We founded ourselves out of colonies that had already accumulated wealth and power. The economy was not an issue for the American colonists and the higher esteemed values of freedom became the focus of people that felt as though they had outgrown the King. Colonists rallied around taxes as a cry for freedom. They knew economic success and wanted to keep the taxes that went to the King for themselves to improve their quality of lives within the colonies.
The USA is unique, BUT, if anyone wants to trash the idea of the USA being a moral leader, they need to be reminded of our heritage to exactly those standards. Greed is not moral. The one percent and the 0.1 percent are not moral. The one percent and the 0.1 percent, in actuality, is the return of the King.
Late President George Washington did not discriminate and never held religious bias.
Washington (click here) gives us little in his writings to indicate his personal religious beliefs. As noted by Franklin Steiner in "The Religious Beliefs Of Our Presidents" (1936), Washington commented on sermons only twice. In his writings, he never referred to "Jesus Christ." He attended church rarely, and did not take communion - though Martha did, requiring the family carriage to return back to the church to get her later.
When trying to arrange for workmen in 1784 at Mount Vernon, Washington made clear that he would accept "Mohometans, Jews or Christians of any Sect, or they may be Atheists." Washington wrote Lafayette in 1787, "Being no bigot myself, I am disposed to indulge the professors of Christianity in the church that road to heaven which to them shall seem the most direct, plainest, easiest and least liable to exception."...
At its very foundation, the USA has defined morality without leaning on religious beliefs or dogma. I find it very odd that "In God We Trust" appears on USA money and corporations are now considered citizens. I am confident George Washington would impeach every member of the Supreme Court with the "Citizen's United" decision.
Money has no moral authority. The way in which it is accumulated and spent definitely defines the moral authority that possesses it.
Jeffrey Williamson (retired Harvard economist) : In 1774, the top 1 percent of households got 9.3 percent of income. Compare that to America today, when the top 1 percent is bringing in about 20 percent of income. Nine percent, versus 20 percent. Wow.
It would appear the Tea Party political party (Donald Trump's political party) does not base it's dogma in the truth so much as what serves its own members best. There are no Working Poor that is a member of the Tea Party.
Clay Jenkinson, a historian and Jefferson impersonator. And he says the writer of the famous phrase -- "All men are created equal" -- thought a lot about income inequality. In a letter to a friend describng the 13 colonies, he wrote "The great mass of our population consists of laborers. The rich, being few and of moderate wealth..."
April 14, 2010 (2010 was the depth of the Republican tsunami after the Citizens' United decision of January 21, 2010. It was the first time million/billionaires saturated the media with ads to promote their personal/corporate interests)
By Kate Zernike and Megan Thee-Brenan
The 18 percent of Americans who identify themselves as Tea Party supporters tend to be Republican, white, male, married and older than 45....
