1) "Thatcher forged consent through the cultivation of a middle class that relished the joys of home ownership, private property, individualism, and the liberation of entrepreneurial opportunities."
2) That suggests a program: get rid of all subsidies for home ownership so that only rich people can own homes (as God and the Invisible Hand intended). That would encourage overt class struggle. Tory political attitudes would fade in the "middle class" and below as class domination of our society became more obvious to everyone. 3) Obama administration seeks end to middle-class home ownership ^^^^^^^^ CB: Would this be likely to have the objective effect of tending to turn the American middle class consciousness into a working class consciousness ? Home ownership and mortgages seem like something of a boondoggle anyway. What percentage of mortgagors end up owning their homes free and clear before they die ? Before old age ? What percentage of homes are passed on to children ? ^^^^^ Harvey, David. 2005. A Brief History of Neoliberalism (NY: Oxford University Press). 61-2: "Thatcher forged consent through the cultivation of a middle class that relished the joys of home ownership, private property, individualism, and the liberation of entrepreneurial opportunities. With working-class solidarities waning under pressure and job structures radically changing through deindustrialization, middle-class values spread more widely to encompass many of those who had once had a firm working-class identity." Michael Perelman _______________________________________________ pen-l mailing list [email protected] https://lists.csuchico.edu/mailman/listinfo/pen-l
