Looters

Then
John L. Lewis, President of the United Mineworkers:
"A horde of small-time leaders in industry and finance looted the purse of the population." (Ellis)

Now
Banksters Get Away With Fraud
Billionaires on Warpath to Pauperize Middle Class
JPMorgan Chief Gets A $19 Million Raise

What Caused the Crash?

Then
Greedy people wanted more than they needed. Foolish people thought they could get something for nothing. Impulsive people bought now in the hope of paying later. Income and wealth were distributed unfairly and dangerously. The rich regarded themselves as an all-knowing elite.The masses were not paid enough money to consume all the goods they produced. The economy was unsound. The corporate structure was sick. The banking system was weak. Foreign trade was out of balance. Business data were inadequate and often faulty.  (Ellis)

Now
US Income Disparity
Concentration of Wealth
Stagnant Wages
The Richest 1%

Estate Tax

Then
Meantime, Henry Ford was declaring: "Many families were not so badly off as they thought; they needed guidance in the management of their resources and opportunities." Ford needed no guidance. He managed to transfer 41 1/2 percent of stock in the Ford Motor Company to his son, Edsel, without paying a cent in inheritance or estate taxes. (Ellis)

Now
Big Business Dominating Tax Reform Talks
Of the 1%, by the 1%, for the 1%

More Blame

Then
from Dark Symphony by Melvin B. Tolson:

None in the Land can say
To us black men Today:
You dupe the poor with rags-to-riches tales,
And leave the workers empty dinner pails.
You stuff the ballot box, and honest men
Are muzzled by your demogogic din.
(from Bontemps)

Now
High CEO Salaries and Income Disparity
When Democracy Weakens

Park Bench

Then
Park Bench by Langston Hughes

I live on a park bench.
You, Park Avenue.
Hell of a distance
Between us two.

I beg a dime for dinner-
You got a butler and maid.
But I'm wakin' up!
Say, ain't you afraid

That I might, just maybe,
In a year or two,
Move on over
To Park Avenue?
(from Kramer)

Now
Power Concedes Nothing Without Demand

Hungry Child

Then
God to Hungry Child by Langston Hughes

Hungry child,
I didn't make this world for you.
You didn't buy any stock in my railroad.
You didn't invest in my corporation.
Where are your shares in Standard Oil?
I made the world for the rich
And the will-be-rich
And the have-always-been-rich.
Not for you,
Hungry child.
(from Kramer)

Now
US Poverty Levels Equal to the 1930s
Good for Business, Bad for People
Michigan's GOP Gov. Hikes Taxes for Working Poor

Child Labor

Then
Child Labor by Charlotte P. Gilman

No fledgling feeds the father bird!
  No chicken feeds the hen!
No kitten mouses for the cat-
  This glory is for men:

We are the Wisest, Strongest Race-
  Loud may our praise be sung!
The only animal alive
  That lives upon its young?
(from Kramer)

Now
Senator Calls Child Labor Law Unconstitutional
Legislators Looking to Loosen Child Labor Laws

Liquidate Labor

Then
Not again, however, would people suppose that the best policy would be-as [Treasury] Secretary [Andrew W.] Mellon so infelicitously phrased it-to "liquidate labor, liquidate stocks, liquidate the farmers, liquidate real estate." Our determination to deal firmly and adequately with a serious depression is still to be tested. But there is still a considerable difference between a failure to do enough that is right and a determination to do much that is wrong. (Galbraith)

Now
Why Budget Cuts Don't Bring Prosperity
How To Ruin a Perfectly Good Country
The Republican Strategy
Billionaire Brothers' Money Plays Role in Wisconsin Dispute