There is a concept in economics called the structure-conduct-performance model.
It states that the structure of an economic system--the laws which govern its participants, the methods by which capital flows from savers to investors, the existing technological framework--influences how agents conduct themselves within the structure, ultimately determining the performance of the economy as a whole.
The Occupy Wall Street protestors seem to have a light grasp on this idea.
Their "We Are the 99 Percent" mantra implies issues with our current economic structure that results in wealth disparity.
Outrage over sub-prime mortgage bundling and energy price manipulation, bank bailouts and executive bonuses and you-name-it hedge fund activities questions the conduct of certain economic agents.
Anemic GDP growth--stunted by debt crises and crippling uncertainty and eaten away by inflation--and stagnant unemployment clearly indicate the disastrous economic performance in recent years.
But their message needs refinement.
The Constitution states "all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States," the word "uniform" anathema to decades of politicians who've carved out special deductions and exemptions for their states' industries and biggest campaign donors and instituted incentives and credits under the guise of good intentions and investment into a tax code that has grown to literally tens of thousands of pages.
The "general Welfare of the United States" is to be provided by the government of this union of sovereigns, not the specific welfare of the banking and automotive industries receiving billions from members of society with no ties to either, or the oil industry with its depletion allowances and caps on payments to spill victims, or even married couples filing taxes jointly.
If we believe Jefferson's words that "all men are created equal," the true spirit of our governing document, it follows that the only just laws are those which treat all men equally.
Lamenting conduct and performance is futile when the structure itself induces these predictable results. So pack up your tents, OWS, and head to the voting booth.
It's the politicians who write the crooked rules, but it's our ignorance that lets them get away with it.
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