In the April 17 Beacon, a letter regarding income inequality was featured. There are some inaccuracies that need addressing.
First, he claims the rich do not exist at the expense of anyone else. This is demonstrably false. Corporations produce a profit by paying their employees less than they produce, outsourcing, layoffs, etc. It is this, coupled with expansion, that destroys small family businesses and keeps them rich. Not to mention, bribing politicians so that they pay little to no taxes. Such is the case with Amazon. Nothing justifies Jeff Bezos making, in one hour, 315 times what his employees make in a year.
When comparing the lifestyle of the rich vs. commoners, his most ridiculous claim is that medical care is supposedly equal. More than 40,000 people die each year because they don’t have insurance. 1-2 million go bankrupt because of healthcare expenses. People are dying because they can’t afford their medications because pharmaceutical companies are allowed to jack prices up repeatedly. Talk about getting rich at someone else’s expense.
He claims that money in the bank is worthless, which is false. Money is power and security. It’s clear that those with far more money are far more powerful and have far less to worry about. By downplaying their amount of power and wealth and telling a fictional tale of how class distinctions don’t really matter, he throws legitimate understanding of economic issues out the window in favor of vaguely owning the “liberal Democrats.”
Robin Hood calls BS.
Chandan Donaldson
Columbia Falls