[todeen]

Again, I don't think redistribution of wealth is theft. I do think it's unethical, but it's not theft. My tsk tsk comment was in reference to that. I'm also not socialist. I'm pro capitalism. My family and my life has been greatly influenced by capitalism. Redistribution of wealth is a very capitalist endeavor.

Now, what's good for the goose is good for the gander. The wealthy have been redistributing and consolidating wealth for 60 years. Real wages / real wealth is not higher than that of the late 60s. If the wealthy have been able to change monetary laws, reduce taxes, and create stagnant wages, than the middle class has every right to undo these changes. The wealthy have reduced or eliminated taxes on capital gains, estate transfers, and taxes on wealth above certain percentages, and this has hurt the USA. We have stopped investing in infrastructure, and we wonder why we are about to be passed by China for most powerful economy.

Next, it is a false narrative to believe that taking lower benefits will increase your wages. Both benefits and wages have fallen since the 60s, creating less real wealth. Wages have not kept up with inflation, so middle class workers have less buying power today than 60 years ago. By stagnating wages, and introducing gig jobs (private contractor economy - Uber, Amazon deliveries, etc), CEOs are inflating profits to create dividends and other capital gains. Since the majority of stock wealth is possessed by the wealthiest citizens, these dividends are going directly into private accounts rather than strengthening the company. Further, private equity firms have learned how to buy a company (Toys R Us, Sears, etc) and stack the company with debt, while at the same time withdrawing profits from the company. The company then goes bankrupt, and the private equity firm walks away with the wealth, leaving behind debt and jobless employees to be sorted out by others. Pensions are turned over to Pension Guarantee, and the private equity firms score another victory.

No, redistribution of wealth is not theft. If it was, the wealthy wouldn't have been able to do what they've done. What the wealthy has done is completely legal and supports capitalism. Changing tax and income laws, reducing benefits and wages, getting rid of matching 401k payments, leeching wealth from companies, increasing part time work, increasing contract workers, and reducing full time employees is unethical, but it's legal, and it's not theft.

And it's every bit fair game for middle class workers to play by the same rules and begin to advocate for these changes to be undone. Undoing these changes will turn the stream of income slightly away from the wealthy and redistribute wealth back to the middle and lower class.

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