OMG... the Economist endorses Obama.

[steven787]

I wasn't saying you supported the bail out I was demonstrating just one of the may ways in which the rich benefit from the government indirectly or directly more (in dollars) than the rest of society.

You could say "20 percent pay 80 percent of the taxes" but you could also say "that same 20 percent get 80 percent of the benefits" or "the lowest 20 percent bear 80 percent of the physical and emotional burden".

These are some examples of how the rich win:

Poor people get the same ratio (payments in to payments out) of Social Security as rich people.
Poor people don't benefit from wars.
Poor people don't benefit as much from corporate welfare.
Poor people don't benefit from national parks.
Poor people don't benefit from scholarships if they can't get off to the right start in the first place.
Poor people don't benefit from government funded medical research if they can't have access to it.
Poor people don't have the resources to wage legal battles.
Poor people don't benefit from government funded science centers and museums that charge money to get in.
Poor people are more likely to be convicted of a crime.

Private corporations and their stock holders benefit just as much as poor people from welfare (they spend the money)
Private corporations and their stock holders benefit just as much as poor people from food stamps.
Private corporations and their stock holders benefit just as much as poor people from universal health care.
Private corporations and their stock holders benefit just as much as poor people from public works programs.
Private corporations and their stock holders benefit just as much as poor people from public transportation.
Private corporations and their stock holders benefit just as much as poor people from good public education because it produces educated workers.

I could go on all day, I know you don't support many (or any) of those programs, but they exist and will exist to different degrees under each viable party.

 

Edit: This country wasn't founded on a free market, we had huge tariffs and restrictions at the ratification of the constitution. There were more restrictions on property and business ownership than there are today.

The country was founded on the ideals of Democracy, freedom of speech, religion, self defense, and due process.