Epiphany of Slavery in the 21st Century

Epiphany of Slavery in the 21st Century

By Robert D. Vergeson

© 4/24/2019

Without realizing it, or ever knowing it, or feeling it, or being in it. You suddenly right that moment have an Epiphany, a revelation and the insight telling you that without a shadow of a doubt you have been held in the state of poverty by the failure of your government to act responsibly in freeing you from that slavery of poverty. A slavery created by deliberate rules of law designed to keep a class of people held bondage to poverty. In a state of hunger, homelessness, and lack of financial freedom that would not emancipate you from that class and state of being less then equal to those who have more then you. I do not speak of those who refuse to work, able body, and unwilling to better themselves. But, of those in the slavery of poverty unable to work due to physical disability, mental and emotional ill health, and those who are through misfortune victims of generations of low-income, and rising cost of living. Lack of affordable education, housing, and medical care. Those who where born into a class structure of poverty put upon them by rules of law designed to keep them in bondage to poverty by those who deem themselves better than them because of their higher social standards, wealth, education and achievements. We are a nation of wealth first among many first world nations, yet we have a rising and growing class of poverty within our borders despite our Nation’s wealth. I speak of the rise in homelessness of individuals and family units unable to maintain the cost of living because there low-income or government benefits are unable to keep abreast of those rising cost of living.

There are all kinds of slavery. The kind that we put upon our own backs, and the kind that is forced on to us by those who wish to benefit by enslaving us. There is sex slavery, labor slavery, racial slavery, and now the slavery of poverty that encompasses all kinds of slavery in our society. U.S. Federal poverty guidelines sets the level of poverty for an individual at $12,140 in a range from and to a family of 3 at $20,780 to a family of 6 at $33,740 to a family of 8 or more at $38,060. While this group of people, (the 20%) face paying 50% or more of their low-income in housing cost (rents), food, and Medical cost alone to even survive as an individual or family unit under the Federal poverty level guidelines set for 2019. A guideline set by the 2016 census, showing what the mean low-income is for those that are in poverty. Once set by the Fed’s, this guideline becomes a self-imposing factor that enslaves us to failure to rise above that poverty. Financial rules of law, lack of a living wage, rising cost of living, and financial aid programs, are constantly in a “Yo Yo” up and down flux to keep this group in slavery, whereas, the upper 80% group and class of wealth remain unburdened by rent cost, food and medical cost. Taxes play a heavy role in keeping a rigid control of this poverty group within the Federal guidelines of poverty, while the wealthy pay less. As long as, the 80% remain in control of our nations wealth, and government, will there always be a class of people living in slavery of poverty. As long as we remain subjects to this slavery, will we always be taken advantage of and robbed of a living wage, and control of our own financial fate. The emancipation of these slaves to our economy can only occur when those in control realize they can no longer be masters over the slaves that created this class of wealth and like Frankenstein’s monster. The monster rebelled and Frankenstein’s world tumbled. Guess who Frankenstein is in the 21st Century of in our nation?

It is a known fact that many of our elected officials in Washington are people of wealth, the upper 80% are Millionaires and Billionaires who control congress, and in their own rights are corporate owners or the like. Corporate owners who have to this date pay only 21% of their corporate taxes if any. Since the 1909, the corporate tax has declined from 52.80% to the current 21%. While corporate growth (New/Old) has increased from corporate wealth at Millions to Billions. Meanwhile, the individual income tax rate has remained at 35% to its highest at 39% to the current 37% over much of that same period. What this means is that U.S. Corporations, those who still remain legal corporates in this country pay less taxes on their wealth then the average individual income earner/worker does overhaul. Those that have the wealth control how much those with less earn. In reality, they enslave us by setting the rules of law that govern our economy and wealth. The battle for a “Living Wage” is a fierce battle to win, when those in congress, and the owners of our corporations, large and small businesses, have the power of congress behind them to see that a “Living Wage” will not take away their wealth and power of that wealth. Slavery of any kind is a state of having a Master over an enslaved people. The enslaved are unable to by the power of their master’s wealth break free of that slavery, as long as, the slave remains in a state of poverty. Our own U.S. History and Civil War has shown how a race of people where enslaved because wealth was the key factor for keeping slaves and creating laws that made it legal to have slaves. Slaves that where their workforce that created our emerging economy and landowners wealth since our Independence of the British commonwealth and its King. A work force that was literally free at the cost of a slave purchase and a meager meal. No wages paid, no medical cost paid, no responsibility for the human welfare of this workforce. Poverty at its worst where only a landowner provided a hovel to shelter in and rags on their back in lieu of wages.

What is different from then to what this Nation is going through today? Given the cost of the lowest wage and income today this would have been a royal treasure back in 1860 and earlier. In comparison to what today’s low wage would have been then, a landowner of slaves, or corporation would not have gained much wealth or power to enslave if they had to pay even a minimum wage. If that was so, then our countries wealth would have been stagnated when you consider the growth of wealth being limited because a person was then earning a wage and the landowner, corporations, businesses, and individual would have an even share of our nations wealth. But that is not what happened. When slavery ended at the end of the Civil War, a new kind of slavery was soon created to regain the loss of wealth that slavery earned the slave owner, corporations and the like. The Landowner is now a Landlord charging rents to former slaves. Corporations continued to grow in numbers and wealth, and government became a workplace for that wealth. Slavery to the economy controlled by the wealthy of the nation. That wealth increased on as the decrease of Corporate tax continued, while the increase of personal individual tax rose. Historically, there has always been poverty among any nation. Instead of the wealth of a nation emancipating those in poverty with the means of a “Living Wage”, control of Rents, and viable cost of living across the board. The wealth that controls government have traded places with the slave masters of the past to slave masters of the poor today.

