Wow.
Bill Maher: New rule: Television networks need to stop making shows that try and put a happy ending on America's enormous wealth disparity and instead make a show called "Shine my shoes, fuckface."
Awesomeness plus transcript are below the fold.
Bill Maher: New rule: Television networks need to stop making shows that try and put a happy ending on America's enormous wealth disparity and instead make a show called "Shine my shoes, fuckface."
Come on, this is America, where the top 400 people have more money then the bottom 150,000,000 combined. If ABC can make a show where millionaires give their money to poor people, Animal Planet can make a show where pigs grow wings and fly out of Donald Trump's ass.
Now this week ABC gave us "Secret Millionaire", which is like "Undercover Boss" but less intellectually taxing. In each episode one of our richest 1% drops in on the wage slaves for a week and finds out that living on $185 a week in America really blows, and so then they anecdotally solve the wealth gap problem by showering everyone with cash. It's like "Pretty Woman" if you were the whore.
You know, it's amazing, TV used to give Americans the reverse fantasy, 'What if you, normal person, suddenly became a millionaire?' No. Now it's 'Oh, who are we kidding, you consider yourself lucky if to hold onto your job deep frying chicken parts, but how'd you like to be briefly introduced to a millionaire? Wouldn't you like that? You can touch his garments!'
And people watch this shit and find it inspirational. It's why they fawn over Donald Trump when he flirts with running for President every four years, even though he spends the rest of his time letting eighteen people kiss his ass on TV before he fires all but one of them.
America's rich aren't giving you money, they are taking your money.
Between the years 1980 and 2005 80% of all new income generated in this country went to the richest 1%. Let me put that in terms that even you fatass teabaggers, sorry, can understand. Say 100 Americans get together and order a 100 slice pizza, the pizza arrives, they open the box, and the first guy takes 80 slices. And if someone suggests "Why don't you just take 79 slices?" THAT'S SOCIALISM!
I know, I know, it's just a TV show, but it does reinforce the stupid idea people have that rich people would love us and share with us if only they got to walk a mile in our cheap plastic shoes, but they're the reason the shoe factory moved to China. We have this fantasy that our interests and the interests of the super rich are the same, like somehow the rich will eventually get so full that they'll explode, and the candy will rain down on the rest of us, like they're some sort of pinata of benevolence. But here's the thing about a pinata, it doesn't open on it's own, you have to beat it with a stick.
So I say, forget "Secret Millionaire", I have a better idea for a show. Every week, one of the men responsible for the global financial meltdown is dropped into a poor neighborhood and, and that's it. No cameras, we just leave him there. I call it, "I'm Alan Greenspan, get me out of here."
Here is an idea, let's raise the corporate tax rate to 50% and refuse to lower it back to Clinton era levels until the unemployment rate goes down to Clinton era levels.
Because instead of creating jobs or paying decent wages, rich people will just pocket that cash unless the rest of us force them to act responsibly. This is why Conservatives hate democracy, it is because rich people hate the idea that the vast majority of citizens who "surround them" might be able to govern their reckless actions or force them to not rob us or contribute anything to society, Conservatives prefer a system where only the rich have power and choice comes down to which one you prefer, crumbs or nothing, and if the rich could get rid of water and replace it with Brawndo: The Thirst Mutilator they would, because water is cutting into Brawndo's profits.
Creating jobs? Nope. Not interested, not unless you force them to do it. Paying decent wages? Don't make me laugh, the rich will never pay decent quality wages out of the kindness of their hearts, they will always keep that profit for themselves unless they are forced to do otherwise, that's why unions are so important, because unions and collective bargaining FORCE the rich to act responsibly. If there were no speeding limits people would not drive safely out of the kindness of their hearts, just the same as if there were no unions or minimum wage the super rich would not pay us quality wages out of the kindness of their hearts, they would pay you slave wages because they can.
The reason today is labor day is because all of the other days of the year are already Millionaires' Day. Our job is to change that.
With that in mind, I leave you with this quote, once spoken by Martin Luther King Jr.
"History is a great teacher. Now everyone knows that the labor movement did not diminish the strength of the nation but enlarged it. By raising the living standards of millions, labor miraculously created a market for industry and lifted the whole nation to undreamed of levels of production. Those who attack labor forget these simple truths, but history remembers them."
Today we celebrate Labor Day.
So when the rich say "Just give us bigger tax breaks and we swear to create jobs, honest", we should tell them NO, and that we are going to raise their taxes to 50% and we will not lower them until they create good paying jobs in America first. After that, maybe we'll consider their oh so precious tax breaks.
Peace and love to all
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