Wanna fix the economy? Look to Martin Luther King.

[LetTimmySmoke]

Martin Luther King once said that there can be no social harmony without social justice.

His quote was about segregation at the time, but it applies equally well to the economy today. The poor and middle class in this country and across the globe have been squeezed for 30 years, and now are unable to provide the kind of consumer demand needed to drive the economy in the long term. The credit bubble masked this problem for a while, but that's gone now. Not only that, but governments' responses around the globe to this crisis have been to do everything to help the banks and wealthy elite while keeping most of the populace underwater. The result? Fears of a new double dip recession, based on falling consumer demand (duh! what did you expect?) Wild gyrations in the market helped along by financial gamblers, since in the absence of strong consumer demand, gambling on bubbles has become one of the only ways to make short term profits on Wall St. (gotta please those shareholders)

In short, long term economic health (social harmony) cannot happen unless ordinary people get a fair piece of the pie (social justice).

Martin Luther King was right again. K&R if you agree.

[LongTomH]

1. K&R

They've been trying to run the economy as a 'plutonomy' for years. 'Plutonomy' refers to the idea that a healthy economy can be run on meeting the needs of the Super-rich (Upper 1%) to the Mega-rich ( Upper 0.01%). It ain't working!
:kick:

[LetTimmySmoke]

6. You're right - Plutomoy is unsustainable .

What makes it unsustainable is the fact that money is the language that we use to exchange goods and services, and the plutocratic few simply do not have the man-hours to provide/use the level of goods and services needed to sustain their wealth.

[Quantess]

2. Okay, there's rec #5

:thumbsup:

[TheKentuckian]

3. K&R...we should start aggressively pushing Dr King's work on economic justice

Some don't even realize that was his next big push and probably what rocked the boat enough for bullets.

[DearAbby]

4. Stand with me

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x1857758

[Zax2me]

5. Instead the poor are taking on more burdens.

going backwards.

[Brigid]

7. I don't know why this isn't obvious to everyone.

Even Republicans.