The New York Post had a pretty nifty article this weekend...."The Great Divide" by Kyle Smith. The emphasis of the piece....since the 1960s, we have embarked on a mission to live in two different Americas, which happen to be socially, economically, and culturally different.
I read through this piece and found its suggestions kind of interesting. We are a nation of islands, where some folks have packed up and left the regular community. We've made enough money to live in segregated communities....protected by private security, which better than regular police....sip finer wines and eat expensive cheeses flown in from France....floated over to political affiliations that are a bit more extreme than what people accepted in the 1950s....and run off to vacations in Bali or Paris.
By the end of the article....I came to one brief conclusion....we weren't going to come back. We were permanently divided.
But there is a piece of this suggestion which I came to ponder upon. We are continually told of three classes in America (upper, middle, and lower). The blunt truth is that we are edging toward class system that probably involves ten different groups.
1. The permanent urban welfare group. They all live in major areas of the US (Philly, Dallas, Washington, etc). They all expect the government to come and help them in some fashion. They vote mostly all Democrat.
2. The super rich. These are your billionaire class folks, who own private jets, pay less taxes because they donate to Senators who write tax code, and sip $100 bottles of wine on a daily basis. They don't really vote....they donate money to political causes....to make their desires occur.
3. The moderately rich. These are the millionaires, own $3 million dollar houses, rent out private jets, and pay off state-level political figures to get their needs accomplished. They don't really vote....they simply donate money to local causes to be noted and accomplish their desires.
4. The local rich. These are the guys that you might have grown up with.....got one good idea, and have a $500k house today. They own a business and turn a good profit. They've been to the Bahamas, Aruba, and go yearly to Vegas. They own a boat, spend $3k a year on golf, and have a $40k Lexus in the garage.
5. The trailer class. These are folks who finally save enough or borrow enough.....to have their one true home.....a house trailer. They won't be moving upward....mostly because they are tied to a simple job and a permanent income level. They split their votes between Republicans and Democrats.
6. The college elite class. These are folks who are pretty receptive to environmental causes, Democratic agendas, and always talking about "change". They drive a hybrid car, live in a urban villa of sorts, and tend to socialize other college elite types.
7. The union class. Teachers, car industry folks, and dock-worker guys. They all vote Democrat in bulk and live in a pretty decent house. They take vacations to Vegas and Atlantic City. They rarely socialize with anyone, except their own class.
8. Heartland class. These are the guys who vote Conservative, live in moderate homes, and have dreams about moving ahead, but never do. They take their vacations down to Gulf Shores, Branson, or Orlando.
9. Entrepreneurial class. These are folks who come out of high school or college with an agenda, and are working their entire life to get ahead. They vote mostly Conservative and latch onto political folks who talk tax reform or tax cuts. Some will never get rich, although they might own their own Tasty Dip franchise, or run their own BP gas station.
10. Farm class. These are the folks who provide the pork for your table or the pecans for your pie. They tend to split their vote.....going from one party this year because of what they think....to another party in four years. They live a simple life and if they take five days a year off and visit relatives the next state over.....that might be it for a vacation.
I realize I am suggesting something radical.....but there just aren't three classes of people in America anymore.
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