Another college assignment...

One of the key drivers of social movements is the way a society distributes its wealth. In recent years, as you know from the LINK Assignment, the distribution of wealth has become more skewed in favor of the wealthy. At the same time, jobs are being outsourced overseas or displaced by information technology, which has made it harder for people here in the US to find and keep jobs. Here are the discussion questions:

What effect do you think this has had on the way the American working class lives?

For some it has been devastating (referring to the loss of industry in America) for others it has been a driving force for them to learn new skills in an attempt to keep up with technology so they will continue to be marketable in the work force.

How has it affected people you know?

I was born and raised in the small town of Franklin, VA. After college (round 1), I got a job at the local paper mill (then Union Camp, soon after International Paper). After 2 ½ years, IP bought out Union Camp and things started getting shaky. I then made a move to my present employer. This September will mark my 11th year at my present job. Just a couple of months ago, IP decided to close the mill partly because they were bringing a larger mill online in South America. There are numerous businesses that relied on the mill as well as several hundred people. I now have several new co-workers that were fortunate enough to get a job with my present employer. Many of them were 10 to 20 year veterans of the mill (and close to retirement). Now, they are the ‘new guys’. Their seniority is gone and in many cases they work for people much younger them. A couple of them are close friends of mine. They have talked to me about how hard it is to start over at this stage of life. They really miss being the ‘go to guys’. Now they are the green-horns. I expect to hear about more people losing their homes, businesses closing, etc. in the near future.

Do you think that a social movement based on social class is possible in America?

Absolutely not! Regardless of the problems with our system, socialism in any form is not the answer. The answer is for the government to get their hands out of our pockets and allow Americans to breathe. We also need new leadership that is conservative in nature (to help balance the system to offset the data from the LINK assignment). The liberal mindset has damaged this country’s ability to continue to be the great industrial nation it once was. Environmental nutcases and any other extreme groups that want extreme changes to be made are tearing the fabric that holds this country together. Don't get me wrong, we need to be environmental stewards, but there are reasonable ways to maintain the environment without using the environment to gain political power (which is what many have done...take an objective look at Al Gore). We need to focus on ways to re-industrialize this country of ours instead of finding ways to nitpick at everything that has anything to do with the environment (we can't even build Nuclear power plants in America...why not???). If you want to go green and you don’t like big corporations, then stop using ALL of their products. This includes driving your car, using electricity, natural gas, goods from industrial manufacturing, etc. Move out into the woods, learn to live off of the land, and THEN you can complain. Until then, go back into the closet!

If such a movement were possible, who would benefit?

Those who aren’t able to work due to physical or mental disabilities are the only ones who should have long term access to government funds. This means that there should always be relief for people in uncontrollable situations. This does not include health care. The rest should apply their God-given talents and do whatever they can to survive. Team up with others, use your mind, heart, and soul and apply yourself. In America, you CAN succeed if you really want it bad enough. Don't ever let anyone tell you that you CAN'T, because you CAN!!!

Who wouldn’t benefit?

The working class people who the government would be taxing to pay for the socialist programs…

Why wouldn’t they benefit??? People will eventually lose the desire to work if the man next door lives as well as he does through government socialist programs. In time, the general population will become dependent on the government for everything. This “cradle to grave” mentality will do nothing but ruin peoples drive to WORK. I want to be able to reap the benefits of my labor NOT give my income to someone who is capable, but doesn’t work.

Dr. Adrian Rogers said it all much better than I:

"You cannot legislate the poor into freedom by legislating the wealthy out of freedom. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else.

When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that my dear friend, will prove the end of any nation.
You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it."

~~~ The late Dr. Adrian Rogers, 1931 to 2005 ~~~

What might its ideology be?

An overbearing system of taxation and regulation that will break the backs of hard working Americans.