These Problems Continue to be Ignored by Your Government
There is no “inflation,” but there is “Greedflation.” The motto of our government remains “profit before people.” The only reason that domestic terrorism is the greatest threat to public safety is that right-wing politicians serve the NRA gun lobby which cares about nothing but the profits of gun manufacturers and gun sellers. Income inequality continues to grow and will soon destroy our economy. The national debt will continue to rise until the super-rich are forced to pay their fair share of taxes. And the quality of life for most Americans will continue to decline until our worthless government decides to do the right thing.
Everything in the above paragraph is a fact, and I have little faith that the men and women in power will do anything about them during the years I have left on this planet.
The Primary Reason for Inflated Home Prices and Outrageous Rents Is Greed
However, corporate America is displaying greed in a new way and will be directly responsible for increasing the numbers of homeless men, women, and families in our cities.
Whenever the housing market favors buyers, and the prices become affordable, corporations are purchasing them as quickly as possible. Then they spend a few thousand dollars to renovate them but do not sell them, they rent them for outrageous fees.
In every American city affordable housing has become a serious problem. Here in the Reno/Sparks area of Northern Nevada, a one-bedroom apartment is more expensive than our mortgage payment. The majority of workers in this part of Nevada are minimum-wage employees. Corporations and the super-rich don’t care about people, they care about the next mansion they plan to buy or a bigger yacht.
Greed: The Growth of Income Inequality
The ratio of the 90th to 10th percentile increased from 12.90 in 2020 to 13.53 in 2021. That means income at the top of the income distribution was 13.53 times higher than income at the bottom, a 4.9% increase from 2020.
“The Rich Get Richer and the Poor Get Poorer” is from Percy Bysshe Shelley, In A Defence of Poetry (1821, not published until 1840).
Nothing has changed in America. Capitalism creates greed, and greed creates plutocrats, which is where America is today: a plutocracy.
Think about this fact when you are watching television. With the exception of only a few, every ad you see is paid for by a corporation or an individual, and both have billions of dollars in wealth but are not satisfied. Campaign ads, Medicare part “C,” and “wonder” drugs with dangerous side effects are not focused on improving the lives of Americans, they are created to increase profits and personal wealth.
America is a business first and foremost. The government of the United States is the worst in the world of developed nations. It places special interests in priority over its people, and both political parties are to blame. This is why I have never belonged to either. I believe that being an Independent voter allows everyone to select the best candidates. Voting for a party is ignorance by choice.
By James Turnage
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Sources:
Census: Increase in Income Inequality Driven by Real Declines in Income at the Bottom
Daily Kos: Corporate’s Purchase of Housing Is Destroying the American Dream
Top and Featured Image Courtesy of Austin_Design‘s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
