Economic inequality and the lack of a (real) progressive party in the United States

[telemann]

Last Friday, Chris Rock was interviewed on Bill Maher's show Real Time, and the subject of health care reform came up.
When Maher asked if he saw health care reform the prism of race and as a civil rights issue, Rock said no. He sees health reform as a “people rights issue.” Rock also recounted his family’s experience with the health care system

Comments

Why the "average person" (and even many poor people) aren't outraged:

[box_in_the_box]

America makes much more sense once you realize that, in all of our national self-mythologizing, both the left and the right have fostered the notion that we are essentially all destined to win the lottery

or, putting it another way...............

[op_tech_glitch]

http://www.namebase.org/richnote.html

Re: Why the "average person" (and even many poor people) aren't outraged:

[merig00]

or maybe people just don't want to go down the road of Greece where people riot in the streets each time they don't get their entitlements

[box_in_the_box]

This makes the objectively untrue assumption that a majority of these people are aware of or care about anything that's being done in any country other than America.

[merig00]

Ok maybe they don't want to live like people in California. Is that better? Berkley riots and protests over the tuition prices? "Free education" my ass.

[box_in_the_box]

California? You mean the state crippled by debt and run by a Republican governator?

[merig00]

yeap state crippled by debt and writing i.o.u. to its citizens. The thing is when corporation is in breach of contract you take them to court. What are you going to do when government says "yeah we promised you pension and medical care and free education, but sorry we don't have money... goodbye!"?

[geezer_also]

You obviously don't know much about how the debt in Ca has been aquired if you think it's because of our (mediocre at best) Republican governator :D.

[sandwichwarrior]

When you're paying out more on pension-plans than you're bringing in it's called being "in-the-red" stay "in-the-red" long enough and eventually you run out of money.

California's budget woes have been a long time in the making.

Re: Why the "average person" (and even many poor people) aren't outraged:

[telemann]

Maybe they should.

Re: Why the "average person" (and even many poor people) aren't outraged:

[rev_proffessor]

Do you honestly think that everyone in poverty has no one but themselves to blame? Do you REALLY???

Re: Why the "average person" (and even many poor people) aren't outraged:

[merig00]

where did i say that?

Who would you blame?

Re: Why the "average person" (and even many poor people) aren't outraged:

[rev_proffessor]

The law of averages and probability. When the odds are against you, success is unlikely. Doesn't mean you're a lazy person.

Re: Why the "average person" (and even many poor people) aren't outraged:

[merig00]

Again I didn't say a word about boostraps.

What is a probability of riots in the streets when government cuts entitlements?

Re: Why the "average person" (and even many poor people) aren'

[rev_proffessor]

about equal but, I'm no Nate Silver...

Re: Why the "average person" (and even many poor people) aren't outraged:

[underlankers]

Except that there's some irony in that the early misadventures of the USA really *should* have resulted in utter defeat. The only reason the UK lost the war was that it had a string of incompetent generals and prove unable to protect its allies. The War of 1812 would have been an utter curbstomp without the tiny matter of the French would-be world conqueror and his invasion of Russia.

Agreed on the solipsistic view of WWII, albeit the Brits tend to do the same thing themselves and *also* forget the USSR was the one that did most of the actual Nazi-killing.