (no degree, so I have to work harder). Whenever there are wage freezes or hiring freezes or hour cutbacks, I'm the exception that has to keep quiet. It is because of how I work. I hear about freezes and cuts and automatically think, "Good, it's time to work harder and shine brighter!". All the people I know think more along the lines of, "Damn, it's time to cut and run." or "If I'm getting paid less, I do less." Not realizing that if they were working hard, they'd be the exception to the rule. Counting bonuses and raises, I've doubled my salary in a year before.



Your second article refers to people like me, and maybe you. It CERTAINLY DOES NOT REFER TO THE AVERAGE PERSON I KNOW. And these are my friends and family I'm talking about. We've rubberized and idiot proofed America so much that many of us can't handle a hard knock when it comes. Or worse yet, we think we don't deserve the knock so we shouldn't even bother with it.



I'm 32 and with my bonuses, I've purchased my first investment home for $9,000 and am making $600 a month on it. Used my spare time to learn real estate. Now is a good time to buy. Don't be lazy. Learn about it. I will be rich soon.



So in answer, I'm a low income fiscal conservative who personally sees the rich working harder and everyone else getting lazier.