Reich: "either demagoguery that turns Americans against one another and the rest of the world..."

[pampango]

Even as late as 1980, the richest 1 percent of Americans received only about 9 percent of the nation’s total income. But starting in the 1980s — and increasingly since then — the economy has made the rich far richer without doing squat for the vast middle. Meanwhile, the rich have been getting a larger and larger portion of total income. From 9 percent in 1980, the top 1 percent’s take increased to 23.5 percent by 2007.

What happened? It wasn’t just greed. It was also the systematic and ever cleverer manipulation of laws and rules by those able to pay lobbyists, legislators, lawyers and accountants to do their bidding.

To be sure, globalization and technological change have bestowed gains disproportionately on those with the education and connections to benefit most from them, while burdening Americans without the education and connections most needed. But instead of enlarging the circle of prosperity so that the vast middle class could come out winners as well — instead of strengthening trade unions, improving public education, deepening public investments, enlarging safety nets and making the tax system more progressive — the nation took direction from those at the top, and did the opposite.

It is not surprising America’s middle class is increasingly frustrated and is venting its anger — at politicians, the leaders of big business and Wall Street, as well as global traders, immigrants and others who are easy targets of resentment. A politics of audacious hope has turned into a politics of fear — meaner-spirited than at any time in recent memory.

Our choice in the years ahead is either demagoguery that turns Americans further against one another and the rest of the world, or genuine reform that enlarges shared prosperity. It is the responsibility of all of us to fight the former and work toward the latter.

http://www.daytondailynews.com/opinion/columnists/robert-reich-middle-class-methodically-excluded-from-prosperity-870251.html

All the things Reich points out that the US didn't do - "strengthening trade unions, improving public education, deepening public investments, enlarging safety nets and making the tax system more progressive" - are things that Europe has done to "enlarge the circle of prosperity so that the vast middle class could come out winners as well."

[lunatica]

1. Reich is correct, as usual

And obviously cares.

He teaches in UC Berkeley. Every once in a while I see him on the campus. He's actually a very shy person in public.

[lunatica]

2. Reich is correct, as usual

And obviously cares.

He teaches in UC Berkeley. Every once in a while I see him on the campus. He's actually a very shy person in public.

[xchrom]

3. Recommend