January 23, 2014 by David K. Sutton
Pew: Most Republicans Believe Poor Just Aren’t Working Hard Enough
This should come as no surprise, but a Pew study released today shows most Republicans believe you are poor because you choose to be poor. Or in other words, the poor are simply not working hard enough. This of course echoes the sentiments of Kevin O’Leary, who I wrote about yesterday. He’s the fat cat who said it’s “fantastic” that 85 people own the same wealth as 3.5 billion people (half of Earth’s population).
Pew asked why a person is rich, and 57 percent of Republicans responded, “Because he or she worked harder than others.” Only 32 percent of Republicans responded, “Because he or she had more advantages.” As you might expect, it was the exact opposite for Democrats, with 27 percent for “worked harder” and 63 percent for “more advantages.”
Thankfully, when we look at the American public as a whole, 51 percent agree with “more advantages,” and only 38 percent agree with “worked harder.” It seems once again Republicans are on the losing side of public opinion, although that 51 percent total is low if you ask me. How can that many people still believe the lie that hard work is all you need to get to the top? What fantasy land must one live to believe low wage workers are not hard workers?
The GOP is equally out of touch when it comes to fairness, with 53 percent of Republicans saying, “The economic system in this country is generally fair to most Americans.” That compares to only 25 percent of Democrats and 36 percent of overall respondents.
So here’s the reality we face. Income inequality continues to grow and it threatens to undermine American democracy. I know that sounds like hyperbole, but remember, this country was founded at least in part to get away from rule by plutocracy. Yet it seems there’s an entire political coalition on the Right, a coalition that includes some really poor people, that is hell-bent on destroying any sense of opportunity and fairness, replacing it with a dog eat dog, I don’t care who I just stepped on, oligarchic mentality. But there I go again, being all emotional or something. See, conservatives know what they are talking about in this area because they can be cold, hard, bastards when necessary (or always).
