WHEN FANTASY AND REALITY COLLIDE

A WITHERING MIDDLE CLASS
Johann Wagener 9-23-13

Here's something to try and wrap your head around. In a recent poll 42% of Americans believe they will have to work into their 70's and 80's just to survive. Yet 85% of Americans 55 and older can't find a job?

How the recession changed a family's path

EXCESSIVE WEALTH PSYCHOSIS; A CASE STUDY

HEALTH INSURANCE PHOBIA
Johann Wagener 9-23-13

The following is a classic example of how an excessive amount of wealth affect someone. This couple actually believe that having a $100 million dollar grotesque mausoleum (they call a home) is more important than providing their 7,000 employees (and their families) with healthcare. These people believe that providing healthcare to the people who created their wealth is less important than hoarding money. The magic word is "profits" which these people do not want to share with anyone; regardless of the harm it may cause to others.

It's rare that you would ever hear one of these people say, "let's spend some of the profits on our employees because if it wasn't for them there would be no profits."

In this case the psychosis is acute in that it is a mutually shared fantasy where both people are out of touch with reality as this film demonstrates.
The Queen of Versailles (Official Movie Site) - Directed by Lauren Greenfield - Sundance Film Festival U.S. Directing Award: Documentary - Available on DVD & Blu-ray™ - Trailer, Pictures & More

A second example is the following letter this disturbed individual sent to his employees when fearing that a president whop advocated representing the "100%" rather than the "1%" would be reelected.

Westgate Resorts is not a public company. It is the domain of David Siegel, a staunch Republican. In fact, Siegel has publicly claimed credit for George W. Bush defeating Al Gore, saying "I had my managers do a survey on every employee [8,000 total]. If they liked Bush, we made them register to vote. But not if they liked Gore."

"The Queen of Versailles" depicts the dashing of Siegel's mansion dreams after the recession hit. But just months ago, he restarted construction on his personal Palace of Versailles (with the intention of selling it for $100 million) and told Reuters, "We're the most profitable we've ever been."

Huge mansion. Huge fortune. Profitable company. What could David Siegal have to complain about? Well, the demonization of the 1% by Barack Obama, for one thing. This truly amazing email went out to all Westgate employees yesterday. Bolding is ours.

Subject: Message from David Siegel
Date:Mon, 08 Oct 2012 13:58:05 -0400 (EDT)
From: [David Siegel]
To: [All employees]

To All My Valued Employees,

As most of you know our company, Westgate Resorts, has continued to succeed in spite of a very dismal economy. There is no question that the economy has changed for the worse and we have not seen any improvement over the past four years. In spite of all of the challenges we have faced, the good news is this: The economy doesn't currently pose a threat to your job. What does threaten your job however, is another 4 years of the same Presidential administration. Of course, as your employer, I can't tell you whom to vote for, and I certainly wouldn't interfere with your right to vote for whomever you choose. In fact, I encourage you to vote for whomever you think will serve your interests the best.

However, let me share a few facts that might help you decide what is in your best interest.The current administration and members of the press have perpetuated an environment that casts employers against employees. They want you to believe that we live in a class system where the rich get richer, the poor get poorer. They label us the "1%" and imply that we are somehow immune to the challenges that face our country. This could not be further from the truth. Sure, you may have heard about the big home that I'm building. I'm sure many people think that I live a privileged life. However, what you don't see or hear is the true story behind any success that I have achieved.

I started this company over 42 years ago. At that time, I lived in a very modest home. I converted my garage into an office so I could put forth 100% effort into building a company, which by the way, would eventually employ you. We didn't eat in fancy restaurants or take expensive vacations because every dollar I made went back into this company. I drove an old used car, and often times, I stayed home on weekends, while my friends went out drinking and partying. In fact, I was married to my business — hard work, discipline, and sacrifice. Meanwhile, many of my friends got regular jobs. They worked 40 hours a week and made a nice income, and they spent every dime they earned. They drove flashy cars and lived in expensive homes and wore fancy designer clothes. My friends refinanced their mortgages and lived a life of luxury. I, however, did not. I put my time, my money, and my life into this business —-with a vision that eventually, some day, I too, will be able to afford to buy whatever I wanted. Even to this day, every dime I earn goes back into this company. Over the past four years I have had to stop building my dream house, cut back on all of my expenses, and take my kids out of private schools simply to keep this company strong and to keep you employed.

