Jim Hightower

When Barack Obama said, "I think when you spread the wealth around, it's good for everybody," John McCain and his right-wing chorus blew a gasket and threw a hissy fit. He's a socialist, a Marxist, a "redistributionist" they screeched!

Obviously, they were more upset than the electorate was. Indeed, I think your average working stiffs perked up, high-fived one another, and said, "Oh, yeah – it's time to spread the wealth." After all, for the past three decades, Washington has been busily redistributing our wealth upward to the richest one percent of Americans.

Using everything from tax giveaways to trade scams, they've shoved practically all of the economic gains that everyone helped produce up to those at the top. Now, the top-heavy "tinkle-down" economy they created is crashing, bringing down the housing market, Wall Street banks, and a host of industries.

Of course, Washington reacted by rushing to bailout the bankers and the speculators who caused the crash. That hasn't seemed to benefit anyone but – surprise! – the elites. So, yeah, let's spread the wealth into the grassroots economy, so ordinary workaday folks can lift our country up.

One way to do this is with a massive, nationwide "Rebuild America" program, similar to what Obama has proposed, only bigger and bolder. Let's enlist millions of Americans to repair our deteriorating roads, bridges, schools, parks, etc. – while also developing conservation programs, solar and wind power, plug-in hybrid cars, high-speed trains, and other essentials for a new green economy.

Yes, this will be costly, but – unlike the gabillion dollar giveaway to Wall Street hucksters – this is a sensible investment that'll produce tangible results for every American and restore our nation's economic strength. Think about it: Money is like manure – it only works if you spread it around.