Redistributing the Wealth — Higher and to Fewer

Robert Reich reminds us that all the talk about taxing the wealthy to redistribute downward masks a vital point — the wealthy got that way, in part, by the rigged distribution upward.

Much of the national debate about widening inequality focuses on whether and how much to tax the rich and redistribute their income downward.

But this debate ignores the upward redistributions going on every day, from the rest of us to the rich. These redistributions are hidden inside the market.

… the extra money we’re paying for pharmaceuticals, Internet communications, home mortgages, student loans, airline tickets, food, and health insurance – and you get a hefty portion of the average family’s budget.

Or, in other words, the markets are far from being ‘free,’ as is widely and loudly claimed.  The ideal state for big business is to have captive markets, or shall we call them slave markets, controlled by themselves. Until the conglomerates are broken up, and the purchasing public understands that saving 2% at the big box stores costs 4% in time, transportation and hassle, redistribution up will continue to be the norm.

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