Thinking About the 1%

I have been thinking about the 1% (as opposed to the 99%) lately, wondering how the 1% is defined, and why there is such push-back against the 99%.
I am highly suspicious of on-line blogs and websites; I find that a lot of them have one slant or another, and the facts to back up their opinions just aren't there.  I wanted to really know how the 1% was defined, and I wanted up-to-date information, so I needed to trek out unto cyberspace.  I found a website that seems to be official--if there are any of you who know this to be a bogus site, please let me know!  This article is rich in information, and I intend to return to it again.  The 1% is defined as  those who earn over $250,000 per year. Maybe one or two of my friends fall into this category--I have no idea.  The "super-rich" are defined as those worth over $1 million.  Maybe some of you fall into that category?  I really have no idea.  My guess is that none of my acquaintances are millionaires.  So why are some of you so squirmy about the Occupy Wall Street movement?  They aren't talking about you.  You are NOT the 1%.   YOU will NEVER be the 1%, unless you inherit it.  Really, you won't.
Why are you so protective of the 1%?  Why do we allow Republican members of the House of Representatives to vote down every single attempt to increase taxes on the super-rich?  The latest "no" vote really got to me.  In order to pay for improvements to our infrastructure (you know, roads bridges, etc.), the Democrats proposed an increase of 7/10ths of 1% on the wealthiest Americans--that small amount would really help.  The Republicans voted it down--after all, it was a tax increase on those poor, super-rich people.  Hells bells, why aren't we all in Washington, DC, with torches and pitchforks?!!!!   Why do you and I allow this to go on?  WE, our 99%, are hurting.  There are cities in America who have decided to stop providing transportation for their kids--that's right, no more school buses.  I don't think it's an exaggeration to say we are rapidly sliding down to the 1930's in this country.  You know, the good old days, when kids worked in factories, their parents worked 6-7 days a week, and education was a luxury.  When the wealthy played games with money; it was all about seeing how far they could go.    We are forced to gamble, and the 1% seems to win every time.
Don't believe me?  I was struck by this passage:

"These factors, however, can explain only part of the increase in inequality. One other factor that explains the particularly high incomes of the highest-paid people is that between 1982 and 2004, the ratio of pay of chief executive officers to pay of the average worker rose from 42:1 to 301:1, and pay of other high-level managers, lawyers, and people in other fields rose substantially also."  


WE ARE THE 99%.  WE need to demand some help.  Believe me, the 1% can afford it.