Over the last month, people have been talking about wealth inequality like never before. Warren Buffet took to the pages of the New York Times to argue that it was immoral that as one of the country’s richest men, he should be taxed at a lower rate than his secretary. Not long after, the Occupy Wall Street movement and its offshoots took up his rallying cry, bringing unprecedented attention to the fact that 1% of Americans own 38% of the country’s wealth. But despite dire warnings from the right that class war is around the corner, these protests are not simply the poor and middle class attacking the rich. Many people with wealth have taken to the streets to express their solidarity with the 99% and to ask to pay their fair share to make the US a more just nation.The most visible of these efforts have come from the groups Resource Generation and Wealth for the Common Good, and their blog We Stand With the 99%, which features messages from some of the wealthiest Americans calling for higher taxes and more social services. Both groups organize people of wealth to work for a more equitable tax system, and to encourage them to use their resources to promote social justice.Chicago has its own home grown organization of progressive 1 percenters that pre-dates Occupy Wall Street by more than a year. Rich American Patriots United for a Tax Increase, or RAPUFATI, was formed in protest of the Bush tax cuts and to demand that the wealthy pay their fair share of taxes. The group is a project of “Mary and Kristina, two intelligent women concerned about public finance, tax policy, the deficit and related issues. Mary is affluent, elderly, and rather cranky. Kristina is young, vibrant, open to new ideas and initiatives.” They argue thatWe owe this republic not only our allegiance but our gratitude. We are the people who have profited most from American capitalism. Assets appreciate, untaxed capital gains accumulate and huge fortunes pass to new generations of a monied class. We are it. We are cheerfully willing to be taxed so that our government can fulfill its constitutional obligations and legislative mandates. When our country needs money, government should go to those who’ve got it. Here at Crossroads Fund, we know that lasting social change takes the cooperation of folks from every part of society. We were founded 30 years ago by activists, some of whom families of means, and who wanted to use that wealth to fight for racial, social and economic justice. And we are able to support so many grassroots social justice groups because of generous support from people at all income levels. That’s why we’re so excited to see the work of groups like Resource Generation, Wealth for the Common Good and RAPUFATI reach new audiences through the Occupy movement and beyond.
