Occupy Wall Street seems like it happened 100 years ago. Why couldn't Americans have sustained that outrage? Was it just s very vocal minority? Instead, we turn around and elect a greedy, narcissistic, criminalistic, 2nd-generation Wall Street billionaire and his Republican puppets. Talk about Gore Vidal's "United States of Amnesia." I'll never understand why the middle and lower classes support leaders who work against their interests. The GOP is a master of the giant con.
This. But it’s also not like Clinton, Obama, or Biden or our democratic congresses have re-made our tax systems or our society to be significantly fairer.
Brent's article refers to the "three Americas." Taxes are part of America's economic fracturing. But job growth, workers' wages, health care affordability, family medical leave, child tax credits, food stamp programs, economic stimuli, financial regulation versus deregulation, whistleblower protections, etc. are other economic aspects to be considered. Yes, Dem leaders are equally slavish to Wall Street as Republicans...it takes money to win elections. But there's a huge difference between the two parties re their efforts (or lack thereof) to consolidate our "three Americas."
yeah, I think a big part of the problem is that too many voters think there ARE no difference, when honestly, the parties have not been this far apart in decades.
Yes, I think culture is a big part of why so many middle and lower-class (white) Americans vote Republican. Party leaders know this and exploit it. Identity, God, and guns. Never mind that they're forever stuck in an economic trap that, as Brent alludes to, gets tighter all the time.
Zorost, your comment is not only insulting and accusatory ("you fell for it") but entirely speculative ("people like you who vote..."). You don't know me so you can't possibly claim to know how I vote. But for the record: I vote Democrat for a multitude of reasons, but I'm also highly critical of aspects of woke and political correctness that the Left pushes (despite advocating civil liberties for everyone from minorities to trees).
(Question: would you be talking like this to me if we were face to face? I doubt it. Impersonal social media has a magical way of emboldening blunt ugliness in people.)
You fell for the trick of thinking either party gives a shit about you, and that voting changes anything. If you voted Republican, I'd still have been right about my prediction that you vote for one of the 2 parties.
"Gilens & Page found that the number of Americans for or against any idea has no impact on the likelihood that Congress will make it law."
"One thing that does have an influence? Money. While the opinions of the bottom 90% of income earners in America have a “statistically non-significant impact,” economic elites, business interests, and people who can afford lobbyists still carry major influence."
Yes, I talk like this IRL. Since I'm not in academia or some coastal shit-hole, I generally don't have to be rude as there aren't nearly as many retards outside of those 2 demographics.
Right. Also, the "occupation" became unfocused after every Dem and lib began tenting for their own pet issue. You need focus and you need sustainment, always a big problem for the left. We need it now more than ever, with Trump and the GOP's blitzkrieg of fascism.
I am a Costco and Trader Joe’s type of guy, and I agree with everything you just said. The cost of living in the US is insane. Normally I am not a fan of taxes, but we are at historically low tax rates and also have a national debt of $39 Trillion and growing. Our national debt is unsustainable. At the same time, costs for everything else are off the charts, and what used to be attainable is becoming priced farther and farther out of reach. If you are a Costco type of family, of a certain age, and have saved and invested well, you’re probably doing ok. But if you are young, of a modest income, or are going through a difficult financial time (medical expenses, job layoff, providing care for a loved one, etc), you’re struggling and it is difficult to keep your head above water much less save and invest.
Thank you. Yes, I can't imagine what it's like for younger folks.
The constant stream of lies about taxes from the right drive me absolutely crazy. What matters is not "income tax," but ALL TAXES. For someone who isn't rich, it's TOTAL TAX RATE that matters, not income taxes. But it's in the interest of the rich to lie and concern themselves with lowering income taxes, but those are the only taxes they noticed.
A lot of younger people (not all, of course) who are middle class have a family to fall back on. They can move in with their parents if their job doesn't pay enough for them to afford rent, or if they hit temporary hard times. They have a bit of a safety net, and while this isn't ideal, they're aware that it could be worse. I say this as the middle class parent of coming-of-age young people who are unsure of their futures, but at least know they'll always have a roof over their heads, as long as they're willing to live here and take out the garbage and walk the dogs.
Rich young people, of course, do not have this problem at all. They can do whatever they want -- with Daddy's money.
