Sunday, October 22, 2006
The outraged middle class
Why is the middle class so "outraged"?
This is supposed to be a big issue in November '06 and the '08 elections too.
I liked how this article spelled out the basics: we're all better off than our parents and grandparents, and our kids are certainly indulged more than we ourselves ever were; there is tremendous jealousy created by a greater disparity between the classes, fueled by an overactive media; an increasing sense of entitlement based on a certain level of education or profession attained (I worked hard and I deserve it!, even if I can't objectively afford it); and the diminishing ability of each successive generation to defer gratification.
This is supposed to be a big issue in November '06 and the '08 elections too.
I liked how this article spelled out the basics: we're all better off than our parents and grandparents, and our kids are certainly indulged more than we ourselves ever were; there is tremendous jealousy created by a greater disparity between the classes, fueled by an overactive media; an increasing sense of entitlement based on a certain level of education or profession attained (I worked hard and I deserve it!, even if I can't objectively afford it); and the diminishing ability of each successive generation to defer gratification.
November Congressional Elections
November elections are coming! I spent some time today learning about the Congressional candidates from around the country and from New Jersey in particular.
Read Tom Kean's blog to find out more about his views on taxes and immigration. I like his thoughts on taxes because you just can't deny that New Jersey taxpayers pay a large percentage of their income on various taxes: property, sales, income. Not sure what I think about the immigration issue- I see his point about respecting the law, but......gotta hand it to the "entrepreneurial" illegals who have the chutzpah to come over here and work their asses off for a better life.
See Bob Menendez's website to learn about his views on Iraq, energy/oil and the environment. I totally hear him on the bad choice to go into Iraq- I never thought in a million years they had WMD there- and to force democracy on random cultures around the world is the height of either arrogance, or stupidity. But now that we're there, I don't feel it would be wise to pull the troops out. Not all of them want to come home yet (THEY feel pretty strongly that it's their patriotic duty to be there, and who am I to say it isn't?) and I really feel that we should finish what we started there.
Poor Paul Aronsohn. He doesn't really have anything cogent to say, though he seems like a nice enough guy. See his video on YouTube.
Scott Garrett does scare me in some senses. He's a bit too socially conservative for me to fall in love with him. But I like his tax and business stances, and he's OK on the environment.
Read Tom Kean's blog to find out more about his views on taxes and immigration. I like his thoughts on taxes because you just can't deny that New Jersey taxpayers pay a large percentage of their income on various taxes: property, sales, income. Not sure what I think about the immigration issue- I see his point about respecting the law, but......gotta hand it to the "entrepreneurial" illegals who have the chutzpah to come over here and work their asses off for a better life.
See Bob Menendez's website to learn about his views on Iraq, energy/oil and the environment. I totally hear him on the bad choice to go into Iraq- I never thought in a million years they had WMD there- and to force democracy on random cultures around the world is the height of either arrogance, or stupidity. But now that we're there, I don't feel it would be wise to pull the troops out. Not all of them want to come home yet (THEY feel pretty strongly that it's their patriotic duty to be there, and who am I to say it isn't?) and I really feel that we should finish what we started there.
Poor Paul Aronsohn. He doesn't really have anything cogent to say, though he seems like a nice enough guy. See his video on YouTube.
Scott Garrett does scare me in some senses. He's a bit too socially conservative for me to fall in love with him. But I like his tax and business stances, and he's OK on the environment.
