carey_jim

Why We Couldn't Handle Another Depression

Because America is still a functioning democracy with all of the institutions of democracy intact at state, local and federal levels, it would be relatively easy for the bottom 80% of Americans (who own only about 15% of the wealth sociology.ucsc.edu/who...) to wrest control from the top 1% of Americans who have power now and who own about 1/3 of the wealth.

The danger of vengeful and messy (democratic) revolution is real, in part I think due to the fact that the American plutocratic class brutally suppressed all serious socialist threats to its existence (Eugene Debs during World War I and McCarthyism after World War II) and stopped or dismantled the Keynesian measures taken by Roosevelt during the 1930's.

The Europeans, who have had a long history with socialism, have learned from experience just how difficult it is to make the idealistic dreams of socialism into realities. They have taken the best ideas and thrown away the rest while keeping the name "socialism" for window dressing only.

Unfortunately, we in America might have to learn the same lessons for ourselves if an angry, dispossessed American majority takes over the government in desperation simply to feed itself and find shelter.