Up host Chris Hayes shifts the conversation to poverty in light of newly-minted vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan's campaign pitch on Medicare. Michael Grunwald, author of "The New New Deal, The Hidden Story of Change in the Obama Era," joins to discuss the Ryan plan.
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Over the past decade, Americans watched in bafflement and rage as one institution after another – from Wall Street to Congress, the Catholic Church to corporate America, even Major League Baseball – imploded under the weight of corruption and incompetence. In the wake of the Fail Decade, Americans have historically low levels of trust in their institutions; the social contract between ordinary citizens and elites lies in tatters.
How did we get here? With "Twilight of the Elites," Christopher Hayes offers a radically novel answer. Since the 1960s, as the meritocracy elevated a more diverse group of men and women into power, they learned to embrace the accelerating inequality that had placed them near the very top. Their ascension heightened social distance and spawned a new American elite--one more prone to failure and corruption than any that came before it.
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Wannabe aristocrats rarely change their tunes. Too many imagine that wealth, or proximity to wealth, indicates intelligence, mental health, and innate talent in the art of public policy making. There's nothing quite like a rich man telling a poor man how he should live on nothing, and that the poor man should be grateful for his free advice to boot.
I'd love to hear Ryan explain just how he'd suddenly begin making his own new fortune if he lost his job, his home, had little (or not in demand) education/skills, and was responsible for supporting more people than just himself. He should also explain how one does that with no help. I bet he'd say, "I'd get a job!"! Right, bucko. Let us know how it turns out.
The class warfare being conducted by the republican party, and the assaults on the dignity of their fellow countrymen, the poor, and the vulnerable disgust me. I find it a national humiliation that one of our major parties shows their poverty of conscience and human respect this way. At the very least the officials of the RNC, ALEC, and state gov'ts should be arrested for provably making law to suppress the vote of American citizens. Isn't that election fraud?
So, the vaunted slacker "job creators" have amassed great wealth during the last 10 years on the blood of the weak. There remain few jobs. after a long period of no jobs, and job losses continue apace. Why would anyone give them more money after they've proven their failure to participate on behalf of the health of the nation? In fact, why are the wealthy considered at all in gov't? They are only impacted by corporate welfare and the expense of tax attorneys. Why don't we make an upper income eligibility limit for political office? If one makes more than, say, 250K per year, one's area of expertise is probably not relevant to managing programs and services for the vast majority of the citizens of the country; unless it's in the sciences. Therefore, we have no need for them to manage our resources badly nor funnel our collective wealth to a few.
Thank you Chris for bringing someone other than an African American on your show to emphasize there are other using the system. If you believe Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich only African Americans are using the system. Here is a person with an income of what previously brought in $100,000 yearly only to be hit by the recession and they are trying to get back on their feet. If Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan are elected people like this lady and her family will suffer. What a great country we have? Maybe what that person should have done was borrow money from their parents or borrow money from someone. What's wrong with that picture? There are a thousand reasons why those two scenarios would not work. I like when she said she paid into the system why not use the system. It is there for her to use but according to Romney and Ryan yes pay into the system but we will use the money as we see fit and that is giving large tax cuts to the rich. This could become a "what about me" situation? What do I get out of this? Well NOTHING. She would be helping the job creators who is not creating jobs put more into so-call job creators POCKETS and taking what money she and her family do have OUT OF THEIR POCKETS. At this rate climbing out your sad position would become almost impossible and that is where Romney wants you begging for crumbs.
Let's talk about Welfare for the Rich...
The Federal government paid for the security at the Republican convention's Kickoff event at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg... unlike previous Rep. Kickoff events at conventions. Normally, the delegates and press attend 2 different events, for which the Republican party pays security...
But, Tropicana field was chosen as the venue - which resulted in saving the Republicans $$$$$$ on security. WE the people paid for the venue with tax dollars, as well...
Finally, I believe it was the Salvation Army providing water for police and security staff for the RNC... And there were calls on t-v stations to donate water for the security/police staff working the RNC.
So, who is looking for a hand out?
Msnbc should be ashamed of there display of racism durning there covereage of the RNC, You all call every conservative a rascist, I take offense to that, I was born in a Christian household and those beliefs have shaped me into the person i am today, I have many minority friends, I do not look at the color of the skin, I look at the person. I have never seen this country more divided than it is now, it's a shame. I remember when Obama was elected, I really wanted him to succeed, even though I did not vote for him. This President has not delivered on his promises, he said he was going to bring the country together, I have not seen that happen, ask yourself's, have you? has the economy gotten better? We are so divided has a Nation right now, I believe everything starts from the top down. I am a manager for a mid-size company in Cleveland, Ohio, I know my attitudes about work and life have an effect on the people I manage, If i am positive the people i manage are positive, If I am negative they will adopt the same attitude. I believe that is what is happening to our country, starting from the top down, our president has created racial division and class division. I ask myself this question, If all the Liberals who despise the wealthy and think they should pay more taxes why don't the wealthy Liberals set the example and offer up more of there own money to the Government, set the example for the rest of the wealthy Americans, I believe deep down those wealthy Liberals say they want higher taxes just so they are liked by the media really are hoping that these tax laws do not go into effect do you honestly believe they want to pay more taxes? good thing hurricane Isaac is no longer a hurricane we are going to be getting rain from it this weekend because if Ellin Barkin had her way I should be swept into the sea, for being a conservative. Have a great life.