It is not time to eliminate meritocracy. It is time to stop deliberately suppressing those who are for one reason or another lower on the merit scales. Fairness does not equal elimination of income differences or incentives.
But what is unfair is shifting the burden of taxes from corporations and the wealthy onto the middle class, paying poverty wages, and making too many things for-profit such as healthcare, education, justice, and politics.
Take the rich man's hand out of the poor man's pocket. Stop putting the interests of corporations and religion ahead of people. Class warfare is not envy, it is the suppression of the rights and opportunities of the poor, the disabled, elderly, minority, non-Christian, by those with economic clout.
Fairness is not socialist or communist. Fairness is having compassion and a sense of morality and justice. It is recognizing that those who contribute to one's success should not be treated as unworthy or inhuman or undeserving or as obstacles to greater profits at the top.
Unregulated free markets are not fair markets. This is not Ayn Rand's world of laziness, greed, indifference, and 100% transparency in business transactions. Pure capitalism ignores social responsibility. The awareness that air, water, and soil need protection. That workers, consumers, voters, the disabled and elderly, children, students, Native Americans and racial minorities, the poor, LGBT, and people who don't want lead poisoning deserve to be treated fairly and to be protected from those who would harm them.
Equality does not mean eliminating differences. Equality is having the same rights and responsibilities.
But what is unfair is shifting the burden of taxes from corporations and the wealthy onto the middle class, paying poverty wages, and making too many things for-profit such as healthcare, education, justice, and politics.
Take the rich man's hand out of the poor man's pocket. Stop putting the interests of corporations and religion ahead of people. Class warfare is not envy, it is the suppression of the rights and opportunities of the poor, the disabled, elderly, minority, non-Christian, by those with economic clout.
Fairness is not socialist or communist. Fairness is having compassion and a sense of morality and justice. It is recognizing that those who contribute to one's success should not be treated as unworthy or inhuman or undeserving or as obstacles to greater profits at the top.
Unregulated free markets are not fair markets. This is not Ayn Rand's world of laziness, greed, indifference, and 100% transparency in business transactions. Pure capitalism ignores social responsibility. The awareness that air, water, and soil need protection. That workers, consumers, voters, the disabled and elderly, children, students, Native Americans and racial minorities, the poor, LGBT, and people who don't want lead poisoning deserve to be treated fairly and to be protected from those who would harm them.
Equality does not mean eliminating differences. Equality is having the same rights and responsibilities.
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