The Class Divide

Okay, here's a little something that ticked me off. I read this about Winona Ryder:

Winona Ryder no longer a felon

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., - The judge in the 2001 shoplifting
case against actress Winona Ryder has reduced her felony
convictions to misdemeanors, The Hollywood Reporter said
Monday. Los Angeles Judge Elden Fox also ruled that the
star of "Girl, Interrupted" and "Little Women" may complete
the remainder of her probation unsupervised. The judge
acknowledged Ryder had successfully completed court-ordered
counseling and community service, but warned her that she
could still go to jail if she violates her probation, which
is scheduled to expire in December 2005. Actress Winona
Ryder was sentenced in December 2002 to 36 months probation
for stealing $6,355 worth of merchandise from Saks Fifth
Avenue in Beverly Hills.

Now, I'm sure you're wondering, whatever could be his problem with this? Winona Ryder is a sweet young girl, and deserves whatever leniency the judge opted to give her, right?
Please. If that had been me stealing $6355 worth of crap from Saks 5th Avenue, they'd have locked me up and thrown away the key. Come to think of it, if I even tried to get in the front door of Saks 5th Avenue, I'd probably get the bum's rush from security. Why do I think that would be, you ask? Why, simply because I'M POOR.
That's right, it's all about the money. As a society, we've made huge inroads in the fight against racism, sexism, ageism, gender bias, homophobia, all of that bad stuff. In the meantime, the stranglehold the rich have on the poor in this country has strengthened and solidified. If you ask me, that's what Bush's entire presidency has been about; helping the rich get richer, and to hell (or Iraq) with poor people.