John Edwards has been in the news a lot lately as his polling numbers in Iowa have been on the upswing; his rhetoric, however, has been steadily slouching towards hysteria.  The man of the $400 haircut and the $6 million house is railing against the "rich" and the "corporations" (make that "greedy corporations").  A recent E.J. Dionne article included the following quotes:  "The richest Americans are getting richer... How much money do these people need?"  He followed that with:  "America doesn't belong to them.  It belongs to us."  He's attacked "corporate greed", "glorification of corporate profit", and accused corporations of "hav[ing] a stranglehold on the American economy".  But that's just the beginning — the evil corporations have even worse plans in store for you, because they are "killing the middle class, killing American jobs, and ... stealing your children's future".  Well then.  All in a day's work, I suppose.

Interesting charges, these.  Yet it strains credibility and seriousness to hear them coming from someone who is, well, so rich himself and so extravagant in his lifestyle.  Last time I checked, corporations tend to employ people and produce goods and services for which people willingly trade their hard-earned money.  Quick quiz:  which "kills" more jobs:  a company like Microsoft that employs thousands and provides a return for its stockholders, or an ambulance-chasing lawyer making millions on malpractice suits against doctors for failing to perform C-sections, basing the claims on junk science?

As for "glorification of corporate profit", isn't that the responsibility of a corporation to its shareholders?  As long as fraud and coercion aren't involved and laws aren't broken, "corporate profit" should be glorified!  I'm willing to bet that Edwards's own investment portfolio is filled with stocks in (yes) corporations who (gasp!) glorify profits.  As lucrative as $60,000 speeches on poverty to public universities are, it is doubtful that his honoraria are being deposited in a checking account at the local credit union.

So, how much money does any one individual need?  I have no idea, but I certainly know that it isn't my business (and I'm wondering if a farm worker in Iowa struggling to pay the rent might think the same thing when thinking about a $6 million owned by the candidate posing the question).  Again, as long as fraud or coercion aren't involved and laws aren't broken, I don't really care how much money someone accumulates, particularly if they accumulate it by providing a product or service that enriches the lives of others.  Sam Walton built an empire worth billions by providing stores in which no person is required by law to shop — people shop at Wal Mart willingly.  Microsoft Windows has a competitor who offers its software for free; further, it has created many millionaires in its tremendous rise to the top of the software food chain.  I would rather billions of dollars be in the hands of Bill Gates for him to invest or donate to charity than confiscated by the government; I know whom I trust to spend it more wisely.

Are the "rich" truly "getting richer"?  In most ways I know of measuring, we all are.  Our standard of living continues to rise as technology provides gains in productivity and produces goods and services that make our lives easier and better.  Looking at economic growth and job creation over the past 25 years, if corporations and other evil "rich" entities are exerting a "stranglehold" on the economy, then if a stranglehold is wrong perhaps we don't wanna be right.  Gross Domestic Product has increased by 427% over the past quarter century in a surging economy that has created nearly 50 million new jobs according to the US government's Bureau of Labor Statistics and Bureau of Economic Analysis.  Average hourly wages have increased by nearly $10.50/hour.

I don't know exactly who the "them" is to which Edwards claims America "doesn't belong", nor do I know exactly comprises the "us" to whom it does.  Is the line of demarcation for who "belongs" and who doesn't based on political ideology?  On salary?  Wealth?  Vocation?  Religion?  Perhaps Mr. Edwards should add two items to his reading list:  the Declaration of Independence and the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.

From the Declaration, he would learn that "all men are created equal", and that the purpose of government is to secure and protect the rights of each of us to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness".  The Pledge would remind him that we are "one nation, ... indivisable" — there is no "us" and "them", America belongs to us all.