Poor young people are the ones I worry the most about. Even those who manage to make it to college or a trade school are, at the end of the day, only as secure as the family safety net supporting them. Some of them have that, and some of them don't. I worry about those that don't.
We just finished driving from Seattle to San Jose, and we loved the Washington and Oregon coasts, with the exception of Seabrook. Most of the ocean side towns were a bit "raggedy" and we loved them for that. If we didn't already live in a beautiful place - the northwestern corner of Michigan's lower peninsula - we would seriously consider moving
A huge part of the Trmp campaign was run on the war against inefficient government and fraud. Many many people were fired. And yet never didnI ever see anyone show evidence that rampant waste existed nor that it has now been fixed.
Did you not see what is going in Minnesota with fraud? What’s going on in California? A high speed train that was supposed to cost $33b is now up to $126 billion. Over $15 billion has been spent and not even a mile of track has been laid. In the last 5 years California has spent $20-25 billion to deal with homelessness and yet the homeless population has gone up 20%. The government has plenty of money it’s just wasting most of it.
I see evidence of a bloated military budget larger than most developed countries combined, and historically low taxes, especially on the ultra rich. The Iraq War ($8 billion) didn't help either.
Costs are not "off the charts". Everything necessary for life except housing is cheaper at point of consumption in wage-hour terms since 1980, and that's because it's illegal to build enough of it.
That "except housing" is doing a lot of work there, since housing costs (the largest single expense) have doubled. Also, health care is much more expensive, the second largest cost in America. I'd argue that's "off the charts," sorry.
Hmmm, you may be right but I am not so sure. What about healthcare? My wife and I pay $1,850 a month plus an $11,000 deductible. College tuition at an average public university is over $30k/yr for an in-state public institution. A new car costs roughly $40k (depending on the type of vehicle). Median US home prices are >$400k (again, depending on where you live. San Diego is obviously more than Des Moines).
This so perfectly articulates why the playgrounds for the rich make me feel so icky! We're squarely in that middle class zone (in Canada) and in 2019, we moved to a small village 10 minutes from Ottawa on the Quebec side of the river. We bought a charming house in one of the three new developments, and it was beautiful, but it wasn't the "Seabrook" development that had just come up. My husband wanted to buy in Seabrook (I'm just gonna keep calling it Seabrook and trust that you know I'm referring to the place in Quebec) but I couldn't see why we should commit to a mortgage that was 300,000 dollars higher to get a house that was slightly smaller literally five minutes away. He reluctantly agreed, and we moved into our place and still went for walks there and took the kids to the "Seabrook" park, but it always left a bad taste in my mouth. And what you've is why! This neighbourhood was so picturesque, so manicured, so meant to mimic the charms of a 1950s Stepford style neighbourhood, except again it was only accessible to those who could afford to take on that insane bill.
Your observations about shows and sporting events and planes are also very apt. Our oldest son is 15 now, and he wants to do things with his friends, and just the cost of a movie and dinner is double what it used to be when he was a baby. It's all pretty crazy and frustrating, and that's without being part of the third group.
Canada is funny in that we look at the intense problems of the US and pride ourselves on how much better we are, but the reality is that the gravitational pull of American culture, economy etc is so strong that we are actually a lot more like the US than we are like Europe or elsewhere in the world. It feels like only recently that people in Canada are starting to wake up to this (Carney's Davos speech was something a lot of us felt pride in, in terms of distinguishing ourselves and admitting that not everything American is always right/better) but I still think we have a long way to go in terms of looking at how much more equitable our society could be in and of itself, and not just patting ourselves on the back for being the sane neighbour "upstairs".
The death of unions over the past several decades has really hurt people’s fortunes. I was fortunate to retire at 58 with a healthy public pension. Doesn’t seem like there are many similar opportunities on the private side.
Even public pension benefits are getting less and less generous. I'm lucky enough to be in a stable and well managed system, but my benefits aren't as good as the ones for people hired before 2011, and there's been another round of "worse after year XXXX" since then.
And I still tell my entry level staff to stick around at least until they vest in the pension system because PENSION I mean seriously.
The prices are raised a miniscule amount. The same can be said for every job that exists, so according to you anyone making over minimum wage is a parasite on the system of putting as much wealth in the hands of the top 0.1% as possible.
Employers are already organized to help each other against employees, if employees don't organize to resist that we all end up peasants.
If you have a point, make it. Otherwise don't suggest I read something that was won't address the points I made, and that was written by those beholden to the ownership class.
