Something to consider

https://twitter.com/matthewstoller/status/849617916442152960

People more and more are waking to the fact that our current economic system in the USA is not going to be tenable for much longer. Far too much capital has been acquired by far too few people. Along with Citizens United and Corporate Personhood and now we have a oligarchy. With the ability to openly buy elections and now we have basically thrown the idea of democracy out the window.

Think it's bull shit? Let me lay it out a bit for you



Gupta and Swenson (2003) studied the contributions made by the executives and PACs of 473 companies who stood to profit from a change in tax legislation related to export profits.  They found that the amount a firm’s PAC and executives contributed to the tax-writing members of Congress was positively related to the anticipated financial gains to the firm.



The Influence of Campaign Contributions on Legislative Policy



Studies have shown, buying, oops, I mean "donating" to politicians does work. How do we decide that one would wonder, well let's look at how elected officials react to the concerns of people. One would assume if all things were equal, all people would have around the same level of response from the government as everyone else right, *wink*?

I believe the tipping point to all of this is when people wake up, and I think it might be getting close. At moment the most fervent supporters of Trump are those most hurting, those who feel abandoned and in reality they have been. But they don't yet know, they are starting to face the same shit those stuck living in the ghettos of Detroit and Chicago, Gerry Indiana, Flint, etc have known for decades, once you no longer provide any value, you disappear. Those in rural America, who have had such a vastly oversized influence for so long due to their assured support of the GOP and their gerrymandering are seeing, jobs are not coming back for them. The area is not going to be improved, the roads will be allowed to go to shit. Drinking water, clean water is for closers, not moochers, right?

As for the waking up, look at what happened with Trumpcare, the reaction to Trump's budget as of late. You are seeing more and more rural Trump supporters start to realize they were once again sold a bill of goods. But see unlike times in the past, like in 2012, there are not democrats to blame for the GOP's failure to deliver on any promises to the people at large. See like always, the only way to reach the GOP voter is to impact them directly, like say take their health insurance, or eliminating support for job training, or medicaid for the most sick in poor families. Once Mr and Mrs Smith, loyal GOP supporters, who are glad they are getting rid of those pesky brown people and glad they are kicking the moochers off the goberment's teat, but once their aunt can no longer afford her care and they get to watch her die slowly from cancer, they seem to change their take on things a bit.

Here is the thing, once people realize they have a common foe, they often let old divisions drop. You should keep your ears open for more and more tea party folk start to renounce the GOP and start to support Bernie. I think we have a bit of time still, but once enough people start really seeing what is going on the issue of income inequality better be in process of being addressed. Just remember the French Revolution, it was not over baked goods.


Economic Inequality: It's Far Worse Than You Think - Scientific American