Our greatest fears
Baltimore City Paper: NEWS. Interviews by Lee Gardner and Jason Torres
I would like you to pay especial attention to two of the last three interviews (of Anirban Basu and Lee Gardner).
I've mentioned it before: we're running out of room and food on this planet. Basu paints a further grim picture. What happens to a society when there is no middle class? Pre-industrial and early-industrial Russia comes to mind. It was little more than aristocracy and the serfs. We all know what a great contribution to Western (or any) civilization that group of people made. Well, ultimately, it led to the Soviet Union. But it was much easier to hold a revolution back in 1917.
Without a middle class, the US would have nothing more than the filthy rich (the top 5%), the dirt poor, and those who work in the government. I work in the government. My mother worked for the IRS. My father was in law enforcement. We were/are all middle class people. Hard to figure out who would constitute ANY "middle class" in this kind of a future. And what will happen to the social systems we have in place when the vast majority of people are either on the government dole (either through the social system or on the government payroll)? Who will pony up that dough? The top 5%?? Hell no! These are the people who pay to put politicians into power (through special interest groups, lobbyists, etc). They're not going to give away their hard-earned millions and billions of dollars (in most cases, I'm not saying that sarcastically). But they'll be the only ones with the money. It's either:
(a) the richest people in the US will be fronting all (I said, ALL) tax revenues...
(b) we just ignore the poor (who will be the largest voting base by far), or ...
(c) put an end to shipping so many jobs overseas.
"A" will never happen. The top 5% have too much vested interest in keeping the bulk of their money. Note that the top 5% of Americans pay more than 5% of the total tax revenue. So you can thumb your nose at the upper crust all you want. The majority of these folk got their money the hard way: they earned it. And yes, there are the handful of corporate scumbags who seemed to revel in "earning" that money off the backs of the repressed, etceteras (insert your liberal rant here). But they are a minority. We should also note that some of THE richest people in the WORLD are the biggest philanthropists. They could just as easily keep all their billions of dollars.
"B" is unconscionable. And, to prevent a popular uprising a-la 1917 Russia, we'd have to confiscate all the guns and be able to track ... well, everyone. Strange...that's what a lot of conspiracy theorists are saying what's happening right now. Everyone go get your tinfoil hats now! But all levity aside, this is a potential scenario. Think about it logically: what WOULD "average" Americans do if we were all lumped into the 95% who are the "have nots?" Just grin and bear it? Or, perhaps, we'll entertain ourselves with the lives of celebrities and reality TV, and try to escape from it all.
"C" is also not likely without the voters banding together and telling the politicians "NO." We would have to enact laws that control how big businesses outsource jobs, AND to restrict who gets what rights when they come into this country--especially if entry into this country was illegal. And, in just two breaths, I've already alienated Republicans and Democrats, in that order. (the politicians, at least)
Thus, my view of the future is not very bright. Maybe I just have my head up my ass, because the outlook really is quite shitty.
I would like you to pay especial attention to two of the last three interviews (of Anirban Basu and Lee Gardner).
I've mentioned it before: we're running out of room and food on this planet. Basu paints a further grim picture. What happens to a society when there is no middle class? Pre-industrial and early-industrial Russia comes to mind. It was little more than aristocracy and the serfs. We all know what a great contribution to Western (or any) civilization that group of people made. Well, ultimately, it led to the Soviet Union. But it was much easier to hold a revolution back in 1917.
Without a middle class, the US would have nothing more than the filthy rich (the top 5%), the dirt poor, and those who work in the government. I work in the government. My mother worked for the IRS. My father was in law enforcement. We were/are all middle class people. Hard to figure out who would constitute ANY "middle class" in this kind of a future. And what will happen to the social systems we have in place when the vast majority of people are either on the government dole (either through the social system or on the government payroll)? Who will pony up that dough? The top 5%?? Hell no! These are the people who pay to put politicians into power (through special interest groups, lobbyists, etc). They're not going to give away their hard-earned millions and billions of dollars (in most cases, I'm not saying that sarcastically). But they'll be the only ones with the money. It's either:
(a) the richest people in the US will be fronting all (I said, ALL) tax revenues...
(b) we just ignore the poor (who will be the largest voting base by far), or ...
(c) put an end to shipping so many jobs overseas.
"A" will never happen. The top 5% have too much vested interest in keeping the bulk of their money. Note that the top 5% of Americans pay more than 5% of the total tax revenue. So you can thumb your nose at the upper crust all you want. The majority of these folk got their money the hard way: they earned it. And yes, there are the handful of corporate scumbags who seemed to revel in "earning" that money off the backs of the repressed, etceteras (insert your liberal rant here). But they are a minority. We should also note that some of THE richest people in the WORLD are the biggest philanthropists. They could just as easily keep all their billions of dollars.
"B" is unconscionable. And, to prevent a popular uprising a-la 1917 Russia, we'd have to confiscate all the guns and be able to track ... well, everyone. Strange...that's what a lot of conspiracy theorists are saying what's happening right now. Everyone go get your tinfoil hats now! But all levity aside, this is a potential scenario. Think about it logically: what WOULD "average" Americans do if we were all lumped into the 95% who are the "have nots?" Just grin and bear it? Or, perhaps, we'll entertain ourselves with the lives of celebrities and reality TV, and try to escape from it all.
"C" is also not likely without the voters banding together and telling the politicians "NO." We would have to enact laws that control how big businesses outsource jobs, AND to restrict who gets what rights when they come into this country--especially if entry into this country was illegal. And, in just two breaths, I've already alienated Republicans and Democrats, in that order. (the politicians, at least)
Thus, my view of the future is not very bright. Maybe I just have my head up my ass, because the outlook really is quite shitty.
posted by xanadian at 1:41 PM
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