I think it shines more of a spotlight on our wildly inefficient bloated medical industry. Virtually every developed country provides PUBLIC health care for half the price.
Government should absolutely be made efficient, but you're making wild and inaccurate generalizations, IMHO. I wish there was a bipartisan effort at government efficiency, but DOGE was absolute joke, just pure vendetta and outright corruption.
Honestly, I've accessed health care all over the world, and talked to locals about their healthcare. The UK is an isolated case, because their whole country is in meltdown. But the situation in Canada is much different than you describe. Yes, there are waits in the nationalized system, but you can also buy (very affordable) insurance or pay out of pocket -- again, affordable -- to easily jump these lines.
The American system, meanwhile, has extremely long wait times as well. I have four friends with cancer right now, undergoing treatment, and we seem to have the worst of all worlds: mediocre care, long waits, and costs that are EASILY ten times what it would be in any other country.
The death with dignity issue is a completely different one, and unrelated to the topic at hand.
Canadian here ... your numbers are a fiction. I personally needed an MRI and it wasn't a life or death matter and I got it in under 3 weeks. As usual your are parroting US right wing propaganda. If you are rich in the US you may get faster health care, but nobody goes bankrupt in Canada because of health care costs. And you won't be paying for needless tests that only serve to waste resources and pad the bottom line of the awful for profit US social travesty called US Healthcare. Most Canadians are justifiably proud of their health care system, flaws and all. What are your premiums monthly?
Whenever I see someone use this argument it really makes me wonder if the person has ever interacted with the US healthcare system outside of the occasional checkup or minor injury.
Do similar metrics from the US exist? What I'm about to say is anecdotal, but a very common experience from what I've heard, and I'm curious if the actual statistics back it up.
The wait times you listed are comparable to what I've experienced in the US for specialists and GPs (maybe not ER). Almost every healthcare specialist I've gone to is booked out for months in advance, many within insurance not even taking on new patients. And then once you actually get an appointment, wait times for procedures and tests can be even worse. Maybe in less populated areas this isn't the case, but in those areas you might not even have access to certain specialists and need to travel out to populated centers anyway.
I just don't believe this idea that healthcare in the US is significantly faster or easier to access across the board. At least, not enough to justify the exorbitant costs. I agree that wait times for life saving treatment are unsustainable in the public systems you mentioned, but that's for free to low cost healthcare. You can still seek out private healthcare in those countries to avoid waiting, and from my understanding is still much cheaper than healthcare costs here (even WITH insurance). The issue still boils down to inaccessibility due to cost. Whereas people who can't afford healthcare are at least guaranteed it even if delayed in a public system, in the US if they can't afford it, they simply cannot access it. What are the statistics of people dying preventable deaths in the US because they couldn't afford to see a doctor? What does it matter if I could see a doctor sooner or receive a treatment earlier if I can't afford to at all? Or if I delay seeking treatment until I need urgent care because of the cost?
That's not even to factor in the time cost of waiting on and fighting approvals from insurance providers. I'm sure there are also people who desperately need life saving treatment in the US who are also on waitlists, but they ALSO have to pay more to be on that list at all.
And yes, on paper I have more flexibility in terms of who I can choose to see, but that's not the reality for most folks dependent on insurance. Insurance will limit what practitioners you can see and when, what facilities you can use, what medications you're allowed to take, and this all slows things down. I'm not convinced our system is more forgiving. You do have the choice to just go out of network, but like I said, you also have the choice to go private in Europe. One might argue why pay into a public system if I have to go private anyway, but why pay into a private system when I'd have to go out of network?
It also doesn't have to be an argument of either or, there can be a place for both public and private healthcare in our society.
For some, this argument also includes the fact that our healthcare quality is seemingly better in the US. And I think this argument plays similarly to saying the US is wealthier, in that there's a huge gap between who has access to that wealth (or in this case healthcare). Sure, I COULD see some of the best doctors in the world here, but realistically? That's inaccessible to only the few who can afford it. Is the average healthcare quality here actually better than in Europe?
And I'm also not convinced it's entirely a problem of public vs private, but the fact that the healthcare system in the US is unregulated and heavily for-profit. If things cost comparably to how they do in Europe, I might see the merits of private healthcare, but that would still require governmental intervention or regulations. The current healthcare costs are an inherent by product of a private system.
