{"id":7302,"date":"2017-12-28T10:40:37","date_gmt":"2017-12-28T18:40:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/?p=7302"},"modified":"2017-12-28T10:40:55","modified_gmt":"2017-12-28T18:40:55","slug":"financial-inequality","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2017\/12\/28\/financial-inequality\/","title":{"rendered":"Financial Inequality"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>December 17, 2017 (occupyoakland.org)<\/p>\n<p class=\"byline author vcard\">Posted by\u00a0<a class=\"fn\" href=\"https:\/\/occupyoakland.org\/author\/laborsolidaritycommittee\/\" rel=\"author\">LaborSolidarityCommittee<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"categories\">Categories:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/occupyoakland.org\/frontpage\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Front Page<\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/occupyoakland.org\/openforums\/open-mic\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Open Mic<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/occupyoakland.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/strike-debt-logo.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-64048 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/occupyoakland.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/strike-debt-logo-600x451.jpg\" sizes=\"(max-width: 294px) 100vw, 294px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/occupyoakland.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/strike-debt-logo-600x451.jpg 600w, https:\/\/occupyoakland.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/strike-debt-logo-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/occupyoakland.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/strike-debt-logo.jpg 640w\" alt=\"\" width=\"294\" height=\"221\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/strike%20debt%20bay%20area%20%28sdba%29%20wrote%20and%20participated%20in%20the%20airing%20of%20an%20hour%20long%20kpfa%20radio%20show%20on%20financial%20inequality%20-%20causes%2C%20reprecussions%20and%20what%20we%20can%20do%20about%20it.%20darlene%20pagano%2C%20a%20member%20of%20sdba%20and%20kpfa%20intern%2C%20hosted%20the%20show%2C%20called%20%22full%20circle%22%20which%20aired%20on%20friday%20evening%2C%20december%2015th%2C%202017%20at%207:00%20pm.%20you%20can%20listen%20to%20the%20show%20%3Ca%20href%3D%22https\/\/kpfaapprent.wordpress.com\/2017\/12\/15\/full-circle-12-15-17-strike-debt\/%22%3Ehere,%20on%20KPFA's%20apprentice%20web%20page%3C\/a%3E,%20along%20with%20other%20Full%20Circle%20productions%20including%20%3Ca%20href=%22https:\/\/kpfaapprent.wordpress.com\/2017\/12\/08\/full-circle-12-8-17-trumping-democracy\/%22%3E%22Trumping%20Democracy%22%3C\/a%3E%20and%20%3Ca%20href=%22https:\/\/kpfaapprent.wordpress.com\/2017\/11\/17\/full-circle-11-17-17-puerto-rico-and-disaster-capitalism\/%22%3E%22Puerto%20Rico%20and%20Disaster%20Capitalism%22%3C\/a%3E.%20Here's%20some%20%22best%20of%22%20excerpts%20from%20the%20show.%20%3Cul%3E%20%3Cli%3E%3Ci%3E%3C\/i%3E%20%3Cli%3E%20%3Ci%3EJust%20as%20there%20are%20more%20homeless%20people%20every%20day,%20there%20are%20also%20more%20obscenely%20rich%20people%20in%20this%20country%20than%20there%20have%20ever%20been.%20Thats%20inequality.%3C\/i%3E%3Cli%3E%20%3Cli%3E%3Ci%3E...%20[our]%20unequal%20society,%20astoundingly,%20is%20continuing%20to%20get%20more%20and%20more%20unequal%20as%20more%20and%20more%20people's%20wealth%20decreases,%20more%20and%20more%20people's%20debts%20increase,%20while%20the%20super-rich%20accumulate%20more%20and%20more.%3C\/i%3E%3Cli%3E%20%3Cli%3E%3Ci%3EWe%20have%20a%20very%20weird%20myth%20in%20this%20country,%20that%20almost%20no%20one%20else%20in%20the%20world%20has,%20which%20is%20that%20you%20should%20vote%20for%20and%20support%20things%20that%20are%20good%20for%20rich%20people,%20because%20someday%20you're%20going%20to%20be%20rich....