Unequal distribution of wealth and income.
Despite rising wages overall, income distribution was unequal. Unequal wealth Gaps in income had actually increased since the 1890s. The 1% of the population at the very top of the pyramid had incomes 650% greater than those 11% of Americans at the bottom of the pyramid. The tremendous concentration of wealth in the hands of a few meant that continued economic prosperity was dependent on the high investment and luxury spending of the wealthy. However, both the high spending and high investment of the time, much like today, were susceptible to economic fluctuations; they were much less stable than people’s expenses on daily necessities like food, clothing, and shelter. Therefore, when the market crashed and the economy tumbled, both big spending and big investment collapsed, as well.

How convenient you leave out the fact the corporations and fascists put us in a position to need social security and the New Deal. Same teabog ditty horshit. FDR did what he had to do to save the people. Not their corporate profits. When corporations were made citizens that was the end of America. Same corporations siding with Hitler and the Fascists, and the same pushing cannabis prohibition. Damn idiots always blaming the band aids and never the lacerations causing them. Same with the Ganjawar, corporate lobbying caused the political war. For corporate profits and prison industry. Not the dangers of pot. Now blame the sick Americans without insurance for the CEO’s $100.000.00 an hour salary driving costs up. Pitifuckingfools! Think the trillion spent on Iraq went to commies? No, corporations supplying paraphernalia to the Military. Teabog Ditties… Pitifuckingfools!

The Corporate Muzzle

“”I see in the near future a crisis approaching that unnerves me and causes me to tremble for the safety of my country. . . . corporations have been enthroned and an era of corruption in high places will follow, and the money power of the country will endeavor to prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of the people until all wealth is aggregated in a few hands and the Republic is destroyed.”"
– U.S. President Abraham Lincoln, Nov. 21, 1864
(letter to Col. William F. Elkins)
Ref: The Lincoln Encyclopedia, Archer H. Shaw (Macmillan, 1950, NY)

This is why I hate FDR and get pissed off when people say he was one of the greatest presidents. He most certainly was not, and the destruction of the Constitution is directly traceable to him and his faulty and dangerous “the Constitution should not get in the way of me trying to help the American people” line of reasoning.

These days, the Supreme court doesn’t seem to think the constitution guarantees much at all. There was a victory regarding gun rights recently, but that is about it.

They use a lot of jargon and convoluted arguments to enhance their authority and scholarly image, but if you look past all the nonsense, the plain language of the constitution is ignored and violated constantly.

The commerce clause is probably the most significant failure. This is the part of the constitution where it lays out the federal government’s role as regulating commerce between the states, but not WITHIN states. Years ago, the supreme court gave in and allowed the federal government to regulate what crops farmers could grow that were destined to be sold locally because the crops would affect local prices, which would then affect interstate prices.

This absurd argument marked the moment the camel got its nose in the tent. Congress uses the commerce clause as the basis for any regulations it really ought not to have the power to pass, and it was also the basis of the awful Raiche MJ decision a couple of years ago.

Indeed, is there any aspect of life in or out of the states congress does not now have the power to regulate?

The protection against search and seizure has been eroded to the point where it is meaningless. The legal nibbles have finally eaten it all up, and taken as a whole they violate the plain language of the amendment and would have horrified the founders. The founders despised what they called “papers searches” and very much hated to be harassed by petty officials. Now such searches are routine, and we have “sneak and peek” searches, secret demands for bank records, and routine vehicle drug searches masquerading as traffic stops.

Due process is still mostly intact, but the camel’s nose is getting under that tent with Guantanamo. Double jeopardy is routinely violated by being charged both in state and federal court for the same act, or when new, slightly different, charges are leveled after the original ones failed. Eminent domain recently died a sorrowful death, permitting cities to take your property and sell it to their favorite local developer. So much for the fifth amendment.

Excessive bail is common and very lengthy sentences violate the “cruel” prohibition of the eight amendment, but sadly no longer the “unusual” part.

To me, the supreme court has lost all credibility. I know their rules remain the law of the land until they arbitrarily change their minds, but their reasoning is no longer worth listening to.

Every time they find a way to justify a new police power, like warrantless wiretapping (Remember: “no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause…”)I just sigh and think to myself, “Whatever you say, guys.” They may be smarter than me, and they certainly are more powerful than everyone else, but ordinary people can read the constitution, too. And what I and everyone else can plainly see is that they have violated and failed their oaths to uphold the constitution in just about every important way. Their pronoucements are worthless and their judgments are hollow.

The emperor has no clothes.