I really want to see someone frame this argument in a way that considers the reality and nuances of healthcare wait times and costs in the US. Like please, convince me this is worth it. Show me the statistics that the average quality of care is better, that less people are dying because they can't access treatment, that our wait times justify how much we pay.
I just genuinely don't see it. As someone who pays significantly more for private healthcare in the US, only to encounter the same issues (but MAYBE to a lesser extent) experienced in public systems, like what am I even paying for?? To fill the pockets of healthcare executives? How is that better?
Brent, I’m always fascinated by your observations when you’re back in the U.S. It’s like reading a time traveler who has jumped forward into a dystopian future. You really nailed it. Enjoy this summer at the beach and to hell with Seabrook.
One other thing. And this is really fucking sad. When you said your insurance premiums were 26k, my first thought was, that's not a bad deal. I mean, it's a terrible deal. But a few years ago my wife left her corporate job and we bought insurance from Covered California. We didn't qualify for the subsidy since they use your previous year's salary and her's was high. So in a year when we had very little income we paid around 29k for the two of us. She has a new job and her employer cover us, but if you look at the total cost -- what they pay and what's deducted from her paycheck -- it's around 30k i think, and that's before copays and deductibles. I'm sure none of this surprises you, but yeah it was a real reality check when my reaction was, what a great deal Michael and Brent are getting on health insurance.
The greatest difference I see, as an American living in Europe, is the cost, accessibility, and quality of healthcare. To me, that is the great divide between the haves and the have-nots in the USA, and it does not have to be that way!!
I believe we are in a new Gilded Age. We need a new champion who will channel their inner Teddy Roosevelt and JFK to make things better for all Americans. We need a monopoly busting administration. We do not need to raise the tax rate, just do away with all the special laws that allow the rich to shield their money from taxes. For example, Peter Thiel has a Roth IRA that has 5 billion dollars in it! Also, bring back the inheritance tax cutoff that will stop rich dynasties from occurring.
And Trump pays $600 a year in taxes. Yeah, we need a complete redo of the tax code. And essentially eliminating the inheritance tax was insane -- that strikes me as the most "American" tax of all, since we're all supposed to pull ourselves up by our bootstraps, right?
Republicans did a great job of changing the narrative on the inheritance tax. They called it the death tax then used unlikely examples of how small businesses or farms would have to be sold to pay the tax when a small business owner or small farmer died. The DNC pushed back with deafening silence. I guess leadership also didn't like the inheritance tax.
To be clear up front, I'm not advocating or suggesting anything by this. But I feel like people from all three Americas should probably be more familiar with the causes of the French revolution; and the potential similarities in modern day America.
The US has really become incredibly divided. My sister and I are in our 50s and often joke about how our elderly mom is winning at capitalism in a way we never will. Mom isn't on the scale of the ultra-wealthy, but she is definitely winning in the sense of the "magic of compound interest" and the US stock market over the last 40+ years.
She started a 401k back in 1981 when they were first created. She contributed in that system for 22 years before going into public service. Every time her bank statement arrives in the mail, she gets shocked all over again and tells us "Never in my whole life did I imagine I would ever have this much money." She got scholarships to public colleges and worked until she was well into her 70s.
The kicker is, while it IS a lot of money, it isn't anywhere even close to the top 1%, serious luxury consumer wealth, of the type you described.
Yes, we're the same. And also owning real estate in the Seattle area from 1995-now. It just doubled and doubled and doubled and doubled. But that ain't happening again.
I'm one of the "poor" class of Americans, but somehow make it work. Sure, having a ton more money would be welcome, but I'm not going to kill myself trying to earn more...and the system is definitely stacked against the lower class ever hoping to rise above it.
I could work 24/7/365 and still not be even close to as rich as these oligarchs. (And I'd be dead from no sleep or food...too busy working!)
This was a great read, albeit a depressing one. But you said what really needed to be said, because it is so true.
So sorry to hear about your horrendous medical insurance premiums. I don’t know long it will be until you’re Medicare age—but Medicare is amazing. Even when we were on private insurance that was partially subsidized by employers, our coverage was never this good (and inexpensive).
We have lived outside the US for nearly 2 decades and have traveled a lot. A striking difference is how happy/ content the people in the rest of the "poorer" countries in the world are, when compared to US. Folks in the US seem to have lost the narrative of how to live a happy, contented life, even while owning most of the world's goods.
