Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Your American Future (III)

As Terrance Heath so thoroughly chronicles, Republicans have fully committed to turning the United States into a Third World country*, in part by destroying all wage laws. For people whose ideal period in American history remains the Gilded Age, this is to be expected. For the rest of us, we can look forward to a future of poverty, social unrest, high rates of prostitution, drug use, and petty crime. Good times.

Even if Republicans lose, Democrats reflexive desire to steal Republican talking points will no doubt create a situation where by 2020 a "centrist" will be someone who believes we should only lower the minimum wage rather than repeal it entirely. 

* I realize that the term "Third World" is considered a pejorative today. As well it should be. I always use the term "developing world" myself. However, given that the Republicans actively want to turn the U.S. into what they consider a Third World country, it seems depressingly appropriate to use the term here.