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pat_k

(12,257 posts)
18. And, policies that concentrate wealth in the hands of the few at the expense of the many make for a very fragile economy
Sun Nov 2, 2025, 08:13 PM
Sunday

The top 10% account for 50% of our spending. If the market goes down and they get nervous, they can easily cut their spending 30%, 50%, or more.

For the rest of us, an overwhelming portion of our spending is on essentials. We aren't able to cut back anywhere near that much.

As our economy becomes more and more and more dependent on the wealthiest spending a lot of money, it becomes ever more fragile. Something happens that prompts them to cut way back, and we go straight into recession.

In addition, with America going ALL IN on AI, the market has become incredibly fragile.

The top 10 stocks in the S&P 500 account for 40% of the index’s market cap. Since ChatGPT launched in November 2022, AI-related stocks have registered 75% of S&P 500 returns, 80% of earnings growth, and 90% of capital spending growth. Meanwhile, AI investments accounted for nearly 92% of the U.S. GDP growth this year. Without those AI investments, Harvard economist Jason Furman noted, growth would be flat. As Ruchir Sharma concluded in the Financial Times, “America is now one big bet on AI,” adding, “AI better deliver for the U.S., or its economy and markets will lose the one leg they are now standing on.” This concentration creates fragility, and how the end begins becomes more visible.


More facts and figures with references in Prof G's recent article "How Does the End Begin"
https://www.profgalloway.com/how-does-the-end-begin/

Republicans have been intentionally building this incredibly fragile economy by steadily shoveling money at the wealthy, to make them wealthier, and keep them spending. There is NO "trickle down," only "trickle up." And now they are propping up AI with vast expenditures of our treasury dollars and by allowing a host of circular, incestuous deals that are massively and artificially inflating values.

This is a VERY bad thing for economic and political stability. We have been heading toward a breaking point of some kind for a long, long time.. I firmly believe the trump insanity is the last gasp before things seriously falls apart.

We may yet save ourselves by implementing truly transformative reforms in time, but even with that, there will be a scary time of adjustment from our current obscenely immoral and fragile economy to a more moral and robust economy.

Recommendations

6 members have recommended this reply (displayed in chronological order):

Thank you for the data. yellow dahlia Sunday #1
Hiding In Plain Sight Mr.Bee Sunday #2
My MAGA relatives would say, Diamond_Dog Sunday #3
I would tell them Mr.Bee Sunday #6
Well, you can imagine how they feel about FDR. Diamond_Dog Sunday #11
Did any of them ever stop to think Diamond_Dog Sunday #22
I certainly heard that line many times over the years in markodochartaigh Sunday #17
EVER SINCE REAGAN, (actually HWBush's CABAL) popsdenver 12 hrs ago #49
++++1000 Diamond_Dog 11 hrs ago #50
If the Republicans continue popsdenver 10 hrs ago #51
Median wage has been stagnant relative to productivity for 45 years. pat_k Sunday #4
Please supply reference links. Not disputing your excerpts, but backup documentation is needed. erronis Sunday #7
Oh! I beg pardon- Mr.Bee Sunday #9
World Economic Forum, Capital in the 21st Century, pat_k Sunday #10
Thank you! erronis Sunday #15
They've been stealing from us for decades Mr.Bee Sunday #12
FWIW pat_k Sunday #14
Regarding weakening of unions and tax law that facilitated concentration of wealth: pat_k Sunday #13
Republicans always talk about "redistribution of wealth". markodochartaigh Sunday #19
Yes, R's have been hellbent on systematically "redistributing wealth" from the hands of the many to the hands of the few pat_k Sunday #23
Why don't the labor unions understand these charts and data? FakeNoose 19 hrs ago #40
Sadly, a great deal of damage had been done by '60. pat_k 15 hrs ago #41
That also means that the current business model Javaman Sunday #5
FDR's concept of the minimum wage: Mr.Bee Sunday #8
And, policies that concentrate wealth in the hands of the few at the expense of the many make for a very fragile economy pat_k Sunday #18
I very much concur Metaphorical Yesterday #34
And who was in charge then? Oh yeah Ronald Reagan. Initech Sunday #16
Yes he certainly did. Diamond_Dog Sunday #20
Ronald Reagan was elected president in 1980 KS Toronado Sunday #21
Must do more than raise the minimum wage. Inheritance tax, wealth tax, capital gains taxed higher than labor and... pat_k Sunday #24
Oh there's a ton of stuff we need to get done and quickly. KS Toronado Sunday #32
My big worry is that too few of our electeds are out there advocating for the big stuff. pat_k Yesterday #33
A tax on spending rather than income Metaphorical 22 hrs ago #35
Should be at least $30 per hour MichMan Sunday #31
Seattle's minimum wage is 20.76 and will increase to 21.30 1/1/26 pat_k 14 hrs ago #42
The minimum wage as established in 1938 was 25 cents per hour MichMan Sunday #25
But did it have the same purchasing power? leftstreet Sunday #27
In 1957, J. Paul Getty was worth $2-4 billion dpibel Sunday #30
Raygun made munimum wage political southmost Sunday #26
K&R Bayard Sunday #28
Big corps worked to keep prices down and wages low. Klarkashton Sunday #29
That goes back HarryM 21 hrs ago #36
So glad you pointed this out. cer7711 21 hrs ago #37
Minimum wage should have been indexed to inflation like Social Security. n/t Buttoneer 21 hrs ago #38
From the comercial. "I was drowning in debt." Hotler 21 hrs ago #39
TOP TEN COUNTRIES of Minimum wage chouchou 14 hrs ago #43
K&R BlueWavePsych 13 hrs ago #44
"republicans"... Godot51 12 hrs ago #45
When You Say 'Republicans' Mr.Bee 12 hrs ago #46
"... until 1980, when it was frozen for nine years." Grins 12 hrs ago #47
The last Increase Before Reagan Mr.Bee 12 hrs ago #48
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