[Peace-discuss] Foreseeable American economic future looks bleak

[J.B. Nicholson]

David Johnson wrote:
> I am hopeful for the long term future, especially this younger
> generation in their 20's and 30's.
> 
> BUT, before things get better in my opinion, things are going to get
> a lot worse. I wish it didn't have to be  that way but all the
> indicators point to that.

I concur; Jimmy Dore (whose show I find often does a good job of
describing what's going on) calls for a general strike (which he called
for again on his live show on 2020-11-04 while reading a promotional
spot for PeoplesParty.org) for that reason -- people need to organize
and stop the US government from handing out more money to the wealthy
(trillions via the CARES Act, for example) and start prioritizing the
needs of the poor and working class to stop the harm. Dore has pointed
out that this general strike could probably include only Amazon.com
workers and grocery store workers and effectively push Congress to pass
legislation that would help most Americans right now -- a UBI, a
national jobs program, and Medicare for All.

I too think we're about to see things get worse for most Americans.
People don't ignore their own economic reality. Perhaps more of the
public will soon see through more identity politics too. This will be
needed so people aren't bamboozled into thinking it's okay to evaluate
someone's politics by believing that some shared identity politics
characteristic will somehow mean better things for people generally
(Obama is half-black so that should mean better things for blacks,
right?). Apparently "the squad" didn't have the spine to challenge the
largest upward transfer of wealth.

CBS News reported the following in January 2017 
(
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/most-americans-cant-afford-a-500-emergency-expense/
):
> Fifty-seven percent of Americans don't have enough cash to cover a
> $500 unexpected expense, according to a new survey from Bankrate,
> which interviewed 1,003 adults earlier this month. While that may
> appear dire, it reflects a slight improvement from 2016, when 63
> percent of U.S. residents said they wouldn't be able to handle such
> an expense. The improvement reflects the stronger U.S. economy, but
> is still far from ideal, Bankrate.com said.

You don't get to a point like that without people considering their
options and learning to separate the comfortable from those who
struggle.