Extremes of Wealth and Poverty
The narrative that our world is currently experiencing is one of extreme duality. Many people, especially those in powerful positions, live lives of outrageous wealth; wealth so extreme that it can often be viewed as excessive, wasteful, and wanton. On the other side, we see many more people living lives of poverty. Poverty so extreme that it often means malnutrition, lack of basic necessities such as shelter, access to clean water and sanitation, and lack of access to education and adequate medical care; conditions which often lead to social isolation and physical and mental illness.
Proponents of the capitalist system that produces this dichotomy would have you believe that positioning in this system is justifiably earned, the result of choice and not of circumstance, and that all people are given equal opportunity to come out on the winning side of this equation. We need only to observe the lives of those being born in third-world slum conditions to be able to see how patently untrue that assertion is. Many who live in extreme poverty have not been given any opportunities to be able to escape that economic position, and under current systems, never will be. Poverty and the associated health and social conditions that go along with it breed more poverty; and those that find themselves in poverty are trapped in a system in which they have no voice or control.
Poverty does not always mean living conditions such as those of a third-world slum. Many North Americans currently subsist on what is known as “poverty wages”, and this includes those working for the regulated “minimum wage”. These people go to work and participate in society as active contributors, yet are still unable to afford the basic necessities of life or the time and resources needed to pursue opportunities for advancement from this disadvantaged position.
Many members of society also live in a reality where they are unable to provide for the essentials of life, whether living on social assistance, caring for a family whose size outstrips their income potential, or facing disabilities or mental illness that prevent them from maintaining a basic standard of living. These people often have to forego optimal nutrition, face the threat of homelessness or inadequate living conditions, or simply have to struggle relentlessly to stay alive in a society that denigrates their position and devalues the contributions they do make.
And many more people, the average working families in our society, live at a level of bare subsistence. Where the basic necessities are covered, but there is no time or money left in the budget to be able to pursue opportunities for advancement. Paying the bills and obligations is an ongoing challenge that creates stress and uncertainty, and living paycheque to paycheque is a reality that could plunge them into one of the preceding definitions of poverty should any calamity or illness strike down their ability to “make a living”. Half of all Canadians live within this category.
High levels of consumer debt (and related predatory lending practices) are a major contributing factor to this last massive category of economic instability, but so too are the systems of taxation which are easily manipulated by wealthy corporations and individuals who ‘lobby’ so successfully to avoid remitting on their proportional share of the “takings” in the economy. These entities are also adept at creating and maintaining economic, social and political systems in which only those with wealth can have power in influencing the policies and programs which lead to creation of the dichotomy of poverty vs. wealth in the first place.
Critical in revolutionizing the imbalance of these flawed human systems is the understanding that money and wealth are illusory concepts that the wealthy have imposed on the masses over time to keep them subjugated. By inflating the value of their own endeavours and devaluing the endeavours of others, they have come to “own” more and more of the resources of the Earth - resources which no man, corporation, or nation has any right to take from the commons.
They have also created numerous systems of economic manipulation to:
In time we will address each of these topics in detail, but suffice it to say that the majority of the extreme imbalances and injustices that characterize human civilization have been the direct result of the dictates and constructs that serve to further entrench those with money into deeper positions of wealth and power; leaving the rest of humanity and our earthly home to suffer the effects of this runaway avarice and greed.
The Grassroots must demand re-organization of economic policy to include:
Proponents of the capitalist system that produces this dichotomy would have you believe that positioning in this system is justifiably earned, the result of choice and not of circumstance, and that all people are given equal opportunity to come out on the winning side of this equation. We need only to observe the lives of those being born in third-world slum conditions to be able to see how patently untrue that assertion is. Many who live in extreme poverty have not been given any opportunities to be able to escape that economic position, and under current systems, never will be. Poverty and the associated health and social conditions that go along with it breed more poverty; and those that find themselves in poverty are trapped in a system in which they have no voice or control.
Poverty does not always mean living conditions such as those of a third-world slum. Many North Americans currently subsist on what is known as “poverty wages”, and this includes those working for the regulated “minimum wage”. These people go to work and participate in society as active contributors, yet are still unable to afford the basic necessities of life or the time and resources needed to pursue opportunities for advancement from this disadvantaged position.
Many members of society also live in a reality where they are unable to provide for the essentials of life, whether living on social assistance, caring for a family whose size outstrips their income potential, or facing disabilities or mental illness that prevent them from maintaining a basic standard of living. These people often have to forego optimal nutrition, face the threat of homelessness or inadequate living conditions, or simply have to struggle relentlessly to stay alive in a society that denigrates their position and devalues the contributions they do make.
And many more people, the average working families in our society, live at a level of bare subsistence. Where the basic necessities are covered, but there is no time or money left in the budget to be able to pursue opportunities for advancement. Paying the bills and obligations is an ongoing challenge that creates stress and uncertainty, and living paycheque to paycheque is a reality that could plunge them into one of the preceding definitions of poverty should any calamity or illness strike down their ability to “make a living”. Half of all Canadians live within this category.
High levels of consumer debt (and related predatory lending practices) are a major contributing factor to this last massive category of economic instability, but so too are the systems of taxation which are easily manipulated by wealthy corporations and individuals who ‘lobby’ so successfully to avoid remitting on their proportional share of the “takings” in the economy. These entities are also adept at creating and maintaining economic, social and political systems in which only those with wealth can have power in influencing the policies and programs which lead to creation of the dichotomy of poverty vs. wealth in the first place.
Critical in revolutionizing the imbalance of these flawed human systems is the understanding that money and wealth are illusory concepts that the wealthy have imposed on the masses over time to keep them subjugated. By inflating the value of their own endeavours and devaluing the endeavours of others, they have come to “own” more and more of the resources of the Earth - resources which no man, corporation, or nation has any right to take from the commons.
They have also created numerous systems of economic manipulation to:
- Artificially suppress and manipulate the value of the goods that people produce, often from natural resources (i.e. commodity pricing)
- Create an artificial value for a corporate entity which has little relation to the actual value of the corporation, and can be expanded or collapsed on the whim of those colluding to inflate the system with the false perception of the possibility of infinite growth (i.e. stock markets)
- Issue credit and create debt which now exceeds $233 trillion worldwide – an amount which is more than three times the size of the global economy.
- Devalue and oppress emerging economies by manipulating the value of national currencies; which artificially suppresses the value of nations which show “weaker” economies (typically “developing” countries) thereby exacerbating their weakened positions.
- Exploit the weakened positions of developing nations to hurry the exploitation of natural resources, often with devastating consequences to the environment, labour standards, and overall economic position of the targeted regions.
- Impose austerity measures, resulting in deep cuts to social spending including education and healthcare, as well as the social safety net, generally in order to service unsustainable levels of debt undertaken by the governments of less-advantaged nations.
- Creating barriers to trade as well as imbalanced formulas of free trade which take advantage of the exploitation of relatively inexpensive resources and labour which are found in developing nations.
In time we will address each of these topics in detail, but suffice it to say that the majority of the extreme imbalances and injustices that characterize human civilization have been the direct result of the dictates and constructs that serve to further entrench those with money into deeper positions of wealth and power; leaving the rest of humanity and our earthly home to suffer the effects of this runaway avarice and greed.
The Grassroots must demand re-organization of economic policy to include:
- Provision for the equalization of wealth through taxation including increasing estate and corporate tax rates as well as a proportionate tax on investments such as stock market transactions. The loopholes that currently allow corporations and elite entities from paying their fair share must be closed. Taxation of low and middle income individuals and families, as well as small businesses should be reduced in an effort to increase consumer spending and strengthen local economies.
- The creation of a global currency, benchmarked using actual “living wage” formulations, could result in the leveling of economic playing field between “have” and “have-not” nations. It would also ensure that resources are given fair valuation regardless of their country of origin. This is likely to be a highly contentious issue, but one that should be open for debate.
- Corporations operating under certain ethical and environmental standards in first-world nations must be required to adhere to these same standards when operating outside of their country.
- Strict control over the creation of new debt, including the abolition of predatory lending practices and reductions in the amount of interest that can be charged on loans such as credit card balances, personal loans, and mortgages. Although the practice of debt financing appears to be essential to keep the economy moving, we must discourage borrowing against a future we do not own and can in no way guarantee. It is an unhealthy way to structure an economy and will not serve any individual, corporation, industry or government in the long term.
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