One of the best parts of being a creative writer is learning to extrapolate possible futures from current events. Fold in my not insignificant paranoia and I can’t help but recognize things that seem distinct but may in fact be a part of a larger plan to DESTROY THE WORLD. Ok, that was extreme. DESTROY THE UNITED STATES. No? DESTROY THE MIDDLE CLASS. There it is.
The United States Congress is currently debating cutting funding for higher education. I can not say with enough force and clarity how stupid this is. You heard me. But, if you combine that with the current hard line on immigration, you can begin to see the larger blueprint. The reason the right wing is so desperate to plug the borders is because they are planning to create a generation of American born fruit pickers, dishwashers, and lawn maintenance engineers. If we don’t stop importing unskilled labor, what are we going to do with all of the homegrown unskilled labor we’ll have in 15 years? I mean… you see what happens when people don’t have jobs. They get really angry. They might stop drinking the kool-aid and realize that voting for politicians who promise to protect their presumed lottery winnings may not be the best way to plan for the future.
By the way, it is time to abolish lotteries in this country again. Lotteries give people false hope and serve only to punish the most desperate. All Americans must realize that the only way they will have a comfortable life is to work hard, be creative, and plan realistically. Oh, and if they could stop voting for people who think that cutting education so that rich people don’t have to pay taxes is a good idea, that would be good too.
These people do realize that paying for education a literal investment, right? It isn’t rhetoric; it’s putting money into an endeavor that will pay greater dividends later on. Investments only really work well if you buy low and sell high. Buying high and selling high is pointless… there’s no growth there. Pell grants for poor kids is the equivalent of buying low. And don’t they realize that cutting summer Pell grants only punishes the hardest working students, the most highly motivated workers? The spoiled frat boys don’t go to summer school. Poor kids desperate to make a better life for themselves and their families to go summer school. Are those the people we want to punish? Apparently so.
So what is the overall plan here? Is it to create an American born, English speaking, unskilled labor pool? Why? Is plutocracy (rule of the wealthy) disguised as democracy the goal? Was it ever not the goal? Isn’t the oligarchy (rule of the elite) we already have bad enough? When America voted for Barack Obama, they were hoping for another Franklin Roosevelt; someone to save them from the next great depression. It turns out what we really needed was another Teddy Roosevelt; someone to save us from the new generation of robber barons and monopolists… read investment bankers and energy executives. The unions have been effectively marginalized (though they aren’t entirely guiltless), so there likely won’t be anyone to speak for this new underclass. Is that another link in the chain that will bind the average joe to his minimum wage job? Heh… yeah, like we’re going to have a minimum wage in 20 years. It will be gone like fiscal responsibility and social security for anyone born after 1965.
Jack Bronn was born in Illinois, raised in Florida, misses his home in New Hampshire, dreams of living in New York, and resides with his wife and son in North Carolina. He writes.
We most likely WILL have a minimum wage in 20 years. It will be just a LITTLE less that it is today.
Imagine the life $7 per hour will buy in 2030.
I’m thinking of writing something about Ayn Rand. Have you ever read her? I’ve never read her non-fiction work, but I’ve read both The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged. I’ll do it if someone will promise to have a conversation with me about it.