American Socialism for the Already Rich

The author explains what has happened since Nixon

By Christopher Howard

>>>snip>>> this in the conclusion:


Given these constraints, someone in power will need to become a policy entrepreneur, a crusader. She or he will need to ask such pointed questions as, Should the government really be subsidizing the purchase of $500,000 homes more than $100,000 homes? Is it fair to spend lots of money on health insurance for the poor (Medicaid) and the affluent (tax expenditures) without helping millions of people in between?

Should any social program make inequality worse? The basic idea is to make the status quo as morally indefensible as possible -- to say, in effect, we need to get our priorities straight. Although it is unusual for large numbers of unorganized, less affluent people to triumph over powerful interests in American politics, it does happen sometimes. Such moments should inspire progressives again.

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