Democrats: The White Working Class Isn’t Voting for You, So Stop Pandering to Them

Cat shaming doesn't work

Comes across as Cat bragging more than shaming:

It was not factory jobs that created the great American middle class

It was a combination of:

1. Government intervention into the management of companies that forced them to collectively bargain with workers.
2. Labor laws e.g.the 40 hour work week and OT pay
3. Lack of foreign competition
4. Discrimination against African Americans and Women which limited competition for White men and raised their wages
5. Fear of the spread of Soviet communism for which a large middle class would act as a buffer

None of these things would return if we brought back every factory job in the world onto American shores. If that were to happen, you would have to pay American workers the same wage as the factory workers in other nations. Otherwise, these companies would not be able to compete. For example, if Apple made every product in the U.S., they would have to pay their factory workers the same as Samsung or go out of business.

Folks, globalization is here whether you like it or not. There's nothing that a president can do.

An old man music rant here. Show me a current song that can match this.

What kind of musical instrument is this?

How do you play it?

Globalization, trade deals, and immigration is not what's killing the middle class

in either the US or the UK. People are conflating the two. What is killing the middle class is their reluctance to vote for politicians, across the board, that will invest in the American people. It's voting for Republicans here like Brownback and Cameron in the UK who push massive austerity programs which rob the middle class of vital benefits like education and healthcare.

There's this myth that factory jobs create a middle class, and that is just wrong. Even if we brought back every factory job in the world back to the US, the middle class would be in the same condition that it's currently in. Those factories would still have to compete globally and that would mean that wages and benefits would have to reflect the global markets. Additionally, environmental regulations would have to be relaxed as well.

For example, Carrier air conditioning has to compete with Korean and Chinese manufacturers for market share. Forcing them to operate entirely in the US would mean they'd either have to cut wages or go out of business.

The answer to rebuilding the middle class is not shutting yourself off from the world. The answer is to vote for pols on state and federal levels that will spend money on education, infrastructure, research, etc. Borwnback is doing more to destroy the middle class than China could ever do.

Brexit? Is that a Baylon Greyjoy move?

You cannot vote globalization and technology away without hurting yourself even more

You want high quality products like iPhones, Samsung Galaxy phones, flat screen high-def TVs, Prius, affordable clothes at Old Navy, computers, etc., etc. If you want goods and services at reasonable prices, then you have to accept globalization, immigration, and technology that make these things possible.

Sorry, but buying only American made products is not practical nor reasonable. Protectionism would only bring higher priced goods, less services, long delays, and a slower economy as consumers spend less which would lead to greater job losses. Be wary of policies that make you feel good, but are not really good for you.

The answer is to develop career skills that make you marketable in a global economy.

British Millennials: You've stolen our future

Things like the Brexit is why I own gold and silver.

I'm not 100% invested in precious metals, but I have some. There are global systemic risks that are far outside of your control that can fuck up your investments in a heartbeat no matter how cautious you are as an investor or saver.