the extraction era

Our money…

“It doesn’t measure how good of a human being you are, but it does measure, in most cases, how much value you have provided to your fellow man.  How is this true?  Because your fellow men have chosen to give you their money for your service.”

Well…

This ain’t necessarily so.  Rentiers collect, but they need not contribute.  They exalt themselves, and devalue labor.

In the past 30 years, nearly all the increase in surplus has been skimmed off by the top few percent in wealth.  The top 1% used to control 7% of the nation’s personal income. They now control over 21%.  Has their contribution to the rest of society tripled?  Not so.  They have manipulated the system, toforce labor to hand over its share of the increase in surplus.

Their contribution to the rest of society has not changed.  Their contribution to themselves has tripled.

If labor’s share of the nation’s output had remained constant, (and the top 1%’s) the middle and working class would all be about 15% better off than they are now.

And the economy would be in much better shape.