Progressive Dems need a compelling historical narrative to counter the Orwellian Right fables about job creators and tax cuts are just "your money". Here's what I'd like to hear them say....
The economic triumph of the 20th century was the taming of amoral if not sociopathic rat-eat-rat capitalism. This was done by ending child labor, fighting sweatshop conditions, imposing safe food and drug laws, highly progressive income taxes, wage and hour laws, a minimum wage, protections for unions, social safety net taxes like SS, UI, DI, Medicare, safe car and product laws, safe working condition laws, pollution controls, a minimum wage etc.
AND THESE MEASURES WERE JUST.
Business gets immense help from the government from free intellectual property monopolies like patents and copyrights and free limited liability protection for corporate owners all which enable great wealth. Corporate profits were no longer going to be easily subsidized by harming consumers, or exploiting workers, communities, and the environment.
In the 50's and 60s that value of the minimum wage almost tripled in real value. Unions were strong. The wealth of the economy was being spread around. New safety net laws helped the working poor or those unable to work. The federal government was investing in new schools, highways, housing, highways and other infrastructure. These public investments and government policies were the REAL tide that raised all boats. Government made possible the conditions under which we and business could flourish, and then used that tax revenue to bootstrap the nation to higher levels of productivity. That symbiotic relationship was America's proverbial goose that laid the golden egg.
But that dark, pathological, side of the American Right is always present... always trying to reclaim the benefits of those government freebies for the malignant rich... and to screw everyone else. They can never be honest about this sociopathic agenda. So they resort to endless deception.
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