COVID-19 is the climax to this 4T

[David Horn]

(04-28-2020, 02:45 PM)Warren Dew Wrote:

(04-28-2020, 12:35 PM)David Horn Wrote: Look at history.

When I look at history, I see concentration of power reaching a maximum at the beginning of each Crisis period, with the crisis war destroying some of the elites, making room for upward mobility again.  By 1850, field slaves were heavily concentrated on large plantations, and the industrial powers of the North were also concentrated; destruction of the South and elimination of slavery facilitated upward mobility first by carpetbaggers and then by the rest of the Gilded.  Concentration of wealth and power again peaked around 1930 - there's plenty of statistical evidence for this - and things stayed stagnant until World War Two destroyed Europe and again made room for growth.  Most recently, concentration of wealth and power again reached a peak around 2000, resulting in the current stagnancy.  One way or another, some of that is again going to be destroyed, again making room for others to grow.

I don't buy your version of events in total, but let's say you're right.  The imbalance today is much worse than it was before the COVID-19 pandemic started, and the imbalance is now threatening our social stability.  Except, there will be no crisis war this time, so alternatives need to be pursued. The only viable alternatives I see are political: tax the rich heavily -- the 1950s is a good benchmark.  Reinstitute mandatory universal public service.  Right now, the elite of the elite never even see, to say nothing of interacting with, anyone not part of their class.  That needs to change.  And for heavens sake, start a real program to do what the Chinese have already done: build all new infrastructure.

Rectifying the power imbalance of rural v. urban is harder.  It may require that urban America refuse to pay for their rural cousins unless power is rebalanced.  It will be messy.  I'll be missing that one, by simple demographics.  It will take decades, and I'm short of decades to wait.