This bothers me about Obama....

kluge
Wed, 02 Apr 2008 10:31:00 +0000

Christcorp, you’re fighting a straw man (again). I’ve never argued for economic uniformity. I know you’d rather divert the discussion into an argument over something no one here at CC has ever advocated than address what I’m actually talking about, but I’ll keep pointing out the uncomfortable economic realities of what the “conservative” ideologues have done to America. I’ll keep pointing to the well documented increase in the relative gap between the wealthy and the poor and middle class which has occurred over the past 30 years as all of the increase in the nation’s wealth has been channeled to the top economic strata, with none of that rising tide lifting the boats of anyone in the lower half (lower 75% is probably more accurate) of the nation’s wealth distribution.

I think a healthy society has rich and poor, and mostly middle class, with opportunity for the hard-working, bright, and just plain lucky to improve their lot, and for the foolish and dissolute to see their fortunes suffer. Everyone having the same wealth is unhealthy; and so is having a few who are extremely wealthy and many who are stuck in economic stagnation, with increasingly limited mobility between the two groups. It is a fact that we are moving towards a much more wealth-stratified society than we have ever been in modern history. And it is also a fact that it is getting harder and harder for a person to move from one economic strata to another. It is harder for a person who is born poor to significantly improve his or her lot in life now than it was when we were young. It is also less likely for a wealthy person to fall into the middle class or below.

I also agree that these changes - and they are changes from the economic status quo which prevailed throughout the 20th century, up until about 1980 - are OUR fault, because we as a nation are responsible for what we allow to happen. But the first step in correcting our error is to admit that these things have happened. Accusing anyone who points out the things I’ve pointed out of being a socialist, setting up straw man arguments to change the subject, etc. are all tactics frequently utilized here on CC as well as elsewhere to avoid addressing the issue.

As for the debt, I’m afraid your loyalty to your party has blinded you to reality: the debt is completely a Republican creation. I understand that Republicans are not big on taking responsibility for the clear consequences of their policies and actions, but: Reagan’s “voodoo economics.” Bush’s tax cuts. Deregulation and resultant corporate bailouts. All the double-talk about “supply side” and “trickle down” and half truths about how much debt the nation can “comfortably handle.” The Republicans have been the ones pushing every policy which has contributed to the growth in the national debt. Check out “starve the beast” if you want to know why. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starve-the-beast It’s a shameful, cynical strategy, the first part of which has been executed flawlessly.