In the early days of
the industrial revolution, capitalism had two classes: the capitalistic
class and the working class. The capitalists wore tops hats and
suits and the workers--work clothes. This was the case in the US
after the Civil war and until the height of the Progressive movement.
Workers worked 60
hours a week under oppressive conditions. There were no benefits, and
safety in the work place was non-existent. Child labor was common.
Many of the industrial management practices in the US were based on
techniques used during slavery in the antebellum South
It wasn't until the
Progressive movement which broke up trusts, the rise of labor unions
and the New Deal that a vibrant middle class developed in the US.
It seems the entire
objective of Red State conservatism and,in particular,
libertarianism, is to return the US to a two class system.
Conservatives have achieved this to a certain degree already. The
middle class has been declining since the Reagan era and class
mobility in the US is the most stagnant of the industrial nations.
Even billionaires are concerned about lack of social mobility in the
US.
In the past, a
college education was a ticket out of the working class, but college
expenses have risen as fast as medical care and many young people do
not wanted to be saddled with lifelong student debt. Extending public
education two more years may provide a partial solution to the
conundrum millennials are now in.
Student debt and
working wages are the main reason millennial couples cannot afford
to purchase a house. Blackstone, the hedge fund has been buying up
houses in the $100-$150K range because it suggests “renting is the
new American dream.”
Conservatives say
the nation will be better off with more privatization and less
regulation. They support right to work laws and want to raise the
retirement age for Social Security, which will be raised to 67
shortly, and to privatize Medicare and Veterans Affairs.
Conservatives also strongly resisted the Affordable Care Act which
has reduced the number of medically uninsured to below 10 per cent in
the US for the first time.
Red Staters can
waive their Confederate flags, picket planned parenthood clinics and
yell about State's Rights, but
it is clear the Red States lag behind the Blue in many areas: lower
literacy rates and higher drop out rates, more STDs and teen
pregnancy, lower wages and more poverty. Most of the federal welfare
disbursements in the US go to the Red States.
In the end the Blue
States with more liberal polices win. Many of the people who live in
the Red States will be lucky to make it to 74. Most of the people in
the Blue States live past 80 years of age.
sources:
http://www.businessinsider.com/social-mobility-is-a-myth-in-the-us-2013-3?op=1
http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/personalfinance/2015/06/14/credit-dotcom-renting-american-dream/71053284/
Subscribe to the Rightardia feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/blogspot/UFPYA
Rightardia by Rightard Whitey of Rightardia is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.
Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at rightardia@gmail.com.
