3 ms·

The problem is that more people are middle class+ than ever... so while you complain of "decades of waiting" the fact remains that all boats ARE rising. The on

The problem is that more people are middle class+ than ever... so while you complain of "decades of waiting" the fact remains that all boats ARE rising. The only difference is that you now have a direct connection to the few that have risen faster - there have always been those people. But you now see them. They are still the 1% but they are in your face like never before. "it's time to try something else" What else is there? Socialism? Tried, failed worse. Communism? Even worse. In all systems man has created, there's inequality. "equity" (equal outcome) has been proven an unmitigated disaster time and time and time again. Capitalism is the worst system ever. Except for all the other systems which are worse.

arvinsim 6y ago
IMO Capitalism is not sustainable. And if this the best system that mankind can come up with, then the future looks bleak.
- wernercd 6y ago
  Well, honest question... what's the alternative? because all the other options have proven to be worse by magnitudes of order. Calls that it's not sustainable are like cries of impending starvation and privation... yet "famines" haven't happened because advances created by... capitalism. Better crop yields, better farm results, etc. Driven by "greedy capitalists". can we do better? Sure... fight crony capitalism? coporatism? absolutely... But end of day... the alternatives? have proven worse - unless you have proof otherwise and history isn't with you on that...
  - arvinsim 6y ago
    Capitalism, as we have it today is not even a century old. It hasn't had the to probe itself if it can last that long. Calling it the "best" we got is rather short sighted.
newacct583 6y ago
> more people are middle class+ than ever Are you citing absolute numbers? The study people usually talk about most here is the Pew one: https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2020/01/09/trends-in-income-and-wealth-inequality/ https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2020/01/09/trends-... Over the past half century, the middle third of the income distribution has dropped from 62% of aggregate income to 43%, mostly at the expense of the upper third (the bottom third is mostly flat, but certainly not "rising"). > "it's time to try something else" What else is there? The New Deal seems to have done pretty well. Minimum wage laws used to be vastly more effective due to inflation, and we grew just fine in the 60's. Some of it is just fairness: Upper incomes and short term capital gains used to bear a much larger share of the tax burden, and those cuts seem to have done nothing but make rich people richer. This canard is so tiresome. Someone does the peasant "I think we should improve society somewhat" thing and inevitably they get accused of being a (pause for breah) COMMUNIST. Every time.
- wernercd 6y ago
  > Are you citing absolute numbers? https://medium.com/the-radical-center/the-triumph-of-the-middle-class-f5bc95110fd7 https://medium.com/the-radical-center/the-triumph-of-the-mid... Plenty of info out there that wealth is getting distributed globally. The absolute poor are decreasing and the middle class globally is increasing - absolute numbers and by the %'ages. > inevitably get accused If you use the ideas and thoughts of it... then of course you're going to get accused of it. And your "why you gotta call me a communist" doesn't answer the question... what other options are there?
  - newacct583 6y ago
    Those numbers are global. I don't see how they're relevant to the subject at hand. "America" is literally in the title of the linked article, and the discussion is primarily about US tax and entitlement policy. > what other options are there? How about a "democrat"?
    - wernercd 6y ago

arvinsim 6y ago

IMO Capitalism is not sustainable. And if this the best system that mankind can come up with, then the future looks bleak.

wernercd 6y ago
Well, honest question... what's the alternative? because all the other options have proven to be worse by magnitudes of order. Calls that it's not sustainable are like cries of impending starvation and privation... yet "famines" haven't happened because advances created by... capitalism. Better crop yields, better farm results, etc. Driven by "greedy capitalists". can we do better? Sure... fight crony capitalism? coporatism? absolutely... But end of day... the alternatives? have proven worse - unless you have proof otherwise and history isn't with you on that...
- arvinsim 6y ago
  Capitalism, as we have it today is not even a century old. It hasn't had the to probe itself if it can last that long. Calling it the "best" we got is rather short sighted.

newacct583 6y ago

> more people are middle class+ than ever Are you citing absolute numbers? The study people usually talk about most here is the Pew one: https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2020/01/09/trends-in-income-and-wealth-inequality/ https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2020/01/09/trends-... Over the past half century, the middle third of the income distribution has dropped from 62% of aggregate income to 43%, mostly at the expense of the upper third (the bottom third is mostly flat, but certainly not "rising"). > "it's time to try something else" What else is there? The New Deal seems to have done pretty well. Minimum wage laws used to be vastly more effective due to inflation, and we grew just fine in the 60's. Some of it is just fairness: Upper incomes and short term capital gains used to bear a much larger share of the tax burden, and those cuts seem to have done nothing but make rich people richer. This canard is so tiresome. Someone does the peasant "I think we should improve society somewhat" thing and inevitably they get accused of being a (pause for breah) COMMUNIST. Every time.

wernercd 6y ago
> Are you citing absolute numbers? https://medium.com/the-radical-center/the-triumph-of-the-middle-class-f5bc95110fd7 https://medium.com/the-radical-center/the-triumph-of-the-mid... Plenty of info out there that wealth is getting distributed globally. The absolute poor are decreasing and the middle class globally is increasing - absolute numbers and by the %'ages. > inevitably get accused If you use the ideas and thoughts of it... then of course you're going to get accused of it. And your "why you gotta call me a communist" doesn't answer the question... what other options are there?
- newacct583 6y ago
  Those numbers are global. I don't see how they're relevant to the subject at hand. "America" is literally in the title of the linked article, and the discussion is primarily about US tax and entitlement policy. > what other options are there? How about a "democrat"?
  - wernercd 6y ago