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https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/07/02/opinion/politics/us-economic-social-inequality.html “Why has this happened? There are multiple causes. But one big one is a lack of political power among the bulk of the population.” "Government policy and economic forces have combined to make corporations and the wealthy more powerful, and most workers and their families less powerful. Those lives are generally shorter <https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/05/13/opinion/inequality-cities-life-expectancy.html> and more likely to be affected by pollution and chronic health problems. The decline in unionization is one reason that the share of total national income flowing to corporate profits has risen — and the share going to worker pay has declined. The trend is starker in the U.S. than in Europe. Higher corporate profits/lower minimum wage More expensive health care system High incarceration rates Sharp fall in corporate tax rates" and it's all the fault of the Big Bad Republicans right? or did the “lesser evil” Democrats play any role in this??? If there is "a lack of political power among the bulk of the population”, then maybe the answer is to build the type of working class party that European countries have, even if it is not doing anything more than fighting for some reforms and a defense of past gains. Nah - we'll always have to throw all of our energy into opposing what the ruling class of this country never seems to run out of - "greater" evils such as Nixon, Goldwater, Reagan, the Bushes, Trump and whoever is next. On Sun, Jul 5, 2020 at 11:04 AM Michael Meeropol via Marxism < [email protected]> wrote: > > I started reading the SUNDAY REVIEW section of the Sunday Times (not the > Book Review --- what used to be labelled the NEWS OF THE WEEK IN REVIEW) > --- and was shocked that it seems like it's ALL full of stuff that could > have been (and HAS been) written by a radical (dare I say Marxist) > economist -- > > Check out this line from the introductory article written by the entire > editorial board:''Wages are substantially determined by a tug of war > between workers and employers ...." > > That's class struggle economics not the "micro-economics" we were taught in > college (that I had to hold my nose and teach my first few years in the > classroom!!!) --- in the traditional approach, wages are determined by the > "productivity" of the workers in a "competitive" economy --- there is > virtually no room for the exercise of power in the markets (unless labor > unions or minimum wages "distort" the market!!). > > Guess our side has been successfully "brainwashing" journalists for years > without even knowing it!! > > WHo knew?? > > _________________________________________________________ Full posting guidelines at: http://www.marxmail.org/sub.htm Set your options at: https://lists.csbs.utah.edu/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