%3C\/i%3E%3Cli%3E%20%3Cli%3E%3Ci%3EYou%20have%20more%20people%20who%20used%20to%20be%20middle%20class%20working%20McJobs%20for%20McMinimum%20wages.%20Then%20you%20have%20some%20smaller%20number%20of%20people%20moving%20up,%20getting%20upper%20middle%20class%20salaries.%20And%20finally%20there's%20the%20one%20in%20a%20hundred%20who%20are%20getting%20even%20more%20obscenely%20rich%20from%20their%20investments%20and%20shenanigans.%20That's%20growing%20inequality%20in%20a%20nutshell!%3C\/i%3E%3C\/li%3E%20%3Cli%3E%3Ci%3E...these%20and%20similar%20effects%20are%20so%20dramatic%20that%20the%20average%20black%20family%20in%20this%20country%20has%20only%20about%20a%20tenth%20of%20the%20wealth%20that%20the%20average%20white%20family%20does.%3C\/i%3E%3C\/li%3E%20%3Cli%3E%3Ci%3EIf%20we%20lived%20in%20a%20democracy%20where%20the%20laws%20reflected%20the%20will%20of%20the%20people,%20the%20tax%20scam%20would%20have%20never%20made%20it%20to%20a%20vote.%20%3C\/i%3E%3C\/li%3E%20%3Cli%3E%3Ci%3EConsider%20the%20elected-by-a-minority%20poor%20excuse%20for%20a%20human%20being%20now%20occupying%20the%20White%20House.%20He%20claims%20to%20be%20a%20master%20of%20the%20art%20of%20the%20deal,%20but%20he's%20really%20a%20master%20of%20the%20art%20of%20bankruptcy:%20he's%20amazingly%20skilled%20at...%20having%20his%20corporations%20pay%20him%20tons%20of%20money%20and%20then%20having%20it%20declare%20bankruptcy,%20so%20all%20the%20money%20stays%20in%20his%20pocket.%3C\/i%3E%3C\/li%3E%20%3Cli%3E%3Ci%3EWhile%20the%20Obama%20administration%20promised%20some%20relief%20to%20some%20student%20victims,%20they%20never%20managed%20to%20deliver%20it%20before%20the%20apocalypse%20(er,%20Jan%2020th,%202017)%20Guess%20what?%20DeVos%20is%20doing%20her%20best%20to%20renege%20on%20those%20unkept%20promises.%20In%20fact,%20just%20yesterday,%20California%20and%20other%20states%20sued%20DeVos%20and%20the%20Department%20of%20Education%20to%20force%20them%20to%20make%20good%20on%20forgiveness%20for%2080,000%20students!%3C\/i%3E%3C\/li%3E%20%3Cli%3E%3Ci%3EHaving%20your%20life%20cut%20short%20is%20a%20pretty%20pernicious%20form%20of%20inequality.%20%3C\/i%3E%20%3Cli%3E%3Ci%3EUnderlying%20the%20push%20against%20universal%20health%20care,%20universal%20education%20and%20the%20greater%20American%20push%20against%20subsidies%20or%20supports%20of%20any%20kind%20for%20poor%20people,%20is%20the%20embedded%20white%20supremacy%20and%20racism%20of%20much%20of%20our%20country...%20%22if%20we%20provide%20decent%20health%20care,%20%27they%27%20will%20be%20getting%20something%20for%20nothing.%22%3C\/i%3E%3C\/li%3E%20%3Cli%3E%3Ci%3Eno%20one%20-%20except%20Republican%20elected%20officials%20-%20wants%20to%20go%20back%20to%20those%20%27good%20old%20days%27%20of%20[health]%20insurance%20company%20terror.%3C\/i%3E%3C\/li%3E%20%3Cli%3E%3Ci%3Ea%20large%20portion%20of%20the%20Bay%20Area%27s%20homeless%20could%20be%20housed%20in%20such%20ways%20on%20existing%20open%20space%20at%20relatively%20little%20cost.%20A%20lot%20of%20human%20misery%20would%20be%20lifted,%20a%20lot%20of%20human%20excrement%20would%20be%20kept%20off%20our%20streets,%20and%20inequality%20would%20be%20reduced%20just%20a%20little.%3C\/li%3E%3C\/li%3E%20%3Cli%3E%3Ci%3EThere%20are%20more%20payday%20lenders%20in%20the%20United%20States%20than%20there%20are%20McDonald%27s%20and%20Starbucks%20combined!%20%3C\/i%3E%3C\/li%3E%20%3Cli%3E%3Ci%3EIt%27s%20in%20almost%20everyone%27s%20interest%20to%20provide%20emergency%20funds%20to%20people%20a%20lot%20less%20expensively%20than%20we%20do%20now.%20It%20would%20be%20incredibly%20popular.%20Politicians%20should%20be%20all%20over%20it.%20But%20they%20aren%27t.%3C\/i%3E%3C\/li%3E%20%3Cli%3E%3Ci%3EThink%20of%20what%20money%20on%20that%20scale%20[from%20having%20a%20public%20bank]%20-%20a%20hundred%20million%20dollars%20plus%20a%20year%20-%20could%20fund%20and%20fix%20in%20the%20cities%20around%20us.