We had some company Saturday night. Mary’s grandson’s were over, 12, 9, and 3. They are good boys with amazingly high decibel levels. Around mid evening they wanted to watch a movie. Robin Hood. As we turned on the Roku, I asked them, which Robin Hood? I told them there were at least a dozen. They looked at me with disbelief.
I explained that if I were picking, we’d watch the 1938 version with Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland, to which they scoffed. I told them they did not know what they were missing. As it turned out, we went with the Russell Crowe, 2010 version. A little too violent, I think, but there it was for all to see.
Anyway, it turns out I was wrong about the dozen Robin Hoods. In fact, there are more than 25 versions of the movie. Apparently, the topic of the poor robbing the filthy rich is of interest to many. Unfortunately, in reality, it is going in the other direction. I think now, more so than ever.
And, it isn’t just me thinking it. The government is confirming this. The gap between the “rich” and the “poor” in the United States grew last year to its highest level. This comes from the Census Bureau, whose latest figures reveal this fact. They have been tracking these levels for more than 50 years.
The areas with the most income inequality last year were coastal places with large amounts of wealth. That included the District of Columbia, New York and Connecticut. The greatest inequalities also occurred in areas with great poverty — Puerto Rico and Louisiana.
There is an article detailing all of this at NBC News (link below), but one of the reasons cited was the tax cut, led by Trump and the Republican led Congress in 2017. It favored the wealthiest percentile.
We need to level this out somehow. A couple of Democratic candidates are suggesting a Wealth Tax. That would be Sanders and Warren. But many economists seem to think this would not work either.
I don’t have the answers because I suck at economics, and accounting, and all those number crunching things. Don’t get me wrong. I love numbers, just not in that way. My whole life, my personal finances have been based basically on one principle. Polly, if you don’t have the money for something, you can’t buy it.
I know another thing. I’ve been pretty poor in my life, and that sucks too. They say money can’t buy happiness, but it can make life a lot easier, if you use it right.
So. I’m no economist, but I really think we need some sort of gigantic-sized Robin Hood. The kind, like when the Sta-Puft Marshmallow guy comes traipsing down the street in Ghostbusters. THAT kind of huge Robin Hood, all walking through the skyscrapers in NYC, with his little green hat and tights.
I just know there are going to be a lot of people tonight, without a place to stay, and nothing to eat, and no chance of getting any money. And then, there are several more people with enough money to feed all of them. The question is, how do we fix the leak that is causing this mess?
I fear it will take much more than the Robin Hood Factor. Maid Marian and Little John, to boot.
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“There are people in the world so hungry, that God cannot appear to them except in the form of bread.”
― Mahatma Gandhi
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“There is no Them. There are only facets of Us.”
― John Green
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“When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why the poor have no food, they call me a communist.”
― Dom Helder Camara, Dom Helder Camara: Essential Writings
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( https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/u-s-income-inequality-highest-level-50-years-economic-gap-n1058956?fbclid=IwAR19HoBZcYyDkZuvd_3VLvqhc_N6t7eKMqKZKGZ496jTkNbfadDGK8Xcd-0 )