This US miserable factor has many causes: lack of even basic socialized medicine + the exorbitant cost of medical insurance, the constant focus on speed and efficiency instead of people, the shredding of family and community connections due to work and lifestyle, excessive taxation of the lower classes, etc.
The more a country mimics the US in consumption, in the mechanics of efficiency instead of people, in the lack of job protections and lack of socialized meds, the more stressed their citizens seem to become.
The US is spreading an unbridled capitalism that is destroying our planet and its people.
I completely agree with this. I have seen the same thing everywhere as well. (I believe in capitalism, as it's also lifted most of the world out of poverty during the 20th century, and the alternatives are even worse. But unregulated American capitalism is not working.)
No, sorry, but I'm not at all attracted to America. I much prefer Australia. BTW did you know a typical Aussie is wealthier than an equivalent American? And 10% of us Aussies are millionaires if assets are included. Plus we have universal healthcare, which is brilliant. And we don't have a senile criminal leader.
Haha. Don't tell Michael -- he lived there in his 20s and is ITCHING to move us back there. We spent three months there last year, and I loved it too. (But it's sooooo far from everything else!)
So well put, Brent. What I have believed for a long time is that the US does have a caste system, it's just not labeled (until lately) as in India. It's bc I was born in the US, growing up I was always taught that if you have an education, work hard enough, etc etc. But it seems things have gone horribly askew. I feel so bad that the present US admn. has taken away so much of the narrow, required safety net many people need. Thanks for this post. It needs to be said.
After being in India a while ago now, I just started to realize in western countries it's not really spoken, castes, but they are so prevalent and very obvious once we notice that that is exactly what they are. You pigeonholed them perfectly by stating US grocery shopping. High end - TJ's/Costco crowd - Walmart. India just had the guts to actually say it. But in India, one can't escape caste. I felt really sorry for the lowest caste there, the untouchables, the Dalits. And I hope you're right about the 'uber's' --but me thinks they are too isolated to ever really take a hit.
Amen. And it's worsened by the fact that policies toward the poorest are getting not just indifferent, but increasingly hostile. Can't afford housing? You'll be actively harassed and chased out of public spaces. Don't have enough money for the minimum balance in a bank account? Can't pay a parking ticket? You'll have to pay extra fees, compounding your debt.
And I believe the middle class is at more risk of downward than upward mobility. I have read more than one article featuring a middle-class person shopping at a food bank while saying, "I used to donate here; I never thought I'd be a customer."
Amen to everything you wrote, Brent! I'm solidly middle-class but can't stomach the thought of paying hundreds of dollars to go to a concert, even when I want to catch a favorite musician while she is still touring. And now, as inflation rears its ugly (and avoidable) head, prices are going up and the pain point of more expensive gas and groceries will inevitably hit the poor first. In my town, I already see more fruit and flower vendors on street corners, unlicensed food carts, and the like. I'm not complaining--people will come up with creative ways to earn a living as best they can. But the policy changes we need must come from the top...
Occupy Wall Street seems like it happened 100 years ago. Why couldn't Americans have sustained that outrage? Was it just s very vocal minority? Instead, we turn around and elect a greedy, narcissistic, criminalistic, 2nd-generation Wall Street billionaire and his Republican puppets. Talk about Gore Vidal's "United States of Amnesia." I'll never understand why the middle and lower classes support leaders who work against their interests. The GOP is a master of the giant con.
Absolute masters! And our media have done a shitty job too, letting the GOP spew a stream of non-stop lies about the rich and taxes.
This. But it’s also not like Clinton, Obama, or Biden or our democratic congresses have re-made our tax systems or our society to be significantly fairer.
Brent's article refers to the "three Americas." Taxes are part of America's economic fracturing. But job growth, workers' wages, health care affordability, family medical leave, child tax credits, food stamp programs, economic stimuli, financial regulation versus deregulation, whistleblower protections, etc. are other economic aspects to be considered. Yes, Dem leaders are equally slavish to Wall Street as Republicans...it takes money to win elections. But there's a huge difference between the two parties re their efforts (or lack thereof) to consolidate our "three Americas."
yeah, I think a big part of the problem is that too many voters think there ARE no difference, when honestly, the parties have not been this far apart in decades.
WHO IS DEMONSTRATING? Who is calling the offices of their reps? Who is being ANNOYING where it counts?
