Commenting on how middle class ‘real’ incomes have remained “flatlined” over the past three decades, columnist Gil Smart observes in “Turning us all into plebes”:
“This stunning acquiescence to economic serfdom is a mark of how thoroughly we’ve internalized the propaganda of the past 30 years. The free market being the epitome of efficiency and morality, your employer will pay you whatever he or she or it wishes, and that is automatically “fair” and “just,” and you will accept it as such. And we do…
“Now, instead of getting angry at this, anger is directed at those who enjoy the ironclad workplace security once enjoyed by a far greater percentage of the people. Now it’s They have it too good, rather than, What happened to our own prosperity?”
WATCHDOG: Three, yes three, wags of the tail for a world class column by Smart.
It is a great puzzlement why the vast majority of our countrymen is oblivious to how their baser envies and ignorance are being manipulated to the end that, as Smart also suggested, they are getting the “shaft” rather than the “gold.”
Susan Jacoby’s “The age of American Unreason” traces the cultural history of the nation from its settlement to current times and endeavors to explain our mass myopia. It isn’t an easy read and she may not always be right, but much cultural history can be learned from the book and someone has to try to get a grasp of the causes of this mass abdication of self interest and tragic ignorance of science, history and current events.
In her early chapters, she points a finger to local control of public education which perpetuates prejudice and ignorance and lack of respect for education in general and contempt for intellectuals (people with broad knowledge) in general. More on this later as we read more, although Jacoby’s writing does not lend itself to sound bites.
What would really be a ‘world class column’, would be one where Gil writes about another new house…this time back in Pittsburgh where he came from!!!!!
“Now, instead of getting angry at this, anger is directed at those who enjoy the ironclad workplace security once enjoyed by a far greater percentage of the people. Now it’s They have it too good, rather than, What happened to our own prosperity?”
I’m not angry at these workers hoping to protect their wages and benefits, but I must say I did not see them step up when my (gov’t sanctioned) pension and jobs were stolen. Now without a pension I’m to be taxed to pay for their pensions — sorry I can’t support that.
I would suggest the state workers accept the wages and benefits of the median or average taxpayer in their state. How could that not be fair?