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> A lot of people in America seem to believe that the hardworking "real Americans" in the middle of the country are subsidizing the poorly-run coastal liberal
by iammisc 5y ago
> A lot of people in America seem to believe that the hardworking "real Americans" in the middle of the country are subsidizing the poorly-run coastal liberal enclaves. In reality, the money almost always flows in the other direction; taxpayers in cities are subsidizing the rural-dwellers. This has nothing to do with work ethic, it's just a hard fact that a lot of costs scale with square miles instead of with people (roads, emergency services), and that lower cost of living in the country leads to lower incomes which lead to lower tax revenue.
You've made up this narrative of what 'the other side' thinks.
I'll recast it for you.
* start narrative *
A lot of people in america seem to believe that their wages have stagnated while witnessing the wages of those living on the coast, who often disagree politically with them, rise stratospherically. To them it seems like the coastal elites do nothing, while they are quite literally breaking their backs to earn a paltry wage, that they then owe to the very coastal elites they feel are doing nothing.
It seems like they take the money, pay it in taxes, subsidize us and tell us we should grovel to them for it, while simultaneously opposing policies we feel would reduce the dependence. For example, they tell us we can't water our farms because of 'global warming', and instead should rely on their benevolence. But we don't want that benevolence.
* end narrative *
When you put it that way, you realize the 'hardworking real Americans' actually have a lot in common with far-left labor activists. And you'd be right. It would behoove everyone to have more compassion and charity towards their countrymen.
Anyway, there is a drastic shift in the Republican party that has gone completely unnoticed. Trump, everything from his personality to his tactics are more reminiscent of the pre-neo-liberal democrat party establishment than anything else. There is a real warming up of the republican base to social programs, government spending, and unions, so long as those institutions prioritize what they believe to be important issues. This is a far cry from the anti-spending, anti-union GOP of old.
- foobiter 5y agohard to have compassion for your countrymen when they think you don’t belong in the country…
- joshka 5y agoHow does this viewpoint square up with the partisan divide over $15 minimum wage?
- iammisc 5y agoThis one's not really about partisanship but rather about cost of living and purchasing power. $15/hr would buy you a lot more in a red state, where things are cheaper, than a blue state where things are more expensive. Honestly, a federally-mandated minimum wage does a disservice to the poorer areas of the country. Why would a company (and thus a tax payer) move to a place that's farther out, has fewer services, etc if they have to pay the same for labor. It's no wonder that these places end up being resource-extraction driven -- the labor pool, which naturally would be cheaper, has been given a price floor. $15/hr min wage makes sense in Cali and other high cost states. It should be up to the states, and really ought to be set at the local level.
- hackyhacky 5y agoI don't see much difference between the "new Trumpian GOP" and "old GOP" in terms of concrete policy. Both are staunchly anti-immigration, both reject social programs aimed at helping those in poverty (including healthcare, such as the Affordable Care Act), both want to increase privatization of government services (such as education and the post office), both oppose unions (arguably one of the best ways to ensure a consistent increase in wages). And most importantly, both the new and old GOP define themselves mostly by what they aren't: all those smart-talkin', book-larnin' liberals on the coast. Hot top: it isn't the coastal liberals who are causing stagnating wages. It's the anti-union, labor-exploiting wealthy who are the stars of the GOP.
- iammisc 5y ago> Both are staunchly anti-immigration Anti-immigration is a new GOP sentiment. Traditional small-government libertarianism/conservatism is pro-immigration. Look at Bush and Reagan. Anti-immigration is more in line with the labor movements, like the one run by Cesar Chavez. > both reject social programs aimed at helping those in poverty (including healthcare, such as the Affordable Care Act Not true at all. Many GOP members I know would be pro-gov't healthcare if we had our borders under control. The main difference I see between the dems and GOP in this regard is nationalism. > both oppose unions Not really. Trump's policies are incredibly popular among union members even if not popular with union leadership. Those two groups have different interests. > It's the anti-union, labor-exploiting wealthy who are the stars of the GOP. Who no one in the GOP likes anymore. Honestly, go read patriots.win or something, they'll tell you exactly what they think of the wealthy GOP.