%3C\/i%3E%3C\/li%3E%20%3C\/ul%3E%20Check%20out%20Strike%20Debt%20Bay%20Area%20at%20%3Ca%20href=%22http:\/\/strike-debt-bay-area.tumblr.com\/%22%3Eour%20website%20and\/or%20attend%20our%20%3Ca%20href=%22https:\/\/occupyoakland.org\/event\/strike-debt-bay-area-debt-resistance-not-futile-16\/?instance_id=307569%22%3Enext%20meeting%3C\/a%3E.\">Strike Debt Bay Area<\/a>\u00a0(SDBA) wrote and participated in the airing of an hour long KPFA radio show on financial inequality \u2013 causes, reprecussions and what we can do about it. Darlene Pagano, a member of SDBA and KPFA intern, hosted the show, called \u201cFull Circle\u201d which aired on Friday evening, December 15th, 2017 at 7:00 PM.<\/p>\n<p>You can listen to the show\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/kpfaapprent.wordpress.com\/2017\/12\/15\/full-circle-12-15-17-strike-debt\/\">here, on KPFA\u2019s apprentice web page<\/a>, along with other Full Circle productions including\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/kpfaapprent.wordpress.com\/2017\/12\/08\/full-circle-12-8-17-trumping-democracy\/\">\u201cTrumping Democracy\u201d<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/kpfaapprent.wordpress.com\/2017\/11\/17\/full-circle-11-17-17-puerto-rico-and-disaster-capitalism\/\">\u201cPuerto Rico and Disaster Capitalism\u201d<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s some \u201cbest of\u201d excerpts from the show.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><i>Just as there are more homeless people every day, there are also more obscenely rich people in this country than there have ever been. Thats inequality.<\/i><\/li>\n<li><i>\u2026 [our] unequal society, astoundingly, is continuing to get more and more unequal as more and more people\u2019s wealth decreases, more and more people\u2019s debts increase, while the super-rich accumulate more and more.<\/i><\/li>\n<li><i>We have a very weird myth in this country, that almost no one else in the world has, which is that you should vote for and support things that are good for rich people, because someday you\u2019re going to be rich\u2026.<\/i><\/li>\n<li><i>You have more people who used to be middle class working McJobs for McMinimum wages. Then you have some smaller number of people moving up, getting upper middle class salaries. And finally there\u2019s the one in a hundred who are getting even more obscenely rich from their investments and shenanigans. That\u2019s growing inequality in a nutshell!<\/i><\/li>\n<li><i>\u2026these and similar effects are so dramatic that the average black family in this country has only about a tenth of the wealth that the average white family does.<\/i><\/li>\n<li><i>If we lived in a democracy where the laws reflected the will of the people, the tax scam would have never made it to a vote.<\/i><\/li>\n<li><i>Consider the elected-by-a-minority poor excuse for a human being now occupying the White House. He claims to be a master of the art of the deal, but he\u2019s really a master of the art of bankruptcy: he\u2019s amazingly skilled at\u2026 having his corporations pay him tons of money and then having it declare bankruptcy, so all the money stays in his pocket.<\/i><\/li>\n<li><i>While the Obama administration promised some relief to some student victims, they never managed to deliver it before the apocalypse (er, Jan 20th, 2017) Guess what? DeVos is doing her best to renege on those unkept promises. In fact, just yesterday, California and other states sued DeVos and the Department of Education to force them to make good on forgiveness for 80,000 students!<\/i><\/li>\n<li><i>Having your life cut short is a pretty pernicious form of inequality.