Keeping Our Priorities Straight

Dick Baynton
Dick Baynton

Candidates for political office say they are going to improve conditions for the middle class. The current administration in power since 2009 has been focusing their attention on the middle class but household incomes are down more than 4%, adjusted for inflation. Middle class to a politician is defined as a voter and politicians-in-waiting and politicians-in-office are pulling for you. Well, not really, they are pulling for your votes.

The middle class has lost its meaning over the past few decades. Our nation has become a four-class culture; the pinnacle of power and wealth is the ‘Political Elite’ class, followed by the prosperous that have assembled enough assets to be self-sufficient, referred to as the ‘Affluent’ class.  Workers who receive hourly wages, salaries and small business owners are the ‘Working’ class and finally, the poor by choice, default or handicap status; called the ‘Government Grant and Gratuity’ or ‘3G’ class. The Affluent class and the Working class pay taxes that the Government Elites redistribute to the ‘3G’ class.

Belonging to any of the four classes is strictly optional. For example if you belong to the ‘3G’ class, you can switch from being a floor sweeper to being a floor supervisor. All you have to do is study, participate in training and think up ways of doing your job better every day. The easiest category to enter is the ‘Government Elite’ class. Apply for a government job so you can’t be fired and if you are present at the start and finish of most workdays you get an automatic annual raise. In most government agencies you will also receive an annual bonus check for following directions. Benefits are fantastic.

Political Elites who are elected to office have no clear objectives to achieve and no accountability for mistakes, errors or mindless blunders. After spending a couple terms in grade, such as President (the highest grade), you can charge $500,000 per speech just as Bill Clinton receives for being a White House Alumnus. According to Mrs. Clinton, this couple was broke upon leaving the White House in 2000, but things have picked up a little and they are now worth a reported $100 million to $200 million.

The avenues of advancement are paved with hard work, attention to details, learning from mistakes and dedication to performance and honesty. The application of common sense is an earmark of success. Each of us has a pathway from poverty to prosperity. Government can light the path but can’t create success for anyone. Each of us must find the courage and persistence to pull ourselves up to the highest level our motivation and intellect will take us.

There are an estimated 24 million people in the Government Elite class, about 47 million in the Affluent class, approximately 150 million in the Working class and about 100 million people who are stuck in the ‘3G’ class. The Mercatus Institute at George Mason University estimates that there were just 2.9 workers for each Social Security retiree in 2012. By comparison, there were 41 workers in 1945 and there will be just 2 by 2030 to support each retiree. A little free advice: if you don’t have a job, find one and keep it.

Something else you should know; about half the U.S. population receives government benefits. It’s time to recognize that we are a welfare state that is becoming less sustainable. There are thousands of government workers and Presidential candidates in Washington D.C. foraging for excuses and blaming others for the mess we’re in and promising help for the middle class that exists only in voting machines and ballot boxes.

The U.S. trade deficit in 2014 was over $504 billion, skilled workers are unavailable for jobs that didn’t exist only a few years ago, the national debt exceeds $18 trillion, 93 million people have dropped out of the workforce, the President has declared climate change an emergency, Barack and John are going into our seventh consecutive year of nuclear negotiations with a nation that upbraids women while upholding terrorists and Baltimore and Chicago endured 43 and 33 homicides respectively in May 2015. Of course the big news is that NFL footballs were deflated by some ball handlers. We’ve got to keep our priorities straight.

– Dick Baynton

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