The politics of envy
In an essay in The Monthly magazine, Mr Swan described the influence of the wealthy few as a “poison” that had “infected our politics and is seeping into our economy”.
Wayne, I see your wealthy few and raise you the ACTU $20 million campaign to unseat Howard.
The Treasurer accepted that entrepreneurs lifted employment, but said Ms Rinehart, Mr Forrest and Mr Palmer were seeking to wield influence beyond their immediate business interests.
“They are openly seeking to exert an inordinate degree of political power, and I’m highlighting that fact,” he saidSo am I.
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Perhaps you should read his essay.
An extract –
“Shortly after World War II, Australia and the US were roughly equal in the percentage of total income going to the top 1%. Today the gap between the rich and the rest in the US is around twice the size of ours: in 2008, the top 1% in the US received around 17.7% of all income, while the figure is just 8.6% in Australia.”
And
“Between 1979 and 2007 in the US, the top 1% saw their after-tax incomes rise 275%, while the middle two thirds saw their after-tax incomes increase by less than 40%.”
Tell me that an increasing gap between rich and poor is OK. As an Australian, I don’t aspire to this – and if lobbyists continue to wield ever-increasing political clout, we will follow that route.
1735099,
Can you you or Swann give us the contrasting figures (rich and poor) for India, China and Russia for the same period? The Indians don’t appear to like re-distributing their wealth and neither do Russians and Chinese where the ideology of you lefties originated. Hasn’t happened there but you only point the finger at the States and Australia. You and your cronies seem to want a bigger slice of a pie that you have not contributed to. Buy some shares mate. The resultant taxes may then cause you to change your view on how much tax you may have to pay. As an Australian who was not prepared to use (or lacked) entrepreneurial skills and who chose at an early age to aspire to the (not unsubstantial) levels that you have attained 1735099, you probably display a high level of envy and desire to “bring down the tall poppy”. This is a common trait of lefties. It is funny to note that if the tall poppies fell then those beneath would fail to maintain the momentum required to capitalise on the perceived opportunity to better themselves. The cash cow would fall way below expectation.
“Can you you (sic) or Swann (sic) give us the contrasting figures (rich and poor) for India, China and Russia for the same period?”
Well, I probably could if I cared to waste my time googling it, but I don’t see the point. If you’re saying that an increasing gap between rich and poor is also apparent in countries with systems of government different from ours I wouldn’t argue, but that is not what Swan is talking about. He, and a great many others, is identifying a trend in the USA (and to a lesser extent here) that is fundamentally dangerous to democracy. Clearly, you haven’t read his essay. Go here – http://www.themonthly.com.au/rising-influence-vested-interests-australia-001-cent-wayne-swan-4670
Interestingly enough, the denizens of the far Right (the Tea Party) are going on about the same thing. This movement ostensibly reflects voter anger at a political system corrupted by influence.
“You and your cronies seem to want a bigger slice of a pie that you have not contributed to.”
You wouldn’t know. I started work at age 15 in 1962. I’ve been employed and paying taxes ever since. I wonder what contribution that adds up to – 50 years @ an average tax rate. Do the maths.
“As an Australian who was not prepared to use (or lacked) entrepreneurial skills”
Again, you wouldn’t know. Is running a small business (as I do now) “entrepreneurial”?
“Buy some shares mate.”
The largest part of my current income is derived from shares. As a (semi) SFR I took a haircut during the GFC – a phenomenon closely related to and partly caused by the influence buying that is a feature of our political system.
I am unlikely to follow your link, old mate. Any essay written by Swann for publication would have begun with the thought of pushing his ideology onto the reader rather than merely stating verifiable facts and allowing the reader to decide. I have done research essays in my time and it much the same as pushing the Global Warming idea…research what you want from theories put forward by “recognised experts” and fit them into your plan…nothing new in that.
I wouldn’t describe someone who spent most of his lifetime in a safe, orderly job with the Government as entrepreneurial in fact it is quite the opposite. Small business begin after semi-retirement to keep you thinking?
How many dollars invested in mining old feller? I would go against your grain. That’s the contribution I was talking about, not the tax input. If you don’t put into the mining industry how can you justify increasing the taxes on those responsible for the industry to try and line the pockets of non-contributors?
It’s a bit like telling a small business owner when his business really takes off that he must suddenly have an obscene amount of tax increase simply on the basis of being successful. You are right…money brings POWER and it is used to sway the judgement of all manner of people from waitresses to judges and politicians…..way of the world. You just have to see how Gillard has success getting unpopular bills through.
“I am unlikely to follow your link”
So you’ll form a judgement without reading it – just as you formed a series of judgements about me without any knowledge. It’s called bigotry – the Wikipedia definition fits pretty well – “A bigot is a person obstinately or intolerantly devoted to his or her own opinions and prejudices, especially one exhibiting intolerance, and animosity toward those of differing beliefs”
17etc, you wave your little finger about in my direction but you fail to indicate where my statement is incorrect in relation to the methodology of written works, by those wishing to push an agenda.
“A bigot is a person obstinately or intolerantly devoted to his or her own opinions and prejudices, especially one exhibiting intolerance, and animosity toward those of differing beliefs” Is this an admission of your own failings or are you “exhibiting intolerance, and animosity toward those of differing beliefs” by this display?
“fail to indicate where my statement is incorrect”
It’s an assumption. You would have no idea what methodology Swan (not Swann) used.
One way of finding out would be to read it.
Yes it is an assumption or perhaps an educated guess based on prior learning and experience. The same sort of thing the weather man uses to forecast the weather. You still haven’t actually told me that I am wrong, so in the absence of your expert opinion to the contrary I am probably more accurate than a meteorologist or a global warming theorist.
Sorry I spelt Swan incorrectly…..I guess then that in the absence of a correction by you, that my spelling of Juliar is on the mark.