A friend on Facebook asked why anyone would oppose Sanders, who is running for President:
The wage stagnation statistics are misleading, I think. The workforce has grown something like 50%
since Reagan’s election, most of that due to immigration (which is a good
thing). US wages since 1981 or
thereabouts do appear flat for the lower two quintiles. But if you look at real US worker wages now,
versus the wages of a worker’s parent’s or grandparents, regardless of what
country they were working in 30 years ago, wages are up significantly.
But leave the income questions alone for a moment, and look
at overall quality of life metrics. A
median worker, (US or worldwide) has seen an increase in longevity, much lower
infant mortality for their family, better access to information, better ability
to travel, and significantly more leisure time.
On a global basis, income inequality between nations has
fallen drastically. And the off-shoring of manufacturing that Sanders
criticizes has contributed to a tremendous reduction in extreme poverty
worldwide.
What worries me, is that when you strip down Sanders economic
arguments, he’s essentially a protectionist and a bit of a nativist. That approach has a pretty bad track record.
I ‘m also not a fan of scapegoat politics, and Sander’s
leans heavy in that direction. The 1%
make great villains (e.g. the douche bag who just raised the price on Daraprim),
but I hold the quaint view that if you make money in this society, even a lot
of money, it is more likely you’re doing something right rather than something
wrong. I am also reminded that to be in
the 1%, you need only make $32k a year – on a global basis that is.
But it’s really more that the fuzzy numbers or policy
choices, my disagreement with Sanders is deeper.
Philosophically, I don’t believe that individual resources should
be appropriated according to the will of a majority. At its heart, I think that is what the
senator is suggesting. Regardless of how
the inequity is framed, or how much wealth the Koch brothers have, theirs is
not my money to take. At the least, I do not have moral claim to it. We do, collectively, need funds to run
national programs, but taxation is at best a necessary evil. I get nervous when state seizure is recommended
as a lever of justice.
But that is a matter of opinion and seems out of step with
most of my facebookiverse. In truth, if the day to storm the Bastille ever
arrives, I’ll likely join in, because 1) that’s where my friends will be, and
2) the afterparty will be insane.
But until that day, while I am still sober, I would remind myself
that fairness is always subjective. And
regardless of creed, leaders who promise it always (always) wind up with a
thumb on the scale.
