Celebrate ALL Workers this Labor Day

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Permalink Reply by Lee Kershner on September 6, 2010 at 8:42am

Your article includes important issues to be addressed by politicians running for office including the abolishment of the public sector collective bargaining. However, the benefits to the middle class of a right-to-work state are not clear. During the halcyon days of the 1950s and 1960s, blue collar workers, then our middle class, could afford to own their own homes, send their children to college, receive affordable medical care, a summer retreat or cottage, two cars, a boat, etc. Unions were powerful forces that helped enable average citizens to participate in America's prosperity. We are observing the unprecedented decline of that middle class as the top 5 percent of our population become super-rich much to the discomfort of the next 15 percent who are only rich, and the utter destruction of the majority 80 percent who can no longer afford to even send their children to college without the children themselves paying the bill. What policies can we enact that will restore our democratic society?

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Permalink Reply by Paul Gessing on September 6, 2010 at 8:52pm

Wow, lots of points here Lee. You sound like Paul Krugman, but there's a lot of points to be made.

First and foremost, living standards have risen for all Americans rather dramatically over the past 50-100 years. That said, even if we wanted to go back to the past, we couldn't. America had no economic competition after WWII because so many nations were destroyed in the War. Also, with the Baby Boom, greater markets were created annually.

Lastly, the price of college rises because the government controls that good and, so far, has been able to sucker generations of Americans into believing that college is "essential" for the Middle Class. This is the next bubble that will burst. People are just not getting the return on investment from higher education that is required to keep investing in higher ed. Eventually, people will stop or dramatically cut back.

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