Money begets Power, and Power begets More Money. . .

Let's stop fooling ourselves.  Everyone is fully aware of the core problem America faces today.

Pew Research Center reports that "Middle-class incomes have not grown at the rate of upper-tier incomes.  From 1970 to 2018, the median middle0class income increased from $58,100 to $86,600, a gain of 49%.  This was considerably less than the 65% increase for upper-income households, whose median income increased from $126,100 in 1970 to $207,400 in 2018.  Households in the lower-tier experienced a gain of 43%, from $20,000 in 1970 to $28,000 in 2018. (expressed in 2018 dollars.)"  

A September 2017 study by the Federal Reserve reported that the top 1% in America owned 38.5% of the country's wealth in 2016. According to a June 2017 report by the Boston Consulting Group, around 70% of the nation's wealth will be in the hands of those millionaires and billionaires by 2021.

That information must be followed up with a very important question:  What does the richest in America do with all of that money?  The answer is clear:  They buy Political Offices and Power! 

The rich have always used the excuse that having lots of money is not a sin.  That is true and everyone accepts that.  What isn't acceptable is what they do with their money.  We grudge no person for being rich.  We do get agitated when they use it to buy political offices, twist people's arms, and boost themselves into a higher level of power over others.  

A good example of this is the current Governor of Montana.  He was worth about $315 million in 2017 and we can assume that has increased.  He ran for governor in 2020 and spent millions of his own money to win the office.  You couldn't open your eyes and not see his name and image somewhere. Money buys political offices in America and everyone knows that, otherwise, they wouldn't be spending it.  However, next on the successful governor's agenda, of course, is rounding out the coup with "power over the people."  Yes, working for the people went out of style years ago!

So, to be rich in America is one thing, but what you do with your riches is entirely another matter.  And we middle and lower class people are getting pretty damn tired of the rich running everything in the country to satisfy only their own wants. They have a tendency to be more greedy than helping the needy.  You know, like in a democracy -  which brings up a touch idea that the rich aren't really that excited about a democracy anymore. (Many of us think they probably never were)  But more about that in another blog. 

So, we have to agree that it isn't the money.  It's the power they think they deserve for having so much of it that counts!