ANOTHER THREAT TO DEMOCRACY???

We hear the threat to democracy every time we turn on the TV or read a newspaper. Most of the talk focuses on Trump and how he will act IF re-elected to the presidency (an awful scenario). But the real concern here should be focused on a stat found in every civil revolution. History records bloody “peasant” revolts in several countries. Even Russia had its turn during the Bolshevik revolt of 1918-1920. France had its 1789 revolt where beheadings were numerous. It seems like every Latin American country has experienced a coup of one kind or another. So, what do these revolts have in common? Answer: the same one glaring statistic that is dominant in the US NOW and growing more dominant every day. The statistic we should all worry about is the distribution of wealth. Right now in America the top 1% of all citizens are richer than the entire “middle class”. That situation has been the seed for revolt in every revolution in every country in the history of the world. Greedy people living lives of outrageous luxury while the vast majority struggle to survive. In France, Marie Antoinette famously said–when told the peasants have nothing to eat–“let them eat cake”. She was “rewarded” for that comment with a trip to the guillotine. Can it happen here? Every day we learn of incredible compensation paid to CEO’s, sports stars (even minor sports stars), Hedge Fund managers, etc. If these were isolated occurrences they could be tolerated by the masses of people. But when the rich cannot get enough and so they take more constantly and the poor constantly go in the opposite direction, trouble always follows. Historically, Republicans have always favored the wealthy with law changes, tax breaks, and other rules that were probably bought with rich donor campaign fund donations. If Trump is re-elected the maldistribution of wealth in this country will get much worse…and that is the real threat to democracy. We run the risk of encouraging the “have-nots” to take what others have by force…just like France, Russia, Cuba, Brazil, etc. The irony is that the very “white supremacist” groups that support Trump now would probably be major players in any violent overthrow. Be vigilant!!! America promotes individual freedom but the poor will we always have with us. And when that “poor” group outnumbers the rich by the millions…well, you can guess what comes next.