Barbara Ehrenreich is a national treasure on the order of Molly Ivins or William Greider. So read her on the unorganized, unconscious, invisible plot to undermine capitalism now being waged by its victims. Excerpts:
Then, in a diabolically clever move, the poor — a category which now roughly coincides with the working class — stopped shopping. Both Wal-Mart and Home Depot announced disappointing second quarter performances, plunging the market into another Arctic-style meltdown. H. Lee Scott, CEO of the low-wage Wal-Mart empire, admitted with admirable sensitivity, that “it’s no secret that many customers are running out of money at the end of the month…”
In fact, easy credit became the American substitute for decent wages. Once you worked for your money, but now you were supposed to pay for it. Once you could count on earning enough to save for a home. Now you’ll never earn that much, but, as the lenders were saying — heh, heh — do we have a mortgage for you!
I'm sure CNN, CBS, ABC, FOX and the rest of the gang that can't shoot straight will be on this story pronto.
It is quite a clever plot indeed and must have taken years of planning for the poor to have pulled this stunning victorious glorious revolutionary rear guard action off. I wonder what they're planning next.
That's the part the leaders really don't want to start contemplating.