General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region Forums1%er mentality. - This is war.
In the 70's my Dad got fired from the best job he ever had. The company let go the last 4 people they hired and blamed it on the quotas. Dad begged to keep his job. He had 6 kids at home. He was told to go paint his face black and come back.
Black people were his enemy he was told. But the truth was the company could hire 4 black men for a fraction of what they paid a white man. It's the reason why the 1%ers allowed those laws to get passed in the first place. So they could cut labor costs and blame someone else (Uncle Sam).
In the 80's about everyone knew was either working for a large manufacturing company or a small time supplier. Factories were closing almost every day it seemed. Unions were blamed. "Lazy workers" were told to grab a bootstrap and go to college.... The 1%ers got a twofer out of this deal. Not only did they force down wages for everyone but they also sucked huge amounts of wealth out of people trying to pay for college.
In the 90's they killed off pensions and benefits. They blamed their own "greedy lazy workers". They dangled 401K and IRA in our faces. "look see you will get to keep this money even after you die" they said. And so they shifted the cost of supporting used up workers to the individual. Then they bought off the government and got the regulations killed off. And they laughed all the way to the bank.
We were getting wise to them. Finally..... just about the time 9-11-2001 showed up. Now it is full on open season on workers. Every week there's another group to blame for our troubles. We've covered everyone from unions to gays to the Arabs to the Mexicans to the blacks and even the lily white soccer moms. And while we squabble over the little bits they allow us to split between us, the 1% walks away with the lions share.
And as if all this were not enough now they think they can dictate what medical care the women who work for them can receive, or who can marry whom, or what I am permitted to say on the internet from my home computer to my own family and friends, or even whether or not I eat bacon and donuts for breakfast.
We are at war. The Reaganites types who still believe "he with the most toys wins" are the enemies of the rest of us. I don't know how we beat them but if we do not I firmly believe it will be the end of the USA in any form we know it.
We somehow, someway, need to figure out how to quit squabbling with each other over the scraps, and remember who the real enemy is.
I post this now because the run up to November is full on. Work to get real progressives in office. Work to get the Democrats who think bedding down with the 1% is somehow needed to stop doing so.
Thank you for reading.
defacto7
(13,485 posts)The last 35 years or so have been disastrous for America. We are at war if we want to salvage what's left and reclaim the future for our children.
emsimon33
(3,128 posts)theaocp
(4,236 posts)second to last paragraph. There are too many who will not "work to get real progressives in office". They have, are now, and will stump for those "who think bedding down with the 1%" is the way of the walk for our country. Fuck the 3rd Way Dems and all those who support them.
jeff47
(26,549 posts)It's going to take a while to build up a large block of liberal politicians. Took the Republicans about 30 years to get a big enough block of conservatives. It'll take us less time, since we're asking people to vote in their interest instead of abstract bullshit like the Republicans are. But it's still gonna take a while.
So for now, use the 3rd way idiots. Yes, they will get in the way sometimes, but they'll get out of the way sometimes too.
Then we discard them once we've built up enough liberal politicians.
Populist_Prole
(5,364 posts)Agree. Every word.
DesertDiamond
(1,616 posts)Especially when my Republican friends start ranting Faux News BS. I plainly point out the divide and conquer tactic that the corporations are using to defeat us, and encourage them that we have to unite. I have had some amazing success with this. I am continuing and will awaken every one of my Republican friends.
Enthusiast
(50,983 posts)Seriously, keep up the good work.
bearssoapbox
(1,408 posts)For my wife and I it was the mid 80's when things really started going down the toilet.
Now the rethugs and their corporate masters want to deny those that have fallen on hard times the basic needs to live and/or exist.
We definitely have to get as many people to vote as possible.
InAbLuEsTaTe
(24,122 posts)ReRe
(10,597 posts)If I knew how to do it, I would add the clip of Elvis singing "Kentucky Woman!"
Yes, November is nigh. Thank you for this good old-fashioned "talking-to". And what your OP says is exactly what is explained in Hedrick Smith's Who Stole the AMERICAN DREAM!" Everyone, and I mean everyone, needs to pick this book up and read it. I guarantee you it's an easy read and you'll be done with it in no time. Go to your library. If they don't have it, tell them to use the inter-library loan system to get it for you. They will call you when it comes in. Go get it immediately, as if you don't come and get it within a few days, they will send it back. OR purchase it on Amazon.com or ABEBooks.com, or whatever online bookstore you use. Search around and I'm sure you can get it almost for a song now, as it's out in trade paperback. It was published in 2012 by Random House. Smith takes you from 1970s right up to 2012 and explains everything, all in one book. No more searching around for different books to try to get to the bottom of the mess this country is in.
He tells you, to a person, who led this country down this rosy path. It was in a document entitled "The Powell Memorandum," written in 1971 by Lewis Powell, a renown corporate lawyer, who was appointed to the Supreme Court two months later by Richard M. Nixon. (I guess he wasn't seated until after he was confirmed by the Senate, in 1972.)
"We must make our choice. We may have democracy, or we may have wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we can't have both." ~~ Louis D. Brandeis
pansypoo53219
(20,974 posts)Teamster Jeff
(1,598 posts)Scuba
(53,475 posts)Enthusiast
(50,983 posts)Well done, KentuckyWoman.
grahamhgreen
(15,741 posts)KentuckyWoman
(6,679 posts)Not only did they shift the burden of supporting us when they've used us up to us but they pick our pockets during the entire process.
IRA and 401K is more than just a 2fer. It might even be a 5fer. The sheer amount of money they shovel to the top just in this part of finances alone is staggering.
Triana
(22,666 posts)We can count on that. Full stop.