Class warfare in America - Essay Example

warfare in America warfare is an unfortunate byproduct of the rise of socialism in the United s. As socialist leaders come to increasing prominence in politics and positions involving community organization, tensions between different classes within society are provoked. This is sad state of affairs. We are all Americans. Heated rhetoric involving how much tax any one of us should pay and whether certain classes are properly contributing to the cause of the country, are unfortunate. Leaders who use such rhetoric should do their best to limit it.

This paper will explain the causes of class warfare and suggest some solutions to this unfortunate state of affairs. Class warfare, or conflict, has its origins in socialism (Marx). The original theorists of socialism believed that economic equality would only occur after a revolution which saw the proletariat overthrow the ruling class. They saw each economic class within society as completely distinct. These theorist felt that apocalyptic rhetoric suggesting one class was good and one was evil was a good way to encourage the inevitable revolution.

Through the decades since people such as Fidel Castro and Hugo Chavez have encouraged this kind of political climate. They have railed against the rich, suggesting they are making no contribution to the real people of their nations. They encourage conspiracy theories suggesting that rich countries are holding down poor ones. Anyone who seeks to divide a country into rich and poor is participating in this unfortunate strategy. In the United States today, the rhetoric of class warfare is alive and well.

For a long time it has been the refuge of left-wing firebreathers such as Dennis Kucinich, but it often slips its way into President Obama's speech and policies. In a recent comment on American domestic policy by commentator John Stossel, President Obama's rhetoric was analyzed. In his speech yesterday, Obama brought up income inequality to justify higher taxes on the rich. “In the last decade, the average income of the bottom 90% of all working Americans actually declined.  The top 1% saw their income rise by an average of more than a quarter of a million dollars each.

  And that’s who needs to pay less taxes?” But even if the numbers are accurate, Obama portrays a much more divided America that really exists, because -- as economist Russ Roberts notes on his blog -- today’s top income earners today are often completely different people from yesterday’s top income earners. This is an excellent example of the contemporary form of class warfare in the United States. The top income tax contributors are the richest people in the country and they pay a disproportionate share of the revenue.

This kind of rhetoric has heated up over the last few years, not only with the election of Obama, but with the financial crisis. The left was able to create a successful narrative regarding the financial crisis: they suggested it was all caused by the reckless behaviour of Fat Cats on Wall Street. These bankers didn't care about poor people and even intentionally sought to further impoverish them. They therefore should be punished or taxed at a punitive rate. There is too much of a distinction made by the left-wing regarding the financial class and the real economic class (Strobel and Peterson, 19-20).

These are examples of the current rhetoric. What can be done to resolve this unfortunate situation? Some of it will probably resolve itself as the economy in the United States improves. What we need are citizens to reach out to other citizens and talk about what unites them, not what divides them. This is something President Obama promised to do, but he has been more interested in pitting one American against another in recent years. We have to remember what makes us all Americans. Because someone is richer or poorer than someone else, does not have a bearing on their contribution to our country.

Class warfare is a distraction. As one commentator wisely put it: “However, the worst consequence of [the financial crisis] is that we cannot have a discussion about education, or union benefits, or federal or state budgets, or just about any other social issue without a discussion that is soon hijacked by class-warfare arguments” (Read). We need to recall why this country was founded: to achieve independence from Britain's unfair system. Part of that system involved real emphasis on class.

As Americans we are better than that—rich or poor, black or white—we are all Americans. We all have a role to play in making this country great. Work consulted Marx, Karl, and others. The Communist Manifesto. 1848. www.marxists.org Read, Colin. “Class warfare won't solve our problems.” Pittsburgh Press Republican. May 1, 2011. http://pressrepublican.com/0205_columns/x151576356/Class-warfare-wont-solve-problems Stossel, John. “Class Warfare. Fox News. April 14, 2011. http://stossel.blogs.

foxbusiness.com/2011/04/14/class-warfare/#ixzz1L7MF6YxJ Strobel, Frederick and Wallace Peterson. The coming class war and how to avoid it. M.E. Sharpe, 1999.