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America divided – this concept increasingly graces political discourse in the U.S., pitting left against right, conservative thought against the liberal agenda. But for decades, Americans have been rearranging along another divide, one just as stark if not far more significant – a chasm once bridged by a flourishing middle class.
Peter Temin, Professor Emeritus of Economics at MIT, believes the ongoing death of “middle America” has sparked the emergence of two countries within one, the hallmark of developing nations. In his new book, The Vanishing Middle Class: Prejudice and Power in a Dual Economy, Temin paints a bleak picture where one country has a bounty of resources and power, and the other toils day after day with minimal access to the long-coveted American dream.
In his view, the United States is shifting toward an economic and political makeup more similar to developing nations than the wealthy, economically stable nation it has long been. Temin applied W. Arthur Lewis’s economic model – designed to understand the workings of developing countries – to the United States in an effort to document how inequality has grown in America.
The 2017 World Economic Forum had the answer: "The people who have not benefited from globalization need to try harder to emulate those who have succeeded," and, "'People have to take more ownership of upgrading themselves on a continuous basis.'"
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday May 23 2017, @10:43AM (5 children)
Whatever the number is, it's unlikely that the Earth will have enough resources to make 7 billion people rich so it's probably more worthwhile figuring out how to make the poor and suffering not so poor and suffering.
I think that's achievable. As I've said - the Bread has to be real but the Circuses can be mostly virtual (music, games, movies etc). And that's enough for most people.
There's always someone out there willing to endure more pain and suffering than most other people. I don't think increasing the numbers of such people should be our goal, since that approach is more likely to increase the amount of suffering in this world.
Education is important so that more people realize that we shouldn't be popping out huge numbers of children (among other things). Without that education and resulting behaviour we might end up with more unpleasant methods of population control.
Relying on the masses to take ownership of their own education and upgrading themselves is silly and stupid. You have to educate them or they'll mis-educate themselves. At worst you have to brainwash them properly if they are too stupid to be educated.
(Score: 4, Interesting) by The Mighty Buzzard on Tuesday May 23 2017, @11:17AM (2 children)
It's not logically possible to make everyone rich when you calculate who is rich based on median income. Nor is it possible to eliminate poverty. This is why I'm always bringing up objective standard of living.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday May 23 2017, @06:33PM
Not possible FOR YOU numbnuts. The guy I voted for is going to make us ALL rich and have The Bext healthcare.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday May 24 2017, @12:28PM
I find your logic appealing.
So, we do away with all the rich people and we get everyone with a decent income! I like this idea, tell me more!
woops, I think I mistook your comment for something insightful. You just meant that even poor people have smart phones and cheap entertainment. Gotcha, go poverty!
(Score: 3, Informative) by butthurt on Tuesday May 23 2017, @11:59AM
-- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_population [wikipedia.org]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday May 24 2017, @12:24AM
Here we are with one liberal idea, the environmental self-extermination one:
Other times, the idea is that we need to import the 3rd world because we need workers. We have too many old people, and not enough young people to care for our aging population, so we need to bring in refugees and keep the illegal aliens.
So, which is it? Could we just make our own little humans, or do you hate American babies? It's like you want ethnic cleansing, but directed at oneself.