Author: Papa Giorgio

Income Equality Myths ~ Debunking a 99% Myth

Published by Papa Giorgio

Investors Business Daily makes some key points that are hard to ignore:

Income Inequality Rose Most Under President Clinton

…But it turns out that the rich actually got poorer under President Bush, and the income gap has been climbing under Obama.

What’s more, the biggest increase in income inequality over the past three decades took place when Democrat Bill Clinton was in the White House.

The wealthiest 5% of U.S. households saw incomes fall 7% after inflation in Bush’s eight years in office, according to an IBD analysis of Census Bureau data. A widely used household income inequality measure, the Gini index, was essentially flat over that span. Another inequality gauge, the Theil index, showed a decline.

In contrast, the Gini index rose — slightly — in Obama’s first two years. Another Census measure of inequality shows it’s climbed 5.7% since he took office.

Meanwhile, during Clinton’s eight years, the wealthiest 5% of American households saw their incomes jump 45% vs. 26% under Reagan. The Gini index shot up 6.7% under Clinton, more than any other president since 1980…

[….]

As University of Michigan economist Mark Perry notes, while the income gap has grown since 1979, almost the entire increase occurred before the mid-1990s: “There is absolutely no statistical support for the commonly held view that income inequality has been rising recently.”

A similar analysis found that income inequality has fallen among individuals since the early 1990s, but risen among households due to factors such as more marriages of people with similar education levels and earnings potential.

Others argue that income mobility matters more than equality.

One study found that more than half of the families who started in the lowest income bracket in 1996 had moved to a higher one by 2005. At the other end of the spectrum, more than 57% of families fell out of the top 1%.

…read more…

Another smaller post points out nearly the same:

Busting The 1% Vs. 99% Myth

…The left says current levels of income inequality echo the late 1920s and the Gilded Age. They’ve zeroed in on the richest 1%, citing Census Bureau data showing these top earners “grabbing” more income than the bottom 90%.

But the census stats are misleading.

For one, they are a snapshot of income distribution at a single point in time. Yet income is not static. It changes over time. Low-paying jobs from early adulthood give way to better-paying jobs later in life.

And income groups in America are not fixed. There’s no caste system here, really no such thing even as a middle “class.” The poor aren’t stuck in poverty. And the rich don’t enjoy lifetime membership in an exclusive club.

A 2007 Treasury Department study bears this out. Nearly 58% of U.S. households in the lowest-income quintile in 1996 moved to a higher level by 2005. The reverse also held true. Of those households that were in the top 1% in income in 1996, more than 57% dropped to a lower-income group by 2005.

Every day in America, the poor join the ranks of the rich, and the rich fall out of comfort.

So even if income equality is increasing, it does not mean income mobility is decreasing. There is still a great deal of movement in and out of the richest and poorest groups in America.

…read more…

Listen to Larry Elder talk about this article:

Comparing Arrests/Violence with OWS and Tea Party

Published by Papa Giorgio

 Via BigGovernment (See my posts dealing with rape and molestations):

