Bob Lord

Posted by Bob Lord

Just a few posts down the page, our own BlueMeanie has a post, The Poverty Blame Game, on the demonization of the poor by compassionless conservatives, or "red meanies" if you will. Where else but Blog For Arizona can you get the BlueMeanie taking on the red meanies? Seriously, it's important to understand what really drives the red meanies' lack of compassion.

BlueMeanie notes the viciousness with which the red meanies attack the poor for the sloth and their gaming of our safety net system. His quote from Crooks and Liars sums it up well:

Conservatives always focus on the 1% that beats the system when they discuss government programs that assist the American people, and never the 99% that it helps.

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Every since FDR implemented the New Deal, this is the kind of demonization we have seen coming from conservatives and it's as sickening as it has always has been.

But why is this demonization so persistent? Why has it returned with such a vengeance just a few years after conservative policies resulted in a financial meltdown that destroyed millions of jobs, including jobs held by some of those same poor people that are the target of the red meanies' ire? For my take on what this demonization is all about, follow me after the jump.

Posted by Bob Lord

Looks like others may be starting to focus on Australia's minimum wage and questioning ours. 

Back in April, in my post, $15 Per Hour: It's Australian For Wage, Mate, I noted Australia's minimum wage of over $15 per hour and it's crazy policy of providing health care to all Australians. 

Lo and behold, just a few months later, McDonalds workers are striking and demanding … (drum roll) … $15 per hour. Imagine that. Are American workers getting the crazy idea that they should be paid a living wage?

Today, Salvatore Babones, in his post Is $15 an Hour a Fair Wage for Serving Fast Food?, considers the demands of McDonalds workers in relation to Australia's minimum wage:

Posted by Bob Lord

The results are in: The financial crisis is a distant memory and it's time for conservatives to blame poor people for our economic ills. Just when economic inequality is becoming a front burner issue. What a coincidence!

Ultimately, I'll make the argument that you can't logically lay inequality at the feet of the poor, even if they are lazy. First, some background.

Charles Blow's op-ed in Saturday's NY Times, A Town Without Pity, explores this phenomenon:

Posted by Bob Lord

One of my favorite professors in law school was an Austrian national, Professor Pock, who had an incredible command of English. He would explain to us that the English language properly used is like a scalpel; that there really are no true synonyms. Each word has its own precise meaning. 

"Depravity" exemplifies this perfectly. Some think of it as a synonym for insanity, but depravity is a specific type of insanity. I think of depravity as the place where insanity and evil intersect.

Depravity also is the word that describes most precisely the collective mentality that accompanies the inequality we face in American today.

Posted by Bob Lord

I'm juxtaposing the views of  Chris Hedges, who I think is the clearest thinking journalist around, and a right-wing viral email I recently read, and the message is clear: Progressives, wake up. Or, in the words of Samuel Jackson, "wake the f*&*k up." 

This is a lengthy post. Sorry for that. Ultimately, my point is that while progressives are hyper-focusing on issues like abortion rights, spending enormous amounts of energy to elect spineless politicians destined to disappoint them, and celebrating what they believe is the implosion of the Republican Party, we are headed towards a disastrous outcome in America. If you have time and inclination, join me after the jump.