If you take a look around America these days, there can be no doubt that civil unrest is at an all-time high and our democracy is under siege. Demonstrations have become more or less an everyday occurrence, as have violent clashes between protestors and law enforcement. And we can’t seem to have an election anymore without some kind of blatant lie about widespread fraud.
There are many root causes for the cracks that have developed in our democracy, but from my point of view as a person of wealth, the decline of the American Dream is the most significant.
For my generation of Baby Boomers, if you worked hard, played by the rules, and had the guts to take a risk or two, you had a pretty good chance of living at least a comfortable life.
Sadly, this has become the exception, not the norm. Most workers around the country are living paycheck to paycheck and can barely afford essentials like groceries, gas, and rent. They work hard and play by all the traditional rules for success, but can barely stay afloat. Meanwhile, the CEOs at their companies reap increasingly exorbitant bonuses and jet off into space on their private rocket ships. And, to top it off, they are not only able to pass on their wealth to their offspring without taxation on its increase, but they have been helped in accumulating this wealth by benefiting from the current lower rate of taxation on capital gains than on earned income.
As someone with a great-grandfather who emigrated from Germany in the 1870s, worked hard, played by the rules and developed a very successful saddlery business, I benefited from this tax policy. I grew up in a wealthy area, and my family didn’t have to think about budgets. I felt guilty about my good fortune and chose a career in social work, running programs for low income people, but those I could touch represented a drop in the bucket.
Working people are rightfully angry over the current state of affairs, leading them to become attracted to politicians with authoritarian tendencies who point the finger at innocent parties like immigrants and racial and ethnic minorities, rather than offering meaningful solutions for reform.
Out of concern for both the unfairness and the fear of the consequences of extreme concentrations of wealth, I became a Patriotic Millionaire. The crumbling of our democracy is a concern for rich people and poor people alike. I don’t want things to get so bad that I fear for my life every time I walk out my door. In fact, I don’t want the pitchforks to get anywhere near my door.
The decline of the American Dream and recent consequent escalation of civil unrest has been terrifying. But what gives me hope is that our nation has overcome immense challenges in the past. We’ve never been a “perfect union,” but each generation has taken great strides in becoming more of one. I see no reason why Americans can’t come together today and take another great stride in saving our economy and democracy. I believe that Patriotic Millionaires’ three-pronged mission—taxing the rich, paying the people, and spreading the power—holds the key to getting the country back on track, safeguarding our democracy, and restoring the American Dream.
I also believe it is my patriotic duty as a person of wealth to get that message out before it’s too late, and that is why I’m proud to be a Patriotic Millionaire.
Susan Orkin has a Masters of Social Work and an MBA degree and spent her professional career managing programs that help low-income families. Along the way, she founded and ran several non-profits, everything from a consortium of taxicab companies that provided transit to county social service agencies to a program that expanded services to first-time, low-income mothers.