  1. NY: 10/1/2011 — Police Arrest More Than 700 Protesters on Brooklyn Bridge
  2. Madison, WI: 10-27-2011 — Madison Occupiers Lose Permit Due to Public Masturbation
  3. Phoenix: 10/28/2011 — Flier at Occupy Phoenix Asks, “When Should You Shoot a Cop?”
  4. NY: 10/18/2011 — Thieves Preying on Fellow Protesters
  5. NY: 10/9/2011 — Stinking up Wall Street: Protesters Accused of Living in Filth as Shocking Pictures Show One Demonstrator Defecating on a POLICE CAR
  6. NY: 10/7/2011 — Occupiers Rush Police … More
  7. Cleveland: 10/18/2011 —  ‘Occupy Cleveland’ Protester Alleges She Was Raped
  8. NY: 10/10/2011 — ‘Increasingly Debauched’: Are Sex, Drugs & Poor Sanitation Eclipsing Occupy Wall Street?
  9. Seattle: 10/18/2011 — Man Accused of Exposing Self to Children Arrested
  10. 10/12/2011 — Iran Supports ‘Occupy Wall Street’
  11. Portland: 10/16/2011 – #OccupyPortland Protester Desecrates Memorial To U.S. War Dead
  12. Portland: 10/15/2011 — #OccupyPortland Protesters Sing “F*** The USA”
  13. Chicago: 10/17/2011 — COMMUNIST LEADER Cheered at Occupy Chicago
  14. 10/15/2011 — American Nazi Party Endorses Occupy Wall Street‘s ’Courage,‘ Tells Members to Support Protests and Fight ’Judeo-Capitalist Banksters’
  15. Boston: 10/14/2011 — Coast Guard member spit on near Occupy Boston tents
  16. Boston: 10/11/2011 — Boston Police Arrest Over 100 from Occupy Boston
  17. New York: 10/11/2011 — “You Can Have Sex with Animals.”
  18. New York: 10/15/2011 — Harassing Police with Accusations of Phony Injuries
  19. New York: 10/9/2011 –  ‘Occupy Wallstreet’ Protesters Steal from Local Businesses
  20. New York: 10/25/2011 — Three Men Threatened to Kill 24-Year-Old Occupy Wall Street Protester for Reporting Rape
  21. Baltimore:  10/18/2011 — #OccupyBaltimore Discourages Sexual Assault Victims from Contacting Police
  22. Portland: 10/27/2011 — Occupy Portland’s Attempt At Wealth Redistribution Ends In Theft
  23. Los Angeles: 10/14/2011 – Anti-Semitic Protester at Occupy Wall Street
  24. 10/27/2011 — A Death Threat From an Occupy Wall Street Protester
  25. 10/27/2011 – Anti-Semitic Tweet From Occupier or Sympathizer
  26. Boston: 10/20/2011 — Occupy Boston Doesn’t Want Police Involved in Rape
  27. New York:  10/5/2011: Anti-Semitic Occupier Screams About Jews, Israel
  28. New York: 10/4/2011 — Occupier Taunts Jewish Man
  29. Boston: 10/2011 — Occupiers Block Street
  30. New York: 10/2011 — Occupier Tries to Steal Police Officer’s Gun
  31. New York: 10/27/2011 — Occupiers Block Traffic, Get Arrested
  32. Oakland: 10/27/2011 — Occupiers Throw Garbage at Police
  33. Oakland:  10/19/2011 — Abusive #OccupyOakland Protesters Ban Media from Tent City
  34. Eugene, OR: 10/19/2011 — Occupiers Displace Farmers’ Market Threatening Hundreds of Jobs
  35. Portland, OR:  10/18/2011 — Capitalist Offering Jobs at Occupy Portland Finds Few Takers
  36. NY:  10/20/2011 — #OccupyWallStreet Threatens Businesses, Patrons
  37. NY: 10/14/2011 — Violence Breaks Out During #OccupyWallStreet March Toward Stock Exchange
  38. NY: 10/14/2011 — Protesters March On Wall Street, Scuffle With Cops
  39. Oakland: 10/19/2011 — #OccupyOakland Protesters Threaten Reporter
  40. Oakland: 10/26/2011 — Occupiers Scuffle with Police
  41. Oakland: 10/24/2011 — Protesters Storm, Vandalize, Shut Down Chase Bank
  42. Dayton, OH: 10/22/2011 — Protester: ‘F*ck The Military, F*ck Your Flag, And F*ck The Police’
  43. Chicago: 10/14/2011 –  Protesters’ Message At #OccupyChicago Rally: ‘Destroy Israel’
  44. NY: 10/23/2011 — #OccupyWallStreet Supporter Rants Against Israel, Jews
  45. NY: 10/22/2011 — #Occupy Kid: ‘Burn Wall Street, Burn!’
  46. NY: 10/21/2011 — New Yorkers Fed Up With Noisy, Defecating Protesters
