Hey readers I recently saw the 1% movie, which was written and directed by Jamie Johnson. Jamie is the grandson of the founder of Johnson & Johnson Company, a multi-billion dollar conglomerate. After seeing this movie I am sort of shocked at the greed that some of the 1 percenter’s take pride in displaying. They clearly do not want to discuss or even think of the social economic dysfunction of this society. It is fascinating how in one single movie both sides were portrayed and given the opportunity to shed light on a matter that is very controversial in our society. On both sides of the spectrum, they feel that their views are right and the other is wrong. It is a typical thought process behind I am right, with no in between talks on how to solve the social economic issues.
It provides facts behind the political influences that big companies have on the government. It goes to show how greed can have a conflict of interest. In one example a major sugar company based in Florida, donates to both political parties in a power move to build a favorable relationship with both sides of politics. It also states how the sugar importing is not allowed, and we as consumers have to buy sugar at 3-4 times in price when compared to Canada and Mexico. Why would the government interfere with free trade in that manner, because the sugar company has them in their pockets? In this example the CEO of said sugar company can and has dialed directly the president of the U.S. to discuss matters that can affect his company’s revenue.
I will give credit to Jamie Johnson for doing this movie, and standing up to express a different side to the on-going greed around big companies. I do not know if the movie will get the real recognition it deserves, because it clearly states and shows some serious issues affecting our Nation. Something is really wrong when 1 percent of the nation owns close to 50% of the money. This means that about 3 million Americans own and or control half of all the money. In the movie financial educators, worry about a possible political uprising due to this macro-economic issue. But the people with real wealth do not want to begin to discuss how to solve the issue. The movie backs up its facts with interviews and discussion with many individuals who are qualified to give intelligent responses to the topic at hand.
I will put in my opinion as well to clarify how I feel about this topic. I believe in capitalism as a society, but I do not believe that companies should continue to sway politics for their revenue building agenda. Why would a sugar CEO have a direct line of contact to the President of the United States? I feel that salaries for the middle class and poor class should be increased, and held at a standard level compared to the 60-70’s decades. If salaries do not keep up with inflation then there is less money for those classes to prosper. If the middle class saw increases in pay then it will trickle up with increased spending, which benefits the big companies. Back in the 50’s, a middle class family could easily afford to buy a home on a single family income, I think now that is hardly the case. There is something to be said when a family with dual income, cannot afford to buy a home in certain areas of the US. But a 1% individual can have three to five condos in the major cities of the world. That is a big discrepancy don’t you think?
On the flip side I do feel people should do more to increase opportunities and advance their careers. I am a big proponent behind trying to make a name for yourself while succeeding in any area of business you prefer. Then finally when the time is right and you have achieved a level of success, then I believe people should give back in any way they can. I also feel that millionaires should be taxed higher, because frankly they have more. If they do not want to get taxed higher, then they must have proof that they donated proceeds to charity every year to avoid the higher taxes. It cannot be a one way street where big earners influence government, and then they do not want to pay extra on taxes. If you have big pockets to pay millions towards political fundraising, then you can afford to pay at least 40% income tax. A person, who makes 10 million dollars a year, should be able to easily pay 4 million in taxes. Just like the person who makes 50 thousand, pays about 13 thousand to the government in earned taxes. (25% tax bracket)
I believe the issue really didn’t get solved with this movie, but it did highlight how both sides view the overwhelming concerns about financial inequality. I believe it is somewhat geared to cause enlightenment to begin to find ways to solve excessive capitalist greed and rampant poverty. I do recommend people to watch this movie, as a way to become informed with another issue affecting our Nation.
Resources:
Another Post on the Movie: http://affordanything.com/
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
In conclusion I do not believe in Socialism, I rather have the capitalist system we have now. But when someone makes $50 million a year running a company, and is worried about a $1 dollar raise for the hard working employees, then it just doesn’t correlate with being fair. Life is not fair and I understand that, but I think everybody should have a fair chance to get more dollars. If big time CEO’s do not want to increase pay for everyone across the board, then release an incentive plan based off productivity. Unfortunately many companies including the CEO’s could care less to release an incentive system to help their employees prosper.
Comment if you have seen the 1% movie and your thoughts on it?
Rich Uncle EL
PS: This movie is currently available in Netflix Streaming
