Note: The 3 MIDDLE CLASS assets are corrected to

assets of $10 million & salaries $10 million to $30 million for the LOWER MIDDLE CLASS

assets of $100 million & salaries $30 million to $100 million for the MIDDLE MIDDLE CLASS

and assets in excess of $1 billion & salaries $100 million and up for the UPPER MIDDLE CLASS

FACT:  If YOU MUST WORK to survive, YOU ARE IN THE LOWER CLASS.  That includes those of us who think of ourselves as "Middle Class".  We are in the Middle of the Lower Class as shown in the picture above.  The Lower Class is referred to as the "Working Class" by some of the Real Middle Class and The Rich; and "Slave Class" by others.  

FACT:  If YOU ARE IN THE LOWER CLASS and vote for ANYTHING other than significantly increasing the TAXES ON THE RICH, you have been "played" (cynically duped) and we all lose.  Never forget that capitalism is powered by greed and thrives on slavery.   Most of our laws are to control greed and slavery has been outlawed. (hasn't it?)   Slave/worker uprisings are always headed off by pitting the workers against each other.  Do not be distracted by "divide and conquer" issues (homo vs. phobics;  pro-Choice vs. pro-Life & pro-Death penalty;   "under God" vs. back to the old pledge;  my religion vs. their religion;  pro-war vs. anti-war; blacks vs. whites, new immigrants vs. old immigrants; us vs. them;  ...  new ones anytime they want to herd us).   No matter how you vote on any of them, the rich will get richer and the poor will get poorer.  Let's vote to have the rich get richer a little slower (say 10%/yr instead of 16%/yr) and keep the poor from getting poorer.  Call it subsidizing the casualties of capitalism.  Remember capitalism requires large underclasses in order to get cheap/slave labor.  It's called a "job market" but it's still a "slave-labor market".

ACTION:  Vote against greed.  You cannot just ignore the fact that the Religious Right has allied with the greedy (BIG MONEY).  Greed is now a virtue (and worshipped?) in this country.  With greed acknowledged to be one of the "7 deadly sins", any alliance between the Big Money and the Religious Right must be considered a sell out of some sort.  Like, "you take all the money just so long as I get to control of all the minds --- you know, that control you use to make people constantly buy more and more stuff they don't need".  Unfortunately, with Christian White Supremacist embedded in the Religious Right, that control of minds becomes much more dangerous (change Yellow Alert to Red Alert). 

ACTION:  Vote to significantly increase the taxes on the rich and their henchmen in the Real Middle Class.   We wish to slow the growth of their wealth, say back to single digits.  Since the rich can buy up legislators, we must also make a law against reducing the high end taxes in the future.  When I was a kid, the rich paid 70%, now its down to 30% from 38%.  No wonder we can't afford health care or education.   And then, we place the burden of health care on employers who can avoid it by moving operations to the better slave markets off shore.  And the rich continue to get richer....  How about a surcharge on the taxes of the wealthy sufficient to fund universal health care?  How about another surcharge to fully fund education?

====== stepping over the line? ======== 

FACT:   POWER CORRUPTS.  Absolute Power corrupts absolutely.  This is why we separate and limit the powers of individuals via government entities.  There are no laws, however, limiting the power of rich individuals and their soon-to-be-rich henchmen.  We have documented cases of wealthy/powerful people who hire a group of thugs from country A, train them, arm them and send them to country B to commit atrocities in the name of country A, to start a war, with the hope of selling arms to both sides; or at least one side.  And, of course, the frightened neighboring countries will rush to buy new "defensive" weapons.  People/countries that can't afford food, can somehow afford modern weapons.  "Yeah right"!  A major industry in the developed world is arms research, production and SALE.  The owners of arms production should be scrutinized more than the owners of casinos.  Peace can never be, as long as there are Power Mad Nuts getting rich and "gettin' off" on the wars they are causing.   Money/Power is like a drug. (stepping over the line HERE onto a slippery slope we have) Could we? Should we, even think to do something, about these drug addicts before their power warped minds start more wars to test their new toys (weapons that could destroy mankind)?  How can we?   How should we? Limit the power of Individuals? And Corporations? Of groups, including Secret Societies? (where would you draw the new line?)

ACTION:  Vote for Excess Resources Taxes.   Excess Resources Taxes (click) are not aimed at "income".  Instead Excess Resources Taxes are aimed at the basis of "excessive" wealth: Assets.   If you have more that $200 million in assets, we want 25% of it, cash, stock or property every year.  Spread the wealth: Make it mandatory. The intent is to slow the rate of growth of the wealth of the rich in order to reduce the number of potential POWER MAD NUTS (Power really does corrupt), while funding the cost of universal health care, medical research,  significantly better education, education research, slow poverty, etc. 

====== Final note ========

It is difficult to remember that those in the Upper Lower Class (salaries $100,000 to $300,000 per year) are not rich.   We do not want to increase the taxes of the Lower Class.  Corporate executive salaries averaging $11 million annually should be taxed significantly higher than they are, but those individuals are not really rich --- yet.  Their salaries are often paid directly or indirectly by the real rich.  When thinking of the real rich, remember that A PAINTING was auctioned today (4/6/06) for a record $32 million.  The real rich have large expensive villas full of very expensive art. 

The End ====================  The End =========================

AFP/OFF Photo: Joseph Turner panorama of Venice " "Giudecca, La Donna della Salute and San Giorgio,"

Turner masterpiece smashes auction record

Thu Apr 6, 2:37 PM ET

NEW YORK (AFP) - A Turner panorama of Venice sold for almost 35.9 million dollars, smashing the world auction record for a British painting.

It was also the second highest price ever paid at auction for an Old Master painting, behind "The Massacre of the Innocents" by Pierre Paul Rubens, which sold in 2002 in London for 76.7 million dollars.

Touted as the finest Turner (1775-1851) to come to the market in a generation, "Giudecca, La Donna della Salute and San Giorgio" was the highlight of Christie's Old Masters sale in New York.

Nicholas Hall, international director of old master paintings at Christie's, voiced no great surprise that it sold way above the Christie's estimate of 25 million dollars.

"It was the right picture at the right time," Hall said, citing the painting's quality, its excellent condition and the current high in the international art market.

"It's not often that a bona fide masterpiece such as this comes up for public auction," he added.

After a tense hesitation around the 18-million-dollar mark, the bidding suddenly took off with two telephone bidders battling it out for the masterpiece.

The hammer finally came down at 32 million dollars which, with the buyers premium, meant a final price of 35,856,000 dollars.

Christie's staff would only identify the winner as a "private collector."

"Any nerves I had vanished when the bidding started," said auctioneer James Bruce-Gardyne.

"I was completely focused on trying to find other bidders and to keep the bidding going."

The masterpiece was one of three Venetian oil paintings exhibited by Turner in 1841 at the British Royal Academy, where it sold for 250 guineas (around 500 dollars).

It was based on a series of watercolours he painted during a visit to the Italian city the previous year.

The early bidding came from collectors attending the auction, before switching to the bank of phones at the side of the room.

"It was a fast-paced sale," said Bruce-Gardyne. "I know several people who came to bid but never even got a chance to get their hands up."

The painting was sold by the New York-based St. Francis of Assisi Foundation. A private collector donated the painting to the non-profit missionary organization in 1992.

Last seen at a public auction in 1897, the painting broke the previous record for a British work held by John Constable's "The Lock" at just over 21 million dollars.

The previous highest price commanded by a Turner at auction was 9.05 million dollars paid for "Seascape, Folkestone" in 1984.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060406/wl_uk_afp/afplifestyleusart_060406183259