A Big Think

History teaches us that just about all human societies for the past 10,000 years have had a few rich and powerful members who control any society. Rousseau's idyllic golden age of peace has happened sporadically and for limited times. More often than not, roving bands descended on any pastoral community and destroyed it to further their power. 

Sometimes it happens that the powerful choose to provide things for the public; but, just as often, they do not. Powerful citizens built most of Rome’s remaining grandeur for the public. 

Any future good life a society wants for itself requires that the society deal with the powerful.

The Founders of United States of America addressed that problem by making the people sovereign and giving the people a weapon to keep the powerful in check. Voting IS that weapon. 

The Great Depression of the 1930's ravaged the land. Newly elected President FDR saw that the people needed a lift and some hope from the Federal government. However, the few did not want to give the people anything. Therefore, FDR called them together and told them this - ‘if you don't give the people something they will take your heads just like the Bolsheviks did to the Romanoff's in Russia less than 20 years ago.'

Then the few let Congress pass some laws to help the people: Social Security, NLRB, public power, WPA. The people took hope and the powerful paid for that with more taxes. The USA prospered and we built highways, schools, colleges with the tax revenues. 

Along about the late 1960's and early 1970's the powerful decided they had given enough and forced Congress to lower their taxes and weaken the programs FDR installed. Since then we have seen the powerful become even more powerful and wealthy. 

There are 1,000 billionaires in the USA. Now that accumulation of power has so thoroughly corrupted our system that it may be impossible for voting to correct it. 

We see the impacts of uncontrolled wealth accumulation in homeless on our streets and free food pantries with ever-growing demand for food. Seven percent of American children do not have enough to eat.

I think the USA should raise taxes on the billionaires in order to fund a Nordic economic model of an expanded welfare state. If we fail then we will see continued unrest and political violence. Perhaps the hope of some financial relief will help enough of our people to relieve some stresses.