Rich and Poor, Left and Right
It seems to me that one of the defining characteristics of modern liberalism is hostility to economic mobility. The Left trumpets ad nauseum its concern for "the poor," but in fact it needs the poor to stay poor -- as grateful recipients of food stamps and playgrounds and community centers, and as a reliable source of votes for more food stamps and playgrounds and community centers. The Left is inveterate in its hostility toward reforms that could actually lift significant numbers of the poor out of poverty, such as enterprise zones, school choice, and so on.
This also helps explain, I think, why so many of the wealthy are drawn to the Left. Many of the truly rich do not want their elite economic status threatened by an upwardly mobile upper middle class. The giveaway here is that when Democrats talk of raising taxes on the rich, the "rich" are usually defined as households making $250,000/year or more. An extra 5 or 10% in income tax does not materially affect the lifestyle or economic status of a movie star, investment banker, or hedge fund manager pulling in $5 or $10 or $20 million a year, but it is a serious impediment to accumulating wealth for a family working hard to "get ahead" on $300,000/year in the suburbs of New York, San Francisco, or Chicago.
And yet, at the risk of sounding hopelessly old-fashioned, isn't "getting ahead" -- for yourself, for your children -- what has always made this country unique and special? Almost the whole rest of the world has deep roots in "static" culture -- you are what you are born into. Here, and in very few other places, you can create the future you want -- if not for yourself, then for your children. And that, I suspect, goes a long way toward explaining why so many of the non-rich stubbornly resist the narrative of the Left, and why so many of the truly rich find it appealing.
- Comment (5)
- · Quote
- · UnfollowFollow (1)
Comments :
Re: Rich and Poor, Left and Right
Absolutely. The wailing and gnashing of teeth from some of my Silicon Valley neighbors during the dotcom boom was something to behold. The influx of new millionaires didn't threaten them in any way apart from relative status. Yet you would think that the rise of the Internet was the Bubonic plague based on the comments from 45-year-old retirees at the local coffee shop. After all, there are only so many prime Christmastime rooms at the Mauna Lani Bay Hotel.
That crowd is much more relaxed under Obamanomics. They're rich, others aren't, and the social order seems secure.
May '10
Re: Rich and Poor, Left and Right
The debate over school vouchers follows a similar logic. It's been my observation that, nine times out of ten, those opposed to school vouchers are the products of the private school system. While they profess to being concerned about the quality of the public school system, I can't help but wonder if they're trying to preserve a two-tier model that works quite well for people like them.
Re: Rich and Poor, Left and Right
It's a huge point, Steve, considering how many Americans are carrying so much debt. Incremental success spells higher tax brackets, which make it devilishly difficult to pay down that debt. The fixation on income, instead of net worth, is, I think, a big category mistake.
May '10
Re: Rich and Poor, Left and Right
So many policies of the Left fall hardest on the poor. Who are most likely to own old beat-up cars that fail vehicle emissions standards? Who are most vulnerable to the rise of prices that inevitably follows minimum wage hikes?
The vital question is: How can conservatives convince the poor of reality? Democrats have done a remarkable job controlling the poor's voting habits, and I don't see that Republicans have done much to combat that propaganda.
Re: Rich and Poor, Left and Right
Amen. Without consistent economic growth, individual wealth becomes a zero-sum game. Your average champagne socialist is fine with that because in practice it's a battle among the poor and middle classes.
Remember John Edwards and the Two Americas speech? His attempt to ignite class warfare didn't work. I think (hope? pray?) that Americans intuitively know that a rising tide can lift all boats.