Our would-be dictator seeks ever more unchecked power, reminiscent of 1930s Germany. Sadly, Republican congress folk seem terrified of not falling in line and have failed as a constitutional check on executive power. Heavens! Are personal power and prestige more important than the good of the nation? The courts are helping to slow things down, reluctantly it seems.
Traditionally, the democrats championed unions, the working class, the common man. But they’ve done so little to help these folks they’ve lost trust, and votes. So, now they are desperately thrashing about for a leader and a “message.” But they need action. I can think of no legislative agenda that could change the distribution of wealth and power reasonably quickly, perhaps in an election cycle or two.
The best thing the democrats can do right now is to promise, and to act when possible, to undo damage created by the Trump administration, beginning with restoring the health benefits that are to be severely cut. Although the cuts are cleverly scheduled to take effect, and bite, only after the midterms, health providers are already warning people of rising costs. Beyond health care, it gets more complicated. The civil service, and the vital services it provides, need to be rebuilt, recognizing that a great deal of experience and expertise have been lost in meat-axe cuts.
But we’ll still have huge inequalities in wealth and power. Trump has promised to bring jobs back to the U.S. with new factories, etc. But, in its self-interest, the investor class seems unlikely to provide the necessary capital unless robots and artificial intelligence are more profitable than using foreign labor, providing very few new jobs.
So, if as seems likely, we continue on the current path, with robots and AI more profitable than domestic labor, many people may be unemployed and desperately poor. In the 1930s there was a similar problem of too few jobs, and the Roosevelt administration created some make-work programs, the most successful being the Civilian Conservation Corps. It gave jobs and skills to young men, sent money home to their families, and created a lot of infrastructure that persists in many of our national and state parks.
Our nation’s infrastructure needs help, and a lot of what needs fixing is in locations and settings where robots may not be very effective. Fixing our infrastructure is far more important than finding a slick message. As in the 30s, we need some job programs that address important needs.Our nation’s infrastructure needs help, and a lot of what needs fixing is in locations and settings where robots may not be very effective. The democrats tried to work on this, opposed by the republicans. The need is still there, and action toward this end is far more important than finding a slick message. As in the 30s, we need some job programs that address important needs.
Submitted by Al Wagar