I like Senator Warren.
I like her courage to speak truth to power.
She says she's figured out why the GOP opposes increasing he minimum wage.
She says it's because it will dip into the profits of the already very, very well off.
Close, Senator, but not quite.
The real reason? Power.
Increasing Wealth Increases Economic Power.
Lower-wage earners will be able to pay bills on time, maybe for the first time in a long time.
They might be able to buy the kid's new shoes and clothes in the same month!
The same month! Imagine that?
They might then be able to take a deep breath and think a little harder about things in general, you know, kind of 'regroup' and contemplate stuff. Things like, "Who's really got my back?".
I know that the elite can't fathom the idea of the hired help living better than they are now. Because with the elite everything seems to be a zero-sum game. If, God forbid, some commoner's life gets a little bit better, then their own lives diminish by the same amount, somehow.
If the last-class realizes increased economic power, they might start thinking about lifting themselves up even more. They may even start to think they matter. Lord! If that were allowed to happen, one day their children's children might attend the same schools as theirs. And, what if - (gasp) dare I say it? What if one of 'those people's' children impregnated one of their children?...No! This will not stand!
Increasing Economic Power Leads To Political Power.
The GOP and the rest of the elites (some are Democrats, by the way) have known this for ages.
They've seen how Unions and collective bargaining, along with workplace regulations (Watch your mouth, son. We don't use that sort of language in this house!) designed to increase worker safety, OSHA, Unemployment Insurance, and Worker's Compensation all contributed to providing a sense of security in the population.
And they don't like it, not one damn bit.
Since the 70's, they've been putting their money where their mouths are and have done something about it. They've spent no-one-knows-how-much-because-they-aren't-telling-and-there's-too-many-front-groups-to-know-for-sure fighting each one of those 'social security' measures (Son! What did I just get done telling you? One more outburst like that and I'll take away your Valet privileges!).
The chickens have come home to roost (because, that's all real chickens can do anymore).
We've seen real erosion of worker's rights in the form of weakened unions, Free-Trade agreements that gut the economy for people but bolster if for corporations, tax schemes that increase the burden on the less well off in favor of the already well off, purchasing power that has stagnated for decades.
They've trickled down on the country. So much so that the stench has become unbearable for those standing in the puddle.
But, hey. Don't get me wrong Elizabeth, I'm still with ya.