The poverty guideline of $12,140 today (U.S. Federal Poverty Guidelines) would have been as I said a royal treasure back in 1860. Yet, given the 159 years since, the mean wealth of a landlord, Corporate owner, or business, in the $500,000 or more tax bracket has increased to a total of 900,000 entities who that tax bracket filed income taxes at the 39% rate of 2013. Money.com reports that in 2017, 1.1 million new Millionaires were created in the U.S. Which brings the total of Millionaires up to 15,356,000 or 1 in every 20 Americans. Visit www.Money.com discover for yourself the facts. These figures are a net worth after taxes and value of assets etc. Fact or not, I know personally more than 20 individuals, earning low-income or living on the streets in my community, or in shelter programs, and not one is a Millionaire, except maybe in their dreams. The number of those who’s earned income or source of income (disability) that fall under the poverty guideline as defined by the 2016 U.S. Census is as follows:

“The U.S. Census Bureau defines “deep poverty” as living in a household with a total cash income below 50 percent of its poverty threshold. According to the Census Bureau, in 2016 18.5 million people lived in deep poverty. Those in deep poverty represented 5.8 percent of the total population and 45.6 percent of those in poverty.”

Disabled-world.com goes on to explain that in the year 2011 it found that of the 19,899,755 individuals with disabilities ages 18 to 64 years who were living in the community, 5,697,022 individuals lived in poverty — a poverty rate of 28.6 percent. In contrast, out of the 172,544,106 individuals without disabilities ages 18 to 64 years living in the community, 23,581,154 individuals lived in poverty — a poverty rate of 13.7 percent at that time. Other sources state that this nation is getting poorer since the 2016 census statistics, as the number of Millionaires rise. Disabled-world advocates that the disabled among the 45 Million living in poverty are the poorest. You can find more in www.Disabled-world.com on these statistics.

The source of income for the disabled SSD and SSI is directly affected by what happens in Congress and our political arena and the current climate in that arena. Let us hark back to the previous statement that was made by Money.com when it says 1 in 20 is a Millionaire. If that statement holds true, then is that fact only counting those who fall in the 80% bracket above the poverty line as indicated earlier in this report. That 80% includes those with a personal wealth of $80,000 to the upper 80% bracket of $500,000 or more net worth as defined by the Federal tax bracket 2018–1019. If so then it is again another example of how that upper 80% enslaves over 45 Million people living in poverty. It has been stated that those of that upper bracket in the 80% are those who have seats in congress as U.S. Senators, and higher government positions to the highest position in our Government, POTUS. Again, I reiterate, are the people who control the economy and the wealth of this nation while that wealth enslaves the poor.

Wealth of this caliber has inherent social mentality that creates an outlook upon those with less. It is human nature that those with more look down on those with less. It may never disappear from our engrained makeup until Society at large take the necessary steps to assure that it does. Which is to say to bring about a balance of wealth that puts everyone on an equal footing. That balance isn’t making every U.S. Citizen a Millionaire. Heaven forbid, what it really means is bringing a “Living Wage” into play up to a level that directs us to a goal of assuring there is a balance of wealth above the Federal poverty guidelines, and assures that everyone can afford the cost of living, the burden of renting, owning, food, goods, Medical cost, Education, and have a balance of wealth that’s equal in the eyes of everyone. Impossible dream. Well like any dream we have about our future prospects and how we are going to prosper in life, the dream comes first, then the determination to achieve that dream, then taking action to realize that dream. We have been taking baby steps for so long it is time we start taking those leaps and bounds that will bring us ever so closer to being free of slavery to poverty. The best place to start is right where you will find those who have the control over our future. For as long as they can enslave us under there influence of wealth as centuries upon centuries of wealth and power has done to enslave those without wealth. There will always be slavery, and the insidious kind is those we are told do not exist by those of wealth that believe it to be true. Even worse, is that those with wealth and power are enslaved by it as well. In all fairness, wealth is not an evil thing, only how that wealth was obtained if it was obtained on the backs of those enslaved, by criminal and nefarious means, and disregards to sharing that wealth (SIN). Though statistics might show 1 in 20 Americans are Millionaires, and out of that 1 a larger percentile might hoard that wealth. There are those with such greater wealth who in history and current times use that wealth to benefit our society through Philanthropic charity and programs publicly or quietly behind closed doors. They are a rare breed today given the fact that there are 15+ Million Millionaires or those with greater wealth in this nation and that number continues to grow while poverty rises in this nation.

Look closer at those who are your elected State/U.S. Congressional members and officials, your governors and yes POTUS, your corporate owner/CEO, large businessmen and women, least we forget, our celebrities out of Hollywood and the Entertainment business. Does their wealth directly affect the level of poverty in this nation? Don’t be surprise if you suddenly have an Epiphany of your own.