Reply #73: You're basically talking about the elimination of borders... [View All]

I just don't think we can afford to do that. Then all of us that might be in a middle class somewhere will be pushed to the bottom, and all of us in survival mode while the corporate elites, etc. everywhere consolidate more and more power to bleed us dry.

Don't get me wrong. I DO want to help other countries elevate their people's conditions. I think the ideal world is that everyone doesn't all have to have all of their wage earners to crowd here to get a job, that puts us further into debt as more and more of us have less income to spend on goods and services which is what brings them here to start with. I do feel that to really care about people is for them to not have to feel they have to come here to get the money to have a decent living. They want to be home with their loved ones as much as we do. I don't want to gentrify or segment the world, but I don't think creating conditions that force the opposite is the right solution either.

Thom Hartmann was noting along with a caller today, that many rural areas are losing public libraries, and other public services, etc. more and more because there is less and less property tax and other taxes gained through any kind of revenue to support them, as the wherewithal of our middle class gets more and more depleted. Ultimately even our commons in terms of the lifestyle we are used to living in will be closer to third world countries as opposed to theirs becoming like ours.

Ultimately, the FIRST action we need to take is starting to seize back power from the corporate elites and get a more grass roots power in ours and in other countries as well. Then put forth legislation that protects not only our middle class but only allows treaties with other countries that protect their people too. Get in place trade sanctions and other means of forcing countries that don't treat their workers well incentive to provide for their people, so that they can be better off in their own economies.

We ultimately want to RAISE everyone's standard of living, not lower ours to the lowest common denominator. If the latter happens, it will be VERY hard to get any kind of middle class anywhere with power unless we have some massively ugly and violent revolutions. That is a future I think we all hope that we can avoid.