Forgive me for ranting and raving below.
Systematically everything that made the American Dream possible has been dismantled. Severance pay, retirement packages, pensions, unions, a living wage, all gone or on all the way out. The last social safety nets, social security and medicaid are also under threat. Soon there will be nothing to protect the elderly and disabled. Much like before social security you will start finding many dead and homeless elderly people as well as the disabled.
For many of us our health-care is tied to our employment making the thought of striking terrifying or just outright unfeasible. Many of us live pay-check to pay-check and even one missed shift could cause financial difficulties or disaster, let alone a week or more of missed work. I don't know if this a side effect of the system or an intentional design implemented to keep people from being able to strike or demand better conditions, either way its terrifyingly effective. If we continue on this path it is safe to assume that no real change will occur. The government and our representatives are loyal to corporations and bottom lines far more than they are to the American people. Any action taken by the government to improve our lives, such as higher minimum wages, health-care etc, will be slow, and likely only the minimum of action will be taken to reduce unrest amongst the population.
It is time for our most wealthy and corporations to pay a fair tax rate. The super rich have unfathomable amounts of wealth that need to be redistributed through tax to improve our communities and fund our existing and new social programs. Wages can no longer be just enough to scrape by, everyone working should be able to afford at least their basic needs. Health-care and the pleasure of living should no longer be tied to your employment.
We the CITIZENS need to take this country back. If enough of us strike across all occupations and industries the system would grind to a halt. We could demand changes immediately, not across decades as the wealthy continue to amass riches. Something has to change and soon, otherwise I fear what power we have left will continue to be systematically stripped away in the name of profits and infinite growth.
Thanks for listening.