<\/i><\/li>\n<li><i>Underlying the push against universal health care, universal education and the greater American push against subsidies or supports of any kind for poor people, is the embedded white supremacy and racism of much of our country\u2026 \u201cif we provide decent health care, \u2018they\u2019 will be getting something for nothing.\u201d<\/i><\/li>\n<li><i>no one \u2013 except Republican elected officials \u2013 wants to go back to those \u2018good old days\u2019 of [health] insurance company terror.<\/i><\/li>\n<li><i>a large portion of the Bay Area\u2019s homeless could be housed in such ways on existing open space at relatively little cost. A lot of human misery would be lifted, a lot of human excrement would be kept off our streets, and inequality would be reduced just a little.<\/i><\/li>\n<li><i>There are more payday lenders in the United States than there are McDonald\u2019s and Starbucks combined!<\/i><\/li>\n<li><i>It\u2019s in almost everyone\u2019s interest to provide emergency funds to people a lot less expensively than we do now. It would be incredibly popular. Politicians should be all over it. But they aren\u2019t.<\/i><\/li>\n<li><i>Think of what money on that scale [from having a public bank] \u2013 a hundred million dollars plus a year \u2013 could fund and fix in the cities around us.<\/i><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Check out Strike Debt Bay Area at\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/strike-debt-bay-area.tumblr.com\/\">our website and\/or attend our\u00a0<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/occupyoakland.org\/event\/strike-debt-bay-area-debt-resistance-not-futile-16\/?instance_id=307569\">next meeting<\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/strike-debt-bay-area.tumblr.com\/\">.<br \/>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Strike Debt Bay Area arose out of Occupy Wall Street and Occupy Oakland in late 2012.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/occupyoakland.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/kpfa-peeps-12-15-17.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-64049 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/occupyoakland.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/kpfa-peeps-12-15-17.jpg\" sizes=\"(max-width: 316px) 100vw, 316px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/occupyoakland.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/kpfa-peeps-12-15-17.jpg 316w, https:\/\/occupyoakland.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/kpfa-peeps-12-15-17-300x199.jpg 300w\" alt=\"\" width=\"316\" height=\"210\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Host, participants and production team.<\/p>\n<div class=\"SecureShareLoad\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>December 17, 2017 (occupyoakland.org) Posted by\u00a0LaborSolidarityCommittee Categories:\u00a0Front Page,\u00a0Open Mic Strike Debt Bay Area\u00a0(SDBA) wrote and participated in the airing of an hour long KPFA radio show on financial inequality \u2013 causes, reprecussions and what we can do about it. Darlene Pagano, a member of SDBA and KPFA intern, hosted the&#8230; <a class=\"continue-reading-link\" href=\"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2017\/12\/28\/financial-inequality\/\"> Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr; <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7302"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7302"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7302\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7303,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7302\/revisions\/7303"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7302"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7302"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7302"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}