Dem Rep. Tells Russian Media: U.S. Is 'Banana Republic' Without Wealth Redistribution

Without more redistribution of wealth, the United States of America is on the road to becoming a "banana republic," warns Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill.

In an interview with Russia Today, Congresswoman Schakowsky claims that the American middle class is disappearing because the federal government is failing to effectively redistribute wealth. Among her top concerns: extending Bush-era tax cuts for all income levels:

Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't "banana republics" tend to be found in parts of the world where government become too involved -- whether voluntarily or by force? And isn't free enterprise one of the best ways to deter such concentrated government power?

But Schakowsky's is the mindset of many Democrats today who believe redistributing the nation's wealth is the only way to maintain a middle class, despite history's lessons to the contrary.

At the same time, Russia Today offers this report, claiming that the American Dream is dead: