"The Inequality is Too Damn High!"

According to a recent Oxfam report, the world's richest 400 people have as much wealth as half the world's population! The top 1% in US holds 35% of all wealth, with the top 10% controlling over 80%. Meanwhile, in this "land of opportunity," social mobility is declining and lower than almost any other developed nation. The president's modest proposals, to raise the minimum wage and revise overtime rules, are positive and should be supported, but they will NOT impact the underlying structure of the problem. To do so, the US should:

1. Enact a progressive wealth tax, beginning on fortunes above $5 million.
2. Impose a small financial transactions tax on stock trades.
3. Use the revenue to create a public jobs and training program for all who want/need it, to...
4. Establish the "universal social plan": all who want a job can find one and earn a modest living of basic human dignity.

This replaces welfare with work and would have a salutatory impact on the economic and spiritual health of the nation. It's a long shot, but only radical surgery can save this patient!