August 9, 2020

by Steve Stofka

In the past three months the stock market has been on a tear. The last time we’ve seen such a rise? 1938. People are day trading on the Robinhood platform. Hop aboard the gravy train and party like it’s 1999, near the height of the dot-com bubble.

According to the Federal Reserve, the top half of households in this country own 99% of the stock market. The top 10% own a whopping 87% of the market. So why do many news outlets broadcast updates on the stock market  every hour?

A second group of 10% is unemployed, according to the unemployment report released Friday. House Democrats passed a $3 trillion bill in May. Republicans and the White House have been worried that too many Americans are going to get fat and lazy if the federal government continues to support the unemployed with extra benefits. They have fought among themselves about a stimulus package, and 15 Republican Senators – half their caucus – don’t want to do anything more for the American people. The Senators who are up for election this year do want to pass something but want to appear frugal at the same time – a difficult task.  

The richest 10% are doing fine. This week the NY State’s Attorney General announced a suit to terminate the non-profit status of the NRA and dissolve the organization. Their investigation has been going on for more than a year. In September 2019, House Ways and Means Committee member Brad Schneider revealed several allegations against NRA executives (2019). Whether the IRS had already begun an investigation at that time is unclear.  The NRA has paid exorbitant expenses for their executives, including Wayne LaPierre, the public spokesman and VP of the organization. These include homes, yachts, and private jets for them and their families. The executives billed the “expenses” to the NRA’s ad agency, Ackerman McQueen, who then submitted bills with little detail to the NRA, which paid the ad agency.

Dues to the organization have been declining since Donald Trump was elected president. Gun manufacturers have relied on scare tactics to sell their products and have been big supporters of the NRA. Since the election of Trump, sales have declined. Two years ago, the oldest gun manufacturer, Remington, declared bankruptcy. As NRA revenues fell, the abuses came to light when the organization fell behind on payments to the ad agency. Influential members devoted to the mission of the organization have been appalled at the corruption.

Mr. Trump has signaled his support for the organization. Like all Presidential hopefuls, his financial affairs came under scrutiny. The Trump Foundation was later dissolved because of the same self-dealing practices.

The top 10% are always doing fine because they pay an army of lawyers and accountants to legally dodge the rules. Every week, Mr. Trump’s comments indicate how little he knows about any of the laws of this country because the laws don’t apply to him. He is part of the 10% that owns the stock market. When those markets came under stress a few months ago, the Federal Reserve stepped in with massive infusions of liquidity to preserve the assets of that 10%. They are the fire department for the rich.

Who will come to rescue the homes and families in the unfortunate 10% whose extra UI benefits have ended?  

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Notes:

Photo by Fritz Benning on Unsplash

Schneider, B. (2019, October 09). NRA’s Actions “Absolutely” Raise Questions on Tax-Exempt Status Testifies Non-Profit Tax Expert. Retrieved August 08, 2020, from https://schneider.house.gov/media/press-releases/nra-s-actions-absolutely-raise-questions-tax-exempt-status-testifies-non-profit