1998 Entry (I Hate Rich People)

The Rich Get Richer…

Have you heard that before? I have. I thought it was just sour grapes or something those old folks said to make conversation. But, you know, it’s true. The more money you have, the more deals you get.

Take checking accounts for instance, people with over $1,000 in their checking account can have it with no fee! Now who needs the break more, the poor shmuck who can’t maintain that $1,000 balance or the rich snob who probably maintains several thousand in their account?

And what about bulk buying? Have you ever been to a Sam’s Club or wholesale shop. You can get great buys on a fifty pound case of Evian or a flatbed of toilet paper. That’s great if you can afford to do four months shopping at one time AND if you have a place big enough to store it. But those who need the cost efficiencies of bulk buying most are the ones who have families of five packed into a little dingy apartment and who could never put the four or five hundred dollars together that it would take to stock up at Sam’s.

Another one of those deals the grinds my nerves is frequent flyer miles. Okay… get this… well-paid executives book their business flights (paid for by their companies) and earn the frequent flyer miles then are able to take their vacations with free airfare. If they were in such a position that they were flying that much for business, you know they’re makin’ the bucks so they could afford to actually pay for their own vacation tickets. Instead they get their trip paid for thanks to the company that already flew them half-way (or more) around the world. And, in a way, the average guys are supporting all this because why do you think the prices for goods are rising higher and higher and higher? Just who do you think is paying for that exec’s first class seat?!?

All this drives costs higher and higher and creates a bigger split between the “classes.” Because not only do the rich get richer, but the poor get poorer.

Two couples go out to get a birthday present for their child. Both couples charge up a fifty dollar tab at the toy star. Couple #1 are white collar, well-paid, company folks. Couple #2 are blue collar, an hour’s pay for an hour’s work people. Couple #1 pays off their charge card bill when they get it because their salaries allow them to do so. At the end of the year they also get some extra money credited to them as a bonus for using their card a lot.

Couple #2 has to make payments on their charge card. Each month they try to catch up but there’s always a new holiday to celebrate, a new need to be dealt with. Pretty soon they look at their credit card bill and it’s charged to the max. Now they’re faced with making monthly payments that barely cover the interest charges let alone make a dent in the principal. The credit card company is making money hand over fist, but do you notice who they’re making the biggest profit on? And the double burn is that some of that sweat-earned interest money that the poor couple pays out is being sectioned off as awards for the rich couple.

Let me take a moment to explain here that I am not experiencing any drastic money problems and really haven’t for awhile. We’re pretty “comfortable” (but no frequent flyer miles). On the other hand, you’d have to be blind or incredibly selfish to walk around withOUT that consistent knowledge that things are askew. A little bit of guilt should be biting each of us in the butt. It helps to share our money with people and maybe even some organizations that help others. But the biggest relief would come if the major corporations would alter their business practices to stop catering to the rich and screwing over the poor.

Oh well.. just dreaming and raving… and getting old.