Monday, August 16, 2010

consequences of wealth disparites

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704407804575425983109795768.html

I read this article from Peggy Noonan, which was in reference to the Scott (?) Slater, chute exit from the Jet Blue flight, meme. Apparently this event has touched off some skirmishes in the class war that is always going on in the background in this country.
I actually agree with Ms. Noonan's comments. Manners are no longer a matter of any consequence for most Americans. Similarly, and possibly related, is the fact that we are completely informal in our dress. Wealthy Conservatives like Ms. Noonan don't like this. They would love to see all the servants dressed up nice and acting accordingly. And they might, except for one thing, the Nations' wealth disparity. I think that it explains many of our society's ills, that the difference between the wealthy and the not-so has grown so wide, most of us can't plan on retirement, are upside down on our mortgages (or barely treading water), are trapped in our current jobs and current homes because we can't afford health care, and have not been able to sock anything away for a rainy day.
People are bitter and angry because if capitalism is a game, they are losing...badly. And this why the Ayn Randian philosophy of zero goverment intervention into the economy is nice for a novel, but absurd for policy, the people that lose in the game of Capitalism, still exist. They don't just get erased. If they did, and new people were allowed to jump in the game, the model might work. But with millions of "losers" still breathing and trying to make a living, simply ignoring them will ultimately result in a social revolution. Perhaps we are seeing the beginnings.