Mend or Spend: How to Force Rich People to Solve Economic Inequality

Mend or Spend provides a real solution to income inequality. It’s big. It’s bold. And it delivers exactly what we need.

The solution is purely nonpartisan. It unites everyone in the middle class, including Democrats, Republicans, and Independents alike. And it does not resort to socialism, but instead offers a market-based solution of balanced capitalism.

Income inequality is a vexing problem. For decades, the wealthiest 1% at the top shifted income away from the 99% down below and transferred it up to themselves. The wealthy have no incentive to fix this problem because the current dysfunction makes them rich.

We need to change the rules of the game. The wealthy must be given a financial incentive to solve income inequality, and a financial disincentive from perpetuating the problem.

Mend or Spend is the answer. The wealthy will be presented with a choice. They can either voluntarily choose to Mend income inequality, or else they will be forced to Spend their own money through a hefty new tax, applied only to the wealthy.

Mend or Spend creates a powerful incentive. It encourages the wealthy to become part of the solution. In order to avoid the fierce new tax, the wealthy would spring into action to share more of their prosperity with the rest of us. And if they failed to Mend the problem, then the Spend component would be triggered to save the day. The new tax revenue would then fund programs to assist the middle class and below to make society more fair for everyone.

Mend or Spend. It is a simple concept. Yet it is extraordinarily powerful.

Let us join together to solve income inequality in our society.

Here is how we can do it.