4 ms·
It's basically "New Deal"-type spending that is acceptable to the right wing (which, for the most part these days, includes the Democrats). The economy is in sh
by glesica 11y ago
It's basically "New Deal"-type spending that is acceptable to the right wing (which, for the most part these days, includes the Democrats). The economy is in shambles, so you have to do something about it. But fixing the economy would involve breaking from your orthodoxy and upsetting your wealthy sponsors. So what do you do? Pay the unemployed to build killing machines, everyone loves those.
- cbd1984 11y agoIt's easy to blame the wealthy sponsors, but some blame also rests on the people who are convinced that literally all of the taxes they pay on their 250%-of-poverty-line income go to support those on 150%-of-poverty-line assistance programs, and that that's a terrible thing, because of someone they met once who got more than they 'deserved' from the system. There's a whole psychology there which is missed by the usual "blame everything on the rich" reflexes. It's a problem which will have to be addressed if any social reforms are actually going to stick, as opposed to being pissed away in tax cuts and whinging about how much more deserving the poor were back before they could afford to treat two major diseases a lifetime.
- glesica 11y agoOh I agree with you. But I also think that that attitude is driven, at least partially, by the rich. If you're part of the top N%, for N<50, you must convince other people that what is in your best interest is also in their best interest. This is what has happened, the middle class have been turned against themselves and the poor.
- josho 11y agoYes. It sometimes feels like the U.S. Is a social welfare state. Except all the social welfare is given to large military contractors. Humph, I suppose that's what they mean by military industrial complex.