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June 10, 2005
From Classless Society to Class Warfare
When I was growing up in the forties and fifties my parents and the other adults around me told me one of two things: either America was a classless society or America was striving to be a classless society. My parents were Republicans. Reading Paul Krugman's column in the New York Times (registration required) reminded me of how far we have come from those naive but hopeful days. I quote two passages to whet your appetite.
He sets the stage.
Baby boomers like me grew up in a relatively equal society. In the 1960's America was a place in which very few people were extremely wealthy, many blue-collar workers earned wages that placed them comfortably in the middle class, and working families could expect steadily rising living standards and a reasonable degree of economic security.
He notes the change.
Since 1980 in particular, U.S. government policies have consistently favored the wealthy at the expense of working families - and under the current administration, that favoritism has become extreme and relentless. From tax cuts that favor the rich to bankruptcy "reform" that punishes the unlucky, almost every domestic policy seems intended to accelerate our march back to the robber baron era.
He points out the problems faced by those who still long for the classless society.
To suggest that sustaining programs like Social Security, which protects working Americans from economic risk, should have priority over tax cuts for the rich is to practice "class warfare." To show concern over the growing inequality is to engage in the "politics of envy."
For those on the right, deep class distinctions now seems to be a good thing. But, the real class warfare we face today is not against the wealthy but against the vanishing middle class and the poor. Let's find a way to those more lofty ideas of our youth. As usual, Krugman's entire column deserves to be read.
Posted by DuaneSmith at June 10, 2005 11:37 AM | Read more on Current Events |
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