Are Boomers Really Doing Well?

I was inspired by this piece in the Boston Globe about how the Boomers have ruined everything to go into the Survey of Consumer Finances and see just how well the Boomers are actually doing, at least as far as wealth goes. The answer, as with all things, is that it depends on what class… Continue reading Are Boomers Really Doing Well?

Nickel-and-dime socialism

Socialism is the idea that capital (the means of production) should be owned collectively. There are divergent ideas about how to achieve this in reality. One approach is to have the government hold it collectively in social wealth funds. This is (more or less) the socialism of Yanis Varoufakis, Rudolf Meidner, and John E. Roemer.… Continue reading Nickel-and-dime socialism

The UBI already exists for the 1%

The universal basic income — a cash payment made to every individual in the country — has been critiqued recently by some commentators. Among other things, these writers dislike the fact that a UBI would deliver individuals income in a way that is divorced from working. Such an income arrangement would, it is argued, lead to meaninglessness, social dysfunction,… Continue reading The UBI already exists for the 1%

Demonizing, Not Engaging

Recent discussions about the white working class and racism (me, DeBoer, Mystal, et al) have me flashing back to the fascinating world of 2008 LGBT politics. In that year, the majority of Black voters came out and voted in favor of proposition 8, a successful referendum that sought to eliminate same-sex marriages in California. Needless… Continue reading Demonizing, Not Engaging