  47. Oakland:  10/21/2011 — Occupy Oakland Evicted After Reports Of Crime And Intimidation
  48. Oakland: 10/19/2011 — #OccupyOakland Out of Control: Rats, Graffiti, Vandalism, Sexual Harassment, Public Sex and Urination
  49. Chicago: 10/26/2011 –  Occupiers Under Investigation by FBI for Links to Terrorism
  50. Cleveland: 10/29/2011 — Rape Reported at Occupy Cleveland
  51. Dallas: 10/24/2011 — Police Investigating Possible Sexual Assault Of Teen At Occupy Dallas
  52. Bloomington, IN: 10/26/2011 — Man Claims Occupy Bloomington Protesters Drugged, Handcuffed Him
  53. NY: 10/10/2011 — Sex, Drugs and Hiding from the Law at Wall Street Protests
  54. Glasgow: 10/26/2011 — Woman Gang-Raped
  55. Boston: 10/23/2011 — Occupy Boston Protesters Arrested For Dealing Heroin – With 6 Year-Old in Tent
  56. Portland: 10/16/2011 –  Sex Offender Registers Occupy Portland Camp as Address
  57. Denver: 10/15/2011 — Occupy Denver Demonstrator Accused of Groping TV Photographer
  58. Lawrence, KS: 10/25/2011 — Sexual Assault Reported at Occupy Camp
  59. Minneapolis, MN:  Bricks, Rocks, ‘Riot Supplies’ Discovered by Police
  60. Phoenix, AZ:  10/27/2011 — Neo-Nazis Patrol “Occupy Phoenix” With AR-15′s
  61. Chicago: 10/26/2011 — Occupy Chicago Invades City Hall
  62. 10/26/2011 — ACORN, Occupy Email Talks About Assault on Banks
  63. 10/26/2011 –  OccupyWallStreet Strategy for Reports of Violence Against Cops
  64. Chicago: 10/26/2011 — Unrepentant Domestic Terrorist Bill Ayers Wows Occupiers
  65. Chicago:  10/25/2011 — Ayers Coaches  #OccupyChicago, Callsg for School ‘Occupations’
  66. 10/26/2011/ — Occupy Protests Have Jewish Leaders Concerned
  67. Wash DC: 10/27/2011 –  OccupyDC Leftists Provoke Police – Hang Flag on Top of DC Statue
  68. Albuquerque, NM:  10/26/2011 — Occupy Squatters Riot With Police
  69. San Diego: 10/25/2011 — Flag Used as Chew Toy by Occupier’s Dog
  70. Oakland: 10/25/2011 — Occupiers Throw Bottles at Police
  71. NY: 10/27/2011 — Occupy Wall Street Protesters: Rush Limbaugh Is Bigger Threat Than Al-Qaeda
  72. 10/27/2011 — Occupy Wall Street Launching First Nationwide General Strike in America Since 1946
  73. NY: 10/28/2011 — Fox 5 News Reporter Assaulted at OWS
  74. 10/28/2001 — Total Occupy Arrests Made Thus Far: 2750
  75. Nashville: 10/28/2011 — 30 Arrests Made at Wall St. Protest
  76. NY: 10/20/2011 — Former Marine Tries to Taunt Police into Violence
  77. NY: 1023/2011 — Islamist Group Joins with Occupy Wall Street
  78. Los Angeles:  10/13/2011 — Roundup of Overt Occupy anti-Semitism
  79. NY: 10/12/2011 — There are No Anti-Semites at Occupy Wall Street. Except for This Guy
  80. Missoula, MT: 10/20/2011 — Drunk 11-Year-Old At Occupy Missoula, Adult Arrested
  81. Oakland: 10/28/2011 — Bounty Out On Police Officer?
  82. Manchester, NH: 10/28/2011 – Woman charged with pimping teen recruited at Occupy NH rally
  83. San Diego: 10/28/2011 – 40 Occupiers arrested
  84. Boston: 10/24/2011 — Occupy Boston Vandalism of Banks
  85. Boston: 10/25/2011 – Store Owner Suffers 4 Break Ins Since Occupy Boston Began
  86. Portland: 10/28/2011 — Portland Police: Buckets of Excrement Scattered Around #OccupyPortland Camp
  87. Seattle: 10/20/2011 — Two Possible Occupiers Charged With Assault
  88. Seattle: 10/18/2011 — Armed Felon Arrested at Occupy Seattle
  89. Seattle: 10/18/2011 — A Tent Fight and (At Least) One Arrest at Occupy Seattle
  90. Seattle: 10/17/2011 — Over 50 Cops Clear Westlake Occupation, Make Eight Arrests
  91. Seattle: 10/13/2011 — Cops Arrest Several Occupy Protesters
  92. Seattle: 10/13/2011 — Chanting Protesters Surround Police After Officers Arrest Two
