Crazy
I love your passion, your freshness, the way you can go on a rant, and I never feel insulted or put-down whatsoever.
Here's a rebuttal, and I don't expect agreement, but it's a few of my thoughts. :D
Actually that has worked before. Its called communism.
Nope. I'm not talking communism. (nor did I mean welfare, CG hon). The cost of goods in our society imo has risen much more quickly than salaries. In real life, not some inflation index. I see no reason why hard-working people need to live in ghettos, and have no health care, etc. while others have so much wealth that they have gold bathroom fixtures and multiple luxurious homes with many, many rooms that lay empty.
I'm thinking a more balanced system, our system is not free, it is controlled by a very few large conglomerates.
As an example, think about factory farms. Our homelands have been taken over. The small farmers have mostly been put out of business. I think that is inarguable. We've all seen stories about the loss of the family farms. Imagine if we had small farms set up around the cities, and we ate local meat and produce, instead of having things shipped in from wherever.
And what about Walmart driving all the small stores out of business, and why? In the name of profit and because the small businesses can't compete. They simply cannot.
Define living wage
Let's not talk burger flippers then. Let's start off with teachers. Talked to any teachers lately? The ones I know are waaayyy underpaid, considering they hold our future in the palms of their hands. That is what I mean by 'equitable'. Why do shady, sleazy businessmen like Kenneth Lay and Bill Gates get to be so filthy rich? Filthy being the operative word, imo. Daycare workers are also underpaid, at least here. Oh yes, another group who takes care of our children, our future.
Why shouldn't the guy/gal who works 40 hours a week cleaning up our shyte, clerking in a store, flipping burgers, being a rent-a-cop, repairing roofs, and countless other jobs that pay far too little to thrive, make enough to afford a modest home and working vehicle? And have her/his spouse stay HOME if they want and be a full-time parent? Sounds more than fair to me.
If everyone could afford a home and a nice car doing unskilled work then NO ONE would go to college
No, this is not true. People would choose to study in areas that interest them, instead of feeling obligated to choose a profession where they could make the most amount of money, and thereby justify the expense of a college degree. Then, they wouldn't have to spend the first 10 years of their careers paying off a huge debt.
Hell, even the doctors are going broke here - they can't afford to set up a practice anymore! I dated a doctor a couple of years ago. He was just starting out. Had lots of scholarships, still he owed about $100,000 when he finished school. His starting salary was $150,000/year. Sounds like a lot, right? Now, take out the money he will have to borrow to start his practice, pay office staff, equipment, etc. etc.
There are many professions. Lots of room for everyone to have a job or profession they could actually enjoy. Some people actually go to school to learn, not just to see how much fortune they can amass.
When I think of the possibilities of an utopian society, I think of (now don't laugh too hard, kay?) Star Trek. The concept of riches, and money, is no longer meaningful in that futuristic vision of the world. All types of work are valued, not just those that carry prestige in our shallow society.
It's just one of my dreams, that's all. I know you probably think it is a pipe dream, and it probably is, but that's okay. I'm allowed to dream.
The whole system is rotten. Capitalism spells, imo, 'dog-eat-dog'. That is how we describe it, is it not? It's a dog-eat-dog world, live with it. Well, no thanks, I'm not a dog, and have no desire to be a predator and metaphorically eat the poor so that I can live in the lap of luxury.
I think that the movie Escape from L.A. portrays an accurate, if somewhat lurid and exaggerated, picture of where we are headed.
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