Reply #6: The difference

[Wright Patman]

between the era in which Social Security was passed and now has a lot to do with the division and acrimony, mostly created by GOP strategists such as Rove, pitting us against one another by class, race, ethnic origin, etc. Back during the Great Depression, there was a certain president (a "traitor to his class" as his fellow "to the manor born" bluebloods called him) who REALLY DID try to unite us.

This is by far the biggest lie Bushco and its Flying Monkey Brigades hosting the talk shows on Clear Channel tell us--that they are only trying to unite us. The GOP has successfully demonized entire groups of tens of millions of people whom the denizens of whitebread suburbia no longer consider to be fellow Americans with a stake in the system.

We are just one step away from the reinstitution of slavery. Indeed, the middle class is evaporating more and more rapidly as globalization gathers momentum and a sort of wage slavery can already be said to exist for millions upon millions of Americans who grew up never expecting to face the economic plight now engulfing them.

I began to see through the economic utopia BS about 25 years ago. It was what the economists continually pushed to get through all the free trade deals, which were wanted by both parties. It didn't take a rocket scientist or even a very savvy economist to predict this would end the American Dream for vast segments of the population and accelerate a trend toward what can only be called a return to feudalism complete with the modern equivalent of castles (the "gated communities").

The only difference is that the Democrats felt guilty about destroying the middle class. The GOP did it with glee. They were destroying people they employed who were constantly bitching about how much they were being paid and even unionizing over it. Now people are just grateful to have a job(s) that keeps the wolf away from the door, if only for now. This is precisely what the plan called for in the corporate boardrooms of 25 years ago. To coin a phrase, "Mission accomplished!"

Funny that I should have had 25 years in my mind. The link below says there has been no real growth in the U.S. economy in 25 years.

http://www.safehaven.com/article-2482.htm