The American middle class is disappearing. It is being destroyed by big corporations that are only concerned with enriching themselves and stockholders at the expense of employees and communities. The working class is, instead, blaming the lower classes and immigrants for their stagnant wages and lack of opportunity.
Corporations need to invest in their communities instead of hoarding the country’s wealth. Government regulation needs to invest the country’s wealth in infrastructure, education and affordable healthcare. America’s workers need to earn a livable wage.
The push for privatization often harms the public good. For instance, Robert Reich reports that the administrative costs of Medicaid is 1.1% while the administrative costs of private healthcare is 11%.
I am overwhelmed because there is no easy answer. And as soon as you say publicly funded, you’re labeled a socialist, even though, publicly funded entities have made America great (e.g. education, highway system, military).
There are news sources who are misleading the working class by making them believe that corporate greed is good and that labor unions are bad, that nationalism is better than globalism, and that our economic growth is not dependent on immigration.
There are at least a dozen topics mentioned here that could be explored more deeply and I will try to learn more and share my findings in future blogs. Have a Happy New Year!
reilly m gray 