Submitted by John House, Dec 16, 2007 23:46

I am often concerned about a growing consensus of disparity in fortune between those who do very well and the remaining "common" wage earners.

Whether the economy is healthy or weak, the disparity continues to grow. My fear is that both in the United States and elsewhere, retail service providers and businesses see American consumer as a cash cow that can be milked indefinitely.

My bank raises fees and imposes new ones. That telephone bill just seems to grow since Judge Greene's decision in the 1980s. And our governments have participated also, imposing "user fees" in addition to taxes. I often have trouble seeing where efficiency, technology, automation, and transferring production to more efficient venues have created savings for the consumer. Rather incomes seem to drop and value is often diminished while profits rise.

I think we need to restore regulation to areas where consumers cannot readily see differences in quality. Taxation needs to reflect value for the consumer, rather than a redistribution of wealth to lobbyists and government contractors. We "common people" need an opportunity to share in the prosperity this global economy affords. The middle class allowed the United States to attain ascendant prosperity. We need to protect that.

Since Mr. Greenspan volunteered to be our economic sage, he may want to consider those talking points.

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