Class Warfare

The rich are not like you and me.

It sounds cliche, but in so many ways it's true. And there really is a class war going on in the world, but it's warfare against the middle and lower classes by the rich, not the other way around. If you have any doubts, consider the following:

In this morning's Wall Street Journal, they report that Kenny-boy Lay is "propos[ing] that his trial start on Sept. 14, with the evidence to be heard by a judge rather than a jury." Can you imagine that if any of us peons were charged with embezzling from our employers we'd be allowed to dicker for how, when and where our cases were adjudicated?

And last week, in Canada, an MP with 25 years of service in Vancouver, BC was given a one year suspended sentence and one year of probation with community service. His crime? From the sentence you might think it was perhaps too many parking tickets or failing to stop at an intersection. Actually, he was convicted of stealing a ring worth $64,500. Where would a young, homeless man be if he had stolen the same ring to feed his family or his addiction?

These are just the latest anecdotes in the continuing class war by the rich on the less fortunate. Their fortunes increase while our wages stagnate. Their taxes are cut while our after-school programs are closed. They go to the best medical specialists while we fight our HMOs for basic coverage.

Class warfare, indeed.