  93. Denver: 10/29/2011 — Protesters Clash with Police at OWS Denver
  94. Austin: 10/13/2011 – Occupy Austin protesters arrested for blocking cleaning Crews
  95. Calgary, CN: 10/28/2011 — Occupiers do $40,000 in Property Damage
  96. Cincinnati, OH: 10/21/2011 — 23 Arrested, Remains of  protests fill two dumpsters
  97. Sacramento: 10/19/2011 – 9 arrested in ‘Occupy Sacramento’ protest
  98. Sacramento: 10/13/2011 – Four More Occupy Sacramento Demonstrators Arrested
  99. Austin, TX: 10/22/2011 – Man Arrested After Knife Incident at Occupy Austin Camp
  100. Nashville: 10/29/2011 — Tenn. Protesters Arrested For 2nd Straight Night
  101. Austin, TX: 10/30/2011 – Austin Police arrest 38 Occupy Austin Protesters
  102. NY: 10/30/2011 — Woman Assaulted in Her tent
  103. Orlando, FL: 10/28/2011 – Occupy Orlando, police clash over use of downtown park
  104. Orlando, FL: 10/26/2011 – 2 Occupy Orlando protesters arrested for trespass
  105. Orlando, FL: 10/22/2011 – Police arrest 19 Orlando protesters on trespass charges
  106. Asheville, NC: 10/30/2011 – Occupiers Clash with Homeless in Asheville
  107. Nationwide: 10/27/2011 — Pro-Occupy Site claims 2511 Arrests Thus Far
  108. Fort Worth, TX: 10/16/2011 — Arrests at Occupy Fort Worth Protest
  109. NY: 10/29/2011 — Three Incidents of Anti-Semitism
  110. San Francisco: 10/29/2011 — Anti-Semitic, Folsom Street Fair Types & Che Guevara Lovin
  111. Oklahoma City: 10/30/2011 — Death of Street Poet at #OccupyOKC Treated as Homicide
  112. Baltimore: 10/31/2011 — Woman Claims She was Raped at #OccupyBaltimore
  113. Boston: 10/31/2001 — Alleged Heroin Dealer Joined Occupy Movement
  114. Ottawa: 10/31/2011 — #OccupyOttawa Violent & Sexual Assaults Not Reported to Police
  115. Santa Barbara, CA: 10/5/2011 — Occupiers Defy Police
  116. Santa Barbara, CA: 10/6/2011 — 8 Occupiers Arrested
  117. Denver, CO: 10/31/2011 — Occupiers Taunt Police, Knock Motorcycle Cop to Ground
  118. Dallas, TX: 10/24/2011 — 23 Occupy Dallas Protesters Arrested After Bank Demonstration
  119. Richmond, VA: 10/31/2011 — Arrests of Occupiers in Richmond
  120. Dallas, TX: 1v1/1/2011: Man Arrested for Child Sex assault at Occupy Dallas Camp
  121. NY: 11/1/2011 — Protesters Flock to STD-Test Clinics After Occupier ‘Free Love’
  122. Iowa: 11/1/2011 — Occupiers Intend to Disrupt Iowa Caucus
  123. NY: 11/1/2011 — Occupy Wall Street Costs Main Street Workers Their Jobs
  124. San Diego: 10/29/2011 — Businesswoman Closes Shop After Threats By Occupiers
  125. Palm Desert, CA: 11/1/2011 — Occupiers Arrested
  126. Tampa, FL: 10/24/2011 — Six Occupiers Arrested
  127. Tampa, FL: 10/27/2011 – Two More Arrested In Connection to Occupy Tampa Movement
  128. Tampa, FL: 10/29/2011 – Occupy Tampa Protesters Arrested After Scuffle With Police
  129. Oakland, CA: 11/3/2011 — Rallies Turn Violent
  130. Seattle, WA: 11/2/2011 — Cops, Protesters Clash
  131. Oakland, CA: 11/3/2011 — Protests Degenerate Into Chaos
  132. Tulsa, OK: 11/2/2011 — Occupiers Clash With Police
  133. Sacramento, CA: 11/2/2011 — Occupiers Smash County Vehicle Windows
  134. Philadelphia: 11/2/2011 — Occupiers Arrested
  135. Charlottesville, VA: 11/1/2011 — Underage Drinking at Occupy Charlottesville Site
  136. Portland: 11/2/2011 — Occupier Shoves Police Officer into Moving Bus
  137. Oakland: 11/2/2011 — Malkin’s Collection of Vandalism and Menacing Signs
  138. NYC: 11/3/2011 — Occupier Busted In Tent Grope, Suspected In Rape
  139. NYC: 11/4/2011 – 16 OWS Protesters Arrested at Goldman Sachs HQ
  140. Oakland, CA: 11-3-2011 — Occupy-Friendly Business Vandalized
  141. Asheville, NC: 11/3/2011 — 24 Occupiers Arrested
  142. Raleigh, NC: 10/28/2011 – Eight at Occupy Raleigh Arrested After Standoff

