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A Conversation with David Cay Johnston (Part 4 of a 4 Part series) By: Jonathan Bille  |
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 Welcome to part four of a conversation with David Cay Johnston, author of “Free Lunch, How The Wealthiest Americans Enrich Themselves At Government Expense (And Stick You with the Bill). Part one, two and three of this series are available in the archive of this column. You may want to go back and read those first.
DCJ: “If you want to have a democracy, you have to participate.
Today there’s a blogger who has a problem with “Free Lunch” saying, ‘no one can do anything about this!’ The only un-American thing you can say is that we can’t do anything about this!
In the 1950s and 60s, un-American meant you were an enemy of the State or a Communist, things like that. Today I would argue that un-American means that you believe that the rich and powerful have taken over the democracy and you can’t do anything about it.
Women didn’t have the right to vote – they got suffrage.
We can solve our problems but people have to spend some time being citizens, and being informed and elect representatives to Congress who are going to reflect their interests and stop worrying about the rich.
Why should you be worried about the welfare of the rich?
Why are you so concerned with the plight of the rich?
Shouldn’t your concerns be with veterans who are being denied benefits? or the child with cancer who has no medical insurance and is going to die?
“Free Lunch” has a moral tone, but it’s filled with facts.
Or like this – How much time are you willing to work each week to further enrich the Walton family, Trump, Tyco?
I’m not willing to work one second for them. I work to take care of my family and I’m willing to work some to take care of the poor.
When I speak at high schools and colleges I ask students, what is the purpose of the United States? Most kids say nothing, but invariably someone will say, ‘So we can get rich.’ But if we do not participate the values of our democracy cannot endure.”
How has the Government gotten so corrupted?
“It’s not corruption, this is about laws that have been passed because of an ideology that has taken hold that says, just give the money to the rich…
I have a friend who owns a business who recently received a Government subsidy, not a large one, but still substantial. I asked him, why did you take it? He said,
‘You feel stupid if you don’t take it.’
We have a society now where if you’re a mom with three kids you get limited welfare assistance, but if you’re a billionaire you get assistance under the guise of economic development.”
Change is in the hands of the people.
“If enough people start talking about this and writing letters and bugging the politicians a difference can be made.”
It’s up to you America you decide when you’ve had enough!
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