The Partisan Divide on Issues

[Bob Butler 54]

(03-02-2021, 10:01 AM)pbrower2a Wrote:

(03-01-2021, 01:53 PM)Classic-Xer Wrote:

(02-24-2021, 01:23 PM)David Horn Wrote:

(02-23-2021, 06:46 PM)Classic-Xer Wrote: Labor is mainly being displaced by foreign trade policies and machines to a lesser extent. Are you getting rich off doing business with China? Are you kicking back and living of a dividend check or stocks associated with Chinese trade or getting a kick back for use of ports or a political kick back to ensure lopsided trade deals remain in place?

I thought you liked capitalism, because that's the reason for all of this.  Relocating South was the mantra in the 1970s, when the Right-to-Work movement started in earnest-- anything to cut labor coasts, you know.  Offshoring was the mantra that followed, once it became obvious that labor was even cheaper elsewhere. None of this was promoted by politicians.  It was you business guys.  So blame?  Look in the mirror.

I was a kid during the 70's.

That is not an excuse for failing to learn about the past. Before the neoliberal era, Big Business and Big Labor were able to hammer out compromises that kept the overall economy competitive for both and ensured that Big Business made profits and workers made solid wages. The consumer economy was the reward for competent, dedicated, diligent service to the engine of prosperity and progress. 

Then Ronald Reagan offered something new -- the capacity for elites to make wild promises of some super-prosperity in return for treating workers badly and taking away any pretense of economic security or economic equity, and having no responsibility except to any but the elites. Management became harsh. Monopolization and vertical integration became the norm.   

It's falling apart, and historical patterns explain why. Economic orders that work for only one small clique of elitists inevitably go bad. There is no technological fix for moral rot, including irresponsibility among elites. There is no Divine Blessing of pathological narcissism.

I put a slightly different spin on it.  Elite classes will seek benefit for the elite classes and oppress the workers if given the chance.  Marxist revolutions give such a chance.  The Party becomes an elite class.  The union of elite money and racist votes was another chance.  The Republicans took it.  Kings took it too.  For a long time during the Agricultural Age the nobles had a monopoly on military power, and used it.

But these days I am inclined to believe the worst flaw in a culture is addressed during the crisis.  Any problem not fixed will grow.  A crisis will eventually come.  Problems will be solved.

The division of wealth is getting to be the biggest problem in the culture.  I can agree with Einzige that the problem will be addressed.  Marx did see a valid problem.  I disagree that violence is the common way to change democratic cultures in the Information Age.  Autocratic cultures, maybe.  They are poor at listening to the people.  It may come to violence as the last resort.  

But the crisis level problems this time include racisim and fixing the economy enough to feed the kids and keep a roof over their heads.  I see the worst problems being solved in a crisis, but not all problems.