Independentthinker
Diamond Member
- Oct 15, 2015
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The left often rail against trickle down but the truth is, trickle up has been a total failure.The true left is the political stance that prioritizes the needs and interests of the poor and working class, not the rich and powerful. The right-wing Republicans serve the interests of the wealthy elites at the expense of the working class. Red states (it's weird that the right is using the color red and the left uses blue, it should be the other way around), and "Purple States" (swing states) have the lowest wages, fewest % of unionized workers, fewest benefits and rights for workers, most people without health insurance, the poorest communities with crumbling public infrastructure (bridges collapsing, power shortages, contaminated water).
The golden era of our nation's economy was between the late 1940s and 1981 (despite the stagflation of the 1970s caused by Vietnam and high fuel prices primarily due to OPEC's economic assault on America for supporting Israel). Our economy was based on manufacturing, rather than Wall Street speculator trading and finance. Who "reformed" our economy in the early 1980s? It wasn't the leftists, it was the right-wing conservatives under Reagan's "supply-side", trickle-down economics. He gutted our manufacturing base, broke up the labor unions by lifting long-standing, legal labor protections.
He increased monopolies and major corporate buyouts, and he encouraged capitalists to turn their factories into warehouses for the products they would be importing from their factories abroad. The wealthiest people in our society were paying 70% of income taxes in 1981, and by the time Reagan left office in 1988, they were paying 28%, while working-class people were paying more in payroll and excise taxes and other indirect taxes. The right, increased inequality, from Fortune 500 Company CEOs making 30 times more than the average salary in their companies to 300, even 1000 times more than their employees:
CEOs of Major US Companies Who Are Paid 1000 Times More Than Their Employees
CEOs of companies listed on the S&P 500 earned an average of $18.8 million last year, up about 21% from the previous year, Times recently reported. This jump in executive pay came despite an 18% drop in the market index in 2022. Many of these CEOs were gifted generous stock options by their...247wallst.com
It was the right that screwed the American working class, not the left. Leftists gave you:
- The 40-hour workweek: Standardized the length of the workweek to prevent exploitation and ensure workers have adequate rest and leisure time.
- Social Security: A program designed to provide retirement, disability, and survivors' benefits, ensuring that the elderly and disabled are not left in poverty.
- Healthcare benefits: Fought for by leftists to ensure that workers and their families have access to medical care, reducing the burden of healthcare costs. This includes significant programs like Medicare and Medicaid, which offer essential health services to the poor, elderly, and working class.
- Labor unions: Empower workers to negotiate collectively for better wages, working conditions, and benefits, thus leveling the playing field between employees and employers.
- Unemployment insurance: Provides financial assistance to workers who lose their jobs through no fault of their own, offering a safety net during periods of job search.
- Rent controls: Implemented to keep housing expenses affordable, protect tenants from exorbitant rent increases, and stabilize communities.
- Minimum wage laws: Established to guarantee a baseline income for all workers, aiming to lift the standard of living and reduce poverty.
- Environmental protections: Advocated to safeguard public health and the planet for future generations, recognizing the interconnection between the environment, economy, and social well-being.
- Civil rights legislation: Includes efforts to end segregation and discrimination, ensuring equal treatment and opportunities for all citizens regardless of race, gender, or background.
- Public education funding: Championed to provide free and accessible education to children, including programs like Job Corps for young men and women entering the workforce:
The GI Bill (Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944): Championed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, considered a "leftist" by his right-wing Republican critics, due to his "New Deal" policies, fought for by American leftists, the GI Bill provided returning World War II veterans with benefits such as educational funding, low-cost mortgages, and unemployment compensation, significantly contributing to the expansion of the middle class and the post-war economic boom.Job Corps | Careers Begin Here
Job Corps is the largest free residential education and job training program for young adults ages 16-24. We connect you with the skills and education you need to get the career you want!www.jobcorps.gov
The right-wing conservatives have done everything possible to undermine all of the above. They always try to defund government programs and privatize them, placing them in the hands of profit-pursuing capitalists. The right-wingers have to commodity EVERYTHING, it all has to be placed for sale in the marketplace and privatized (placed in the hands of a few billionaires).
The Republicans for over 100 years have been the party of the rich and their brainwashed white, often bigoted working-class minions, who lick their toes, because they want to become rich too (self-hating, masochistic, working-class people who serve the financial interests of the wealthy elites at their own expense).
