jamesbaxley
I believe America has reached what I call “peak-capitalism.” Peak-capitalism is when the benefits of capitalism has been reached and they start to slowly erode, or the beginnings of a post-capitalist system.
It used to be that all a person needed to survive economically was a half-decent job, even a high school diploma could ensure this. Then, a degree was needed, and then an advanced degree and today, if you have these qualifications you are considered overqualified.
The millennials have indirectly brought this to my attention; the work industry has turned itself on its head. What’s brought us to this point? Several things but the three I believe are the most critical are offshoring of jobs, technology, and the financial breakdown of 2007-2008. There also other elements such as Obamacare requirements on businesses but that is debatable.
This is why I believe socialism in America is only a few generations away if not sooner, not that it isn’t already here already in some form (social security, medicaid, medicare, etc).
The fix? There isn’t one, at least not a quick and simple one. This didn’t happen overnight and it can’t be fixed overnight.
Now, the author isn’t against the rich, far from it. I think a person should be able to make all the money they want and do with it what they like. The author isn’t rich but a person struggling to stay off the street that he has escaped before (two long years of living on the streets) but just thinks he has seen the end of a once great capitalist system.
My suggestion is to embrace poverty and the already present social welfare state in America, It’s there. Why not?
Why get caught up in a system where you work a 9 to 5 at a job you hate only because of a so-called social contract that you supposedly agreed to just because you were born? Why work for a piece of paper that the Fed can print on a whim, but you have to work a month to earn?
You don’t even have to work to join the welfare state, in some cases just looking for work is enough to qualify. TANF, food stamps, medicaid, medicare, public housing, WIC, utilities assistant and commodity supplemental food programs, as well as over 70 other programs for you to apply for; these benefits can equal between $17 to $50 thousand.
If a generation of Americans dropped out of the work force and joined the welfare state, believe me things would change.