Below the Fray

Introduction

1. Shelter.
2. Water.
3. Food.
4. Education.
5. Transportation.
6. Medical Care.

The problem that we currently face though is that for the majority of Americans, work is not sufficient to meet these needs. The cost of living has outpaced wage growth for decades.

Note that this directly coincides with the period where it has become increasinigly popular for the political class to lower taxes on the wealthy and corporations under the guise of "trickle-down economics". Those policies simply consolidate wealth at the top, and leave the rest of us to fend for ourselves. We Americans are left to do on our own what the governments of other developed nations provide as a matter of course. Thus, we spend more of our time simply trying to keep our heads, and less time on civic duties. Those duties are left to the wealthy, who have the time and resources to devote to them. This creates a feedback loop where the political class becomes increasingly disconnected from the needs of the populace.

Income Inequality

Why we ask does income inequality matter? And how do taxes factor into this?

Income inequality compounds social stratification, reduces economic mobility, and erodes trust in institutions. When a small segment of the population controls a disproportionate share of wealth, it leads to their ability to give themselves time because standard tasks that the rest of us perform daily can be outsourced. This creates a class of people who are insulated from the struggles of the average citizen. Furthermore, the wealth concentration allows them to influence policy in their favor, perpetuating the cycle.

How are taxes involved in this? Taxes are the primary means by which governments fund public services and infrastructure. When taxes on the wealthy and corporations are lowered, it reduces the revenue available for these services. This often leads to cuts in programs that benefit the broader population, such as education, healthcare, and social safety nets. As a result, the burden of meeting these needs falls more heavily on individuals, exacerbating income inequality.

Tax Policy

When were tax policies last reformed in a meaningful way? The last major tax reform in the United States was the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. But, that was only the latest iteration in a long series of tax reforms beginning with Richard Nixon's tax "reforms" in the 1970s, followed by Ronald Reagan's in the 1980s, Bill Clinton's in the 1990s, George W. Bush's in the 2000s, and Barack Obama's in the 2010s. Each of these reforms tended to favour the wealthy and corporations, leading to the current state of income inequality.

We simply have defunded our government over the last 50 years by refusing to pay our fair share in taxes. And if we look back on what was, we see that we had the most prosperous period in our history from the end of World War II until the late 1970s when tax rates were at their highest. It got us to the moon, built the interstate highway system, and created a robust middle class.

The stagflation of the 1970s was directly caused by the tax policies of the time. Yes it was compounded by the oil crisis, but the underlying issue was that the government was not collecting enough revenue to meet its obligations. This led to a loss of confidence in the economy, which in turn led to higher inflation and unemployment.

A Personal Experience

I've directly seen how lack of social safety nets can devistate families. Growing up, I witnessed friends and family members struggle to make ends meet due to medical emergencies, job losses, and other unforeseen circumstances.

Take for example my father who was remanded to a wheelchair after a bicycle accident. The cost of living for him to live in a comfortable way would have cost our family upwards of $30,000 per month to meet his needs. This is unaffordable for the vast majority of Americans. He was forced to keep his assets below $2,000 to get the healthcare he needed through Medicaid. This is not how a civilized society should operate. How could he then pay to meet his other needs? This only got him medical care, not transportation or therapy for the maintenance of his health.

This is but one personal story among several of my own, but it is one of millions across the country. It exhibits the point that I am trying to make about The Fray in society. Now what is The Fray?

The Fray

Consider a rope with a tear midway. At an observation the strength of the rope remains intact both above and below the tear, the weight at the bottom has yet to fall, but what is unseen is that below the tear some of the strands slip ever so slightly or the sheath slides down and splits. This metaphor for society is perfect for the world we live in today. The ruling class rests above the tear in the rope oblivious, insulated, and indifferent while those below struggle to hold on.

Personally I have straddled this fray in society. Born into a wealthy family, I had access to resources and opportunities that many do not. However, through various life experiences, including my father's accident and my own struggles with employment and healthcare, I have seen both sides of this divide. This unique perspective has fueled my passion for advocating for policies that bridge this gap and create a more equitable society.

Moreover, if we seek to find peaceful solutions to our societal challenges, we must work tirelessly to try to mend this tear in the rope before it becomes irreparable. This requires empathy, understanding, and a commitment to justice from all levels of society. But we must work quickly before the weight at the bottom causes the entire rope to snap. That event when the bottom drops out is one of violence and chaos, and we must do everything in our power to prevent it.

Above the Fray

Being above the fray is when you feel that you have enough money to make things work. What do we mean by that, well what we mean is that you have spare money to save every week with out thinking. You have retirement set up, you have childcare, you have shelter, water, food, education, at will transportaion, and medical care covered. You have these things and can then make decisions to do extra things. Only about 1/3^rd of the people in the United States today have such a luxury¹.

The rulling class of Americans exclusively live above the fray, insulated, and frankly unaware of what really happens beneath. In actuality, the rulling class only cares about money these days in the form of campaign contributions. True, they cannot spend the donations on living expenses, but they can use the money for gas, food, and beverage if they are campaigning, which they do all of the time. So in practice a campaign contribution is analogous to a bribe. Granted, quid-pro-quo is indeed illegal, but in the long run we should be more insular with our monies. We should not allow any campaign contributions from the public they should be allocated from tax dollars, which would level the playing field.

Anyone wishing to run, would be granted starting capital and depending upon support at rallies, and signatures recieved. More money would come from tax tollars. Granted, a member of the public should only be allowed to grant but so many political signatures in a given year, maybe 10 - 15. I don't know, but we don't want to spend all of the tax dollars on campaigns. But we do want to get campaign contributions and political advertisement out of the hands of the general public so that quid-pro-quo really never occurs.

Below the Fray

On average across all income levels in America these days people report living paycheck to paycheck. And, that folks is where the fray exists. When, to have the amount of space for your needs and hobbies, you have to rest at the edge of your means. There are no safety nets