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I was born in 1962. When I was young, we thought the future was bright and prosperous. In eighth grade, we discussed--seriously discussed--the 4 day workweek, and how we'd deal with all the "free time." The Jetson's was how life was going to be--20 hour workweek for ONE of the two spouses, the other spouse at home, a robotic maid that did all the housework, and prosperity for all.
This was the prosperity of a manufacturing economy (the post-WWII boom), when labor had bargaining power and could demand a share of profits. The promise of my childhood WOULD HAVE HAPPENED--but two critical things changed, and destroyed the bargaining power of the working class. In 1965 Washington adopted open-door immigration, in direct opposition to the previous strong immigration restrictions that kept the value of labor high. Then Washington adopted the Free Trade lunacy that allowed manufacturing, and huge number of jobs to be sent overseas.
These two things destroyed the value of labor, and the bargaining power of labor. Today we have record HIGH after-tax corporate profits, combined with record LOW worker's share of GDP. This is the nation we have under Big Government serving Big Business.
And liberals still think Big Government PROTECTS them--when it destroyed the American dream, once and for all. Don't expect another new nation without a corrupt ruling class to arise--we had ONE chance, and we don't even recognize WHAT WENT WRONG yet.
I was born in 1962. When I was young, we thought the future was bright and prosperous. In eighth grade, we discussed--seriously discussed--the 4 day workweek, and how we'd deal with all the "free time." The Jetson's was how life was going to be--20 hour workweek for ONE of the two spouses, the other spouse at home, a robotic maid that did all the housework, and prosperity for all.
This was the prosperity of a manufacturing economy (the post-WWII boom), when labor had bargaining power and could demand a share of profits. The promise of my childhood WOULD HAVE HAPPENED--but two critical things changed, and destroyed the bargaining power of the working class. In 1965 Washington adopted open-door immigration, in direct opposition to the previous strong immigration restrictions that kept the value of labor high. Then Washington adopted the Free Trade lunacy that allowed manufacturing, and huge number of jobs to be sent overseas.
These two things destroyed the value of labor, and the bargaining power of labor. Today we have record HIGH after-tax corporate profits, combined with record LOW worker's share of GDP. This is the nation we have under Big Government serving Big Business.
And liberals still think Big Government PROTECTS them--when it destroyed the American dream, once and for all. Don't expect another new nation without a corrupt ruling class to arise--we had ONE chance, and we don't even recognize WHAT WENT WRONG yet.
Nature abhors a vacuum; an open economy abhors "artificial privelege", and allows it to be competed away.
And "artificial privelege" is what the handful of surviving fully-industrialized economies enjoyed -- but only until the rest of the world recovered and caught up with us. The unions never had any real "bargaining power", and never will; they look successful only when they can enforce a monopoly on their "services", as teachers and public employees can (but the rest of us can't).
There are high-paying jobs out there -- particularly in technical and health-care related fields. But they tend to be time-consuming, and seldom allow you to divorce your activity from the million-and-one hangs ups of the person on the receiving end. That, I suspect, is why mature women, many of who have learned when to deal with this through the process of child-rearing, hold an advantage over men.
A rising tide lifts all boats, so we're not going to lose anything in absolute terms. But our situation can be compared to the contrast in opinions about a view from the 100th floor between someone who got in on the grounf floor, and someone who got in on the 95th -- it just doesn't seem like that much of a thrill to the latter.
And one final point to consider for you guys who wonder why your union cards won't get you into the Worker's Paradise: We used to have a system whereby indstrial powers "protected" their labor force with tarriffs; It eventualy spawned two mega-wars and killed millions of people.
The late author Walter Teller once opined that wartime conditions created a greater number of "quality" jobs: he was right, of course, but didn't have much to say about the downside: Frustration, tedium, and a slower rate of progress go hand-in-hand with a mature, service-focused peactime economy.
Last edited by 2nd trick op; 01-27-2014 at 11:00 PM..