Just think about this – most of you arrive at work in the morning and leave that afternoon and the rest of your time is yours to do as you please. But not me- there is no "off" button for me. When you leave the office, you are done and you have a weekend all to yourself. I unfortunately do not have that freedom. I eat, live, and breathe this company every minute of the day, every day of the week. There is no rest. There is no weekend. There is no happy hour. I know many of you work hard and do a great job, but I'm the one who has to sign every check, pay every expense, and make sure that this company continues to succeed. Unfortunately, what most people see is the nice house and the lavish lifestyle. What the press certainly does not want you to see, is the true story of the hard work and sacrifices I've made.

Now, the economy is falling apart and people like me who made all the right decisions and invested in themselves are being forced to bail out all the people who didn't. The people that overspent their paychecks suddenly feel entitled to the same luxuries that I earned and sacrificed 42 years of my life for. Yes, business ownership has its benefits, but the price I've paid is steep and not without wounds. Unfortunately, the costs of running a business have gotten out of control, and let me tell you why: We are being taxed to death and the government thinks we don't pay enough. We pay state taxes, federal taxes, property taxes, sales and use taxes, payroll taxes, workers compensation taxes and unemployment taxes. I even have to hire an entire department to manage all these taxes. The question I have is this: Who is really stimulating the economy? Is it the Government that wants to take money from those who have earned it and give it to those who have not, or is it people like me who built a company out of his garage and directly employs over 7000 people and hosts over 3 million people per year with a great vacation?

Obviously, our present government believes that taking my money is the right economic stimulus for this country. The fact is, if I deducted 50% of your paycheck you'd quit and you wouldn't work here. I mean, why should you? Who wants to get rewarded only 50% of their hard work? Well, that's what happens to me.

Here is what most people don't understand and the press and our Government has chosen to ignore – to stimulate the economy you need to stimulate what runs the economy. Instead of raising my taxes and depositing that money into the Washington black-hole, let me spend it on growing the company, hire more employees, and generate substantial economic growth. My employees will enjoy the wealth of that tax cut in the form of promotions and better salaries. But that is not what our current Government wants you to believe. They want you to believe that it somehow makes sense to take more from those who create wealth and give it to those who do not, and somehow our economy will improve. They don't want you to know that the "1%", as they like to label us, pay more than 31% of all the taxes in this country. Thomas Jefferson, the author of our great Constitution, once said, "democracy" will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not."

Business is at the heart of America and always has been. To restart it, you must stimulate business, not kill it. However, the power brokers in Washington believe redistributing wealth is the essential driver of the American economic engine. Nothing could be further from the truth and this is the type of change they want.

So where am I going with all this? It's quite simple. If any new taxes are levied on me, or my company, as our current President plans, I will have no choice but to reduce the size of this company. Rather than grow this company I will be forced to cut back. This means fewer jobs, less benefits and certainly less opportunity for everyone.

So, when you make your decision to vote, ask yourself, which candidate understands the economics of business ownership and who doesn't? Whose policies will endanger your job? Answer those questions and you should know who might be the one capable of protecting and saving your job. While the media wants to tell you to believe the "1 percenters" are bad, I'm telling you they are not. They create most of the jobs. If you lose your job, it won't be at the hands of the "1%"; it will be at the hands of a political hurricane that swept through this country.

You see, I can no longer support a system that penalizes the productive and gives to the unproductive. My motivation to work and to provide jobs will be destroyed, and with it, so will your opportunities. If that happens, you can find me in the Caribbean sitting on the beach, under a palm tree, retired, and with no employees to worry about.

Signed, your boss,

David Siegel

THE GREAT AWAKENING

WHY ALL THE ANGER?
Johann Wagener 9-22-13

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=624277260925838

 

AN 18% PAY CUT!