Teachers Close Down Schools To Save Them (Updated With Story of teacher Arrested at Protest Who makes $81,000 a year)

Published by Papa Giorgio

BigGovernment is reporting the following story about teachers and Oakland occupy:

It’s sad that teachers – who have such an influence over the future of America – where right in the mix when the riots and vandalism broke out Wednesday in Oakland, California.  Obviously that’s where their hearts are at.

Trouble was brewing when the Oakland Education Association – an affiliate of the National Education Association – endorsed the #Occupy mob’s call for a national strike on Nov. 2.  One declaration from the union stated, “We must shut down the schools to save the schools.”

Huh?  Perhaps a more accurate statement would be, “We must shut down the schools to protect our pensions and power.”

According to sources within the union, its leaders – including OEA President Betty Olson-Jones – were a part of the plotting to confront Bank of America, Whole Foods, and the sea port.

Do the taxpayers or the media even care?  Or is this just how they roll in Oakland?

Education Action Group reported in a recent “Focus on Reform” story:

“Evening all,” read an email from Steve Neat, communications chairman of the Oakland Education Association. “I’ve been talking to Caitlin Esch from KQED radio and she’s enquiring [sic] which schools are honoring the one-day general strike Nov. 2 as an entire staff. At this point I am aware of Bridges Academy and Maxwell Park. I know Oakland High is working on it. Any others that we know of?”

We hope the teachers of Oakland spell better than Mr. Neat. We’re sure he meant to spell ‘inquiring’ rather than ‘enquiring’.

This statement came from a flier distributed to the parents of students who attend Oakland’s Bridges Academy: “We, the teachers at Bridges, are joining the Occupy Oakland protest on Wednesday, Nov. 2. We will not be in our classrooms that day, all day. We are the 99%!!”

Do Oakland schools amount to anything more than indoctrination factories for hardcore leftists?

…read more…

From the NYPost via The Blaze:

…David Suker, 43, of The Bronx — who hasn’t showed up for work five times in the past two weeks — was nabbed Wednesday afternoon at Thompson and Prince streets after scuffling with and then shoving a shopping cart into a cop who’d ordered him to stay out of the street.

It’s the second time he’s been arrested in the protests…

[….]

A Department of Education source said the $81,000-a-year social studies teacher was out five times in the past two weeks without calling in sick.

He was also fined $1,000 on Aug. 9 for attendance problems, including excessive absences.

…read more…

Friday Fodder ~ From Indigenous Bridge Builders to Mischievous Cats Ending with Balloon Babies

Published by Papa Giorgio

“It Is Requested That You Maintain a Level Of Silence and Respect!”:

A Murmuration:

Moral of the Story? Don’t Lift a Dogs Tail:

Living Bridges:

A Smack on the Ass Does It Every Time:

A Vietnam Era Fly-By:

A Digital LEGO Clock:

A Great Homemade Costume:

A Halloween Seat:

Painful Childs Play:

Kitty Blame game:

Celebrating with the Wrong Teammate:

Crowd Yells “OLE” for Evasive Dog:

Man’s Best Friend Helps Calm Baby:

Tanning Bed Prank:

Mom’s Wasting My Time! (Very Cute):

7-Foot Tall Model:

Ping-Pong Fail:

THE HOLLYWOOD MEGAMERCIAL!!

Balloon Baby – Stop Motion:

Rapist Arrested at O.W.S.

Published by Papa Giorgio

GATEWAY PUNDIT Reports:

It was a busy day for police at the Occupy Wall Street squatters camp. Several far left protesters were arrested at the Goldman Sachs headquarters in New York City. And, one protester was arrested for rape and sexual assault at the camp.

Police move in to arrest Occupy Wall Street protesters as they staged a sit-down at Goldman Sachs headquarters on Thursday, Nov. 3, 2011 in New York. Protesters marched from Zuccotti Park and delivered statements demanding the financial giant take responsibility for its role in the economic crisis. (AP/Bebeto Matthews)

Occupy Wall Street Protester Tonye Iketubosin or “Tonye Parks” was arrested by New York City police after he allegedly raped one protester and sexually assaulted another.

[….]

The Gothamist has more on the sexual predator.

Beau Sibbing, Wisconsin resident who has been working in the kitchen at Zuccotti Park for the past three weeks, tells us that Iketubosin was known as “Tonye Parks,” and came to work in the kitchen around two weeks ago. “He was a genuinely nice guy…he came to get shit done,” he said. Sibbing had heard rumors of the first assault on Friday, and said that Iketubosin “was adamant that it wasn’t him.”

After word had spread of the alleged assaults, Iketubosin was told not to come to kitchen meetings and to stay away from the park, “but he kept coming.” Sibbing said that around 9 p.m. last night “a whole bunch of people came and made him leave the park. Then the NYPD picked him up. I wasn’t sure if it was for his own safety or if he was being arrested.”

…read more…