I think every many people in every generation lose faith in the future, or feel they have nothing much left to look forward to. I lost faith around 2008. I was born in 1964. Technology and media overkill did it for me. I just can't and don't want to keep up.
Seems like people used to be very excited by the idea of the future and the progress it would bring. Flying cars, diseases wiped out, robots doing our chores. Better living through science and government. Modernist utopia. Now, people are so creeped out by what science has brought us. Internet monitoring, food chemicals, the strain of trying to keep up with it all. Why the change? And when?
um...maybe during the Bush Jr. administration? After he trashed the economy and rolled back taxes for higher earners, thereby ensuring the economy stays trashed? Or maybe some people's disillusionment goes all the way back to Reagan.
Location: RI, MA, VT, WI, IL, CA, IN (that one sucked), KY
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When we started ramping up anti intellectualism, both major parties did heavy shifts to the right, and the 24 hour media cycle constantly stoking the flames.
um...maybe during the Bush Jr. administration? After he trashed the economy and rolled back taxes for higher earners, thereby ensuring the economy stays trashed? Or maybe some people's disillusionment goes all the way back to Reagan.
Just a wild guess.
I live in Texas and am very optimistic about the future in Texas. I can not speak for the rest of the country as I dont live elsewhere. Geo Bush did not trash or screw up our economy in Tx so he must have had some help if he screwed up the national economy.
Good paying manufacturing jobs and a pro business environment seem to make a difference in Tx compared to NJ and PA where I have lived previously.
I find myself as optimistic now about the future as in the past but again, my future is in Tx
I was born in 1962. When I was young, we thought the future was bright and prosperous. In eighth grade, we discussed--seriously discussed--the 4 day workweek, and how we'd deal with all the "free time." The Jetson's was how life was going to be--20 hour workweek for ONE of the two spouses, the other spouse at home, a robotic maid that did all the housework, and prosperity for all.
This was the prosperity of a manufacturing economy (the post-WWII boom), when labor had bargaining power and could demand a share of profits. The promise of my childhood WOULD HAVE HAPPENED--but two critical things changed, and destroyed the bargaining power of the working class. In 1965 Washington adopted open-door immigration, in direct opposition to the previous strong immigration restrictions that kept the value of labor high. Then Washington adopted the Free Trade lunacy that allowed manufacturing, and huge number of jobs to be sent overseas.
These two things destroyed the value of labor, and the bargaining power of labor. Today we have record HIGH after-tax corporate profits, combined with record LOW worker's share of GDP. This is the nation we have under Big Government serving Big Business.
And liberals still think Big Government PROTECTS them--when it destroyed the American dream, once and for all. Don't expect another new nation without a corrupt ruling class to arise--we had ONE chance, and we don't even recognize WHAT WENT WRONG yet.
A bit off topic, but your last paragraph doesn't make any sense. The old strict immigration laws and protectionist policies that you advocate were, by definition,"Big Government." The Government had sealed the borders and wouldn't let people in or business out. It's the small government, free trade, low tax mentality that has remodeled our economy.
Groups aren't pessimistic, individuals are. If you as an individual are pessimistic, it is a function of your failure to live up to your own standards, or even a failure to have any standards. People who meet rational goals that they set for themselves on a daily basis are always happy and optimistic. Being effective and happy are highly correlated. Everyone in America who is living properly is quite happy right now and looking forward to each day, week, and year. What is living properly? Consciously improving your life and your self each and every day. According to a demanding plan that you institute and maintain for yourself.
You could be a CEO with an invention to change the world. Or a newly minted parapalegic setting a course to regain some measure of lost independence. Either party will be optimistic and happy if they set and meet their own goals and refuse to take no for an answer.
It doesn't matter if times are defined as good or bad by some useless observer. Times may be good, they may be bad, but they are the only times we have. So we, as individuals, are responsible for making our world the happy place it should be.
It all starts with individual philosophy, and ends their too.
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