OMG!
Johann Wagener 9-22-13

Oracle CEO's Pay Cut By 18%; He Only Made $78 Million For 2013

Larry Ellison, the Oracle CEO worth $41.8 billion who ranks 8th on Bloomberg’s Billionaires Index and 3rd on the Forbes 400 list, received some bad news for fiscal year 2013. According to a securities filing made Friday and reviewed by the Associated Press, when the company missed some of its internal financial targets for 2013, Ellison’s own pay package declined. - See more at: http://www.classwarfareexists.com/oracle-ceos-pay-cut-by-18-he-only-made-78-million-for-2013/#.dpuf

"The world has become an idolator of this god called money,"

THIS IS AN INTERVENTION
Johann Wagener 9-22-13

Pope tells big business not to worship 'the god of money'

The Pope is actually taking "shepherding the flock" seriously. Not since Moses came down from the mountain and took a club to the "golden calf"  or Jesus tossing over the money changer tables in the Temple has a religious leader been so clear in sending a message to the money hoarders.

He's confronting what I refer to as a mental disorder; "excessive wealth psychosis."

Later the Pope celebrated Mass for around 300,000 people outside the city's cathedral, telling them: "We don't want this globalised economic system which does us so much harm. Men and women have to be at the centre (of an economic system) as God wants, not money.

"The world has become an idolator of this god called money," he said.

Pope rejects legal drugs and money worship - The Standard

Debating Capitalism - Redefining Outdated Terms

CRONYISM or COLLECTIVISM?
Johann Wagener 9-21-13

Fortunately for us there are people who are still able to think outside the box and pose some interesting questions about how our economy operates. For most of us there is a consensus that capitalism works better than communism. Even the second largest economy (China) which happens to be communist, would agree.
So, now that that's settled it's time we look a little closer as what runs this capitalistic economic engine.

Given the grotesquely skewed distribution of our wealth it looks a lot like what some call "crony capitalism," where the few (1%) hoard about 45% or more while the many (99%) have to scratch for what's left.

If we compare ourselves to our neighbors up north (Canada) and a few other European countries who also practice capitalism it's obvious that there are better and more equitable ways to mange the wealth under a capitalistic system. I refer to it as "collective capitalism" where the bulk of the wealth is distributed among the many but in a hierarchical system that still allows the few to accumulate more but with limits. One way to do that is to tax those at the top more than those in the middle and below. Or, for those who just can't tolerate big government, they could establish a graduated system in which those at the top could not take more that a certain percentage of what those at the bottom receives. Let's say a 100 to 1 formula so that for every $100 the person at the top made, the person(s) on the bottom could not make less than $1.00. That way some of us would be driving Bentley s and other Toyota's, but we would all have a car.

That would require that those at the top stop perpetuating the myth that if the minimum wage were to be pegged to inflation (which would make it $22.00 an hr. today) prices would have to skyrocket to support it. NOT TRUE! What would happen is "profits" would go down. The rich would have to settle for being a little less rich and my guess is that a lot of them would not even notice.

So maybe it's time for that talk.....................................

Debating Capitalism - Redefining Outdated Terms

The reasons are many. Capitalism no longer "delivers the goods" to most Americans. With consumer debt already high, more borrowing can no longer postpone hard times. The "American Dream" slips farther out of reach. As Cold War memories recede, labels like socialism or communism no longer stifle debate. Destroyed cities like Detroit; students with unsustainable debts; declining wages, benefits and job security; and millions unemployed or foreclosed - to them, the usual rationalizations of capitalism seem hollow and ridiculous.

POSTER CHILD FOR THE FRIED BUTTER ON A STICK CROWD

POSTER CHILD FOR THE FRIED BUTTER ON A STICK CROWD

Paula Deen's Comeback: Proof Racism Still Sells in America



On Saturday, she made her first public appearance since the big scandal as part of a cooking demonstration in Texas. When Deen walked on stage, she received a 10-minute standing ovation.

She told the crowd:


I've said all along that the one place that I would want to make my first step back out was Texas. Y'all's hearts are as big as your state.

Before that event, a survey of Georgia Republicans showed that Deen – with 73% support – was more popular than Martin Luther King Jr, who only received 59% positive reaction.

Appalled? I'd imagine so. Surprised? You absolutely shouldn't be.