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[ogda9871]

www.nytimes.com/2010/09/23/us/politics/23repubs.html

Crazy... Extend the tax cuts indefinitely.  Really?  Maybe temporarily for small businesses.  But extending them for the very,very rich seems ludicrous when they are doing very well and the rest of the country is falling apart around them, unable to get the job training and services needed.  Are

Comments

[wynterdragon]

That does seem to be the magic of our system/capitalism, in that everyone is convinced that not only is it possible to elevate yourself in this world, but that where you end up is a direct consequence of your own effort. It dangles the carrot that says 'you too can become a millionaire', but only if you prop up the system that exists today. People seem to sacrifice so much just to exist in a system where there is a chance, however small, that they could become rich; when the alternative would be an almost guaranteed good life, but no chance of becoming filthy rich.

It is a grand delusion that seems to have Americans ensnared, and it has the bonus of forcing people to work hideous hours and jobs for low pay 'by choice' rather than by force.

We are a nation that tells itself, "if you just work hard enough, you can achieve anything you want". The problem is this just isn't true, and we convince ourselves to sacrifice so much for this delusion.

We think that if we let the rich come down a little, then that will somehow take away our path to wealth that somehow we are all convinced were on... and just inches from the finish line.

And your first observation, however hideous it may be, does seem to be true. Every step society takes seems to place itself on shakier and shakier foundations. As long as everyone progresses in tandem, we'll be okay, but it doesn't seem to take much to topple our achievements.