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1. Based on the clip, we can deduce that the corporations and the very rich and wealthy, the top 1%, are the true owners of America. There are some misconceptions that wealth is equally dispersed through private ownership of stocks and mutual funds, but the top 1% own 32.3% of the total wealth, which is more than the bottom 90% of Americans, which own 30.5% percent of the wealth. This means that the greatest owners of stocks, which is ownership of the firms and companies, are the very rich. The wealth is acquired through the arbitrage of corporate and financial capital, income, and wealth. Corporations, banks, financial institutions all cooperate with each other to maximize profits and distribute stocks, and ultimately pay back the shareholder, the elite 1%, a.k.a. the owners of America.
2. Due to the "stickiness at the ends," intergenerational social and economic mobility is extremely difficult. If an individual grew up in a poorer household, they will have difficulty leaving poverty, let alone becoming a member of the ownership class. Great wealth, resources and power are usually inherited. There are exceptions to the rule, but the vast majority of the ultra rich have had a life of material abundance and access to resources. It takes money to make money, and those who are born wealthy have a much easier time keeping and growing their wealth.
3. There are many reasons wealth has become more concentrated since the 1950s:
In the 1940s in response to the growth of communism and fascism, there was a group of intellectuals who wanted to rebirth ideology of free market capitalism, with very little to no government rules and regulations.
This ideology free market fundamentalism had been gaining ground among the elite because of the inflation seen in the 1960s and 1970s, but it finally took a hold of the world in the late 70's and 80's when Raegan was elected President and Margaret Thatcher became Prime Minster. Both Raegan and Thatcher enacted policies that capitulated to the capitalist class
In America Raegan slashed top marginal income taxes, he slashed capital gains taxes, slashed estate taxes, he smashed labor unions, he cut welfare and social program spending, and deregulated many federal environmental and financial regulations. Because of these policies, the financial and corporate sector were able to consolidate itself through mergers and leveraged buyouts, further allocating and concentrating the amount of wealth towards the already rich, furthering the grip on the ownership of America
4. I do believe that in some sense, America has been benefitted by a "rising tide," but the problem is that not everybody has a boat. While there has been huge gains in societal and technological progress, and because of the diffusion of ideas, technology, and economic surplus, there have been gains made in the quality of life for the Average citizen and even, albeit much lower, for citizens of other countries. However, the problem of fairness, justice and equity arises when looking at the the bigger picture. While there have been major advances and reduction in global poverty in the last 100 years, it seems like we have reached a threshold of diminishing gains, and a deeper analysis of what our future goals should be needs to be brought up. The financial domination over nations needs to be addressed. Technocratic entrepreneurship, management, and leadership are important aspects of society, but they should not be prioritized at the expense of the average working person around the world. There needs to be a better system that allows for dignity, autonomy and agency for the average person who has no stake in the corporate world.