Yup
THIS.
Because they’ve been duped into culture wars and think “boys in girls’ sports” is their biggest threat.
Yes, I think culture is a big part of why so many middle and lower-class (white) Americans vote Republican. Party leaders know this and exploit it. Identity, God, and guns. Never mind that they're forever stuck in an economic trap that, as Brent alludes to, gets tighter all the time.
Tim Pool made a name for himself and now he’s a multimillionaire MAGA supporter.
Occupy Wall Street was actively sabotaged by the rich. Literally infiltrated.
It's because of people like you who vote identity rather than logic.
Both parties are in it together. Both of them are owned or rented by the same masters.
The 2 parties play good cop/ bad cop on America, and you fell for it.
Zorost, your comment is not only insulting and accusatory ("you fell for it") but entirely speculative ("people like you who vote..."). You don't know me so you can't possibly claim to know how I vote. But for the record: I vote Democrat for a multitude of reasons, but I'm also highly critical of aspects of woke and political correctness that the Left pushes (despite advocating civil liberties for everyone from minorities to trees).
(Question: would you be talking like this to me if we were face to face? I doubt it. Impersonal social media has a magical way of emboldening blunt ugliness in people.)
I completely agree, Peter. I don't know why the internet turns people into jerks. 😑🫤
You made my point for me.
You fell for the trick of thinking either party gives a shit about you, and that voting changes anything. If you voted Republican, I'd still have been right about my prediction that you vote for one of the 2 parties.
"Gilens & Page found that the number of Americans for or against any idea has no impact on the likelihood that Congress will make it law."
"One thing that does have an influence? Money. While the opinions of the bottom 90% of income earners in America have a “statistically non-significant impact,” economic elites, business interests, and people who can afford lobbyists still carry major influence."
https://act.represent.us/sign/problempoll-fba/
Yes, I talk like this IRL. Since I'm not in academia or some coastal shit-hole, I generally don't have to be rude as there aren't nearly as many retards outside of those 2 demographics.
Annnnd that gets your banned for being the asshole you obviously are.
Because OWS did shit like measuring peoples privilege on 10 axes and then letting people speak in that order, so that made them hate each other.
Right. Also, the "occupation" became unfocused after every Dem and lib began tenting for their own pet issue. You need focus and you need sustainment, always a big problem for the left. We need it now more than ever, with Trump and the GOP's blitzkrieg of fascism.
I think this is a REAL problem.
I am a Costco and Trader Joe’s type of guy, and I agree with everything you just said. The cost of living in the US is insane. Normally I am not a fan of taxes, but we are at historically low tax rates and also have a national debt of $39 Trillion and growing. Our national debt is unsustainable. At the same time, costs for everything else are off the charts, and what used to be attainable is becoming priced farther and farther out of reach. If you are a Costco type of family, of a certain age, and have saved and invested well, you’re probably doing ok. But if you are young, of a modest income, or are going through a difficult financial time (medical expenses, job layoff, providing care for a loved one, etc), you’re struggling and it is difficult to keep your head above water much less save and invest.
Thank you. Yes, I can't imagine what it's like for younger folks.
The constant stream of lies about taxes from the right drive me absolutely crazy. What matters is not "income tax," but ALL TAXES. For someone who isn't rich, it's TOTAL TAX RATE that matters, not income taxes. But it's in the interest of the rich to lie and concern themselves with lowering income taxes, but those are the only taxes they noticed.
A lot of younger people (not all, of course) who are middle class have a family to fall back on. They can move in with their parents if their job doesn't pay enough for them to afford rent, or if they hit temporary hard times. They have a bit of a safety net, and while this isn't ideal, they're aware that it could be worse. I say this as the middle class parent of coming-of-age young people who are unsure of their futures, but at least know they'll always have a roof over their heads, as long as they're willing to live here and take out the garbage and walk the dogs.
Rich young people, of course, do not have this problem at all. They can do whatever they want -- with Daddy's money.
Poor young people are the ones I worry the most about. Even those who manage to make it to college or a trade school are, at the end of the day, only as secure as the family safety net supporting them. Some of them have that, and some of them don't. I worry about those that don't.
That's a good point. When my parents were alive, I definitely felt like I could always rely on them if things go too bad...
Same!
We just finished driving from Seattle to San Jose, and we loved the Washington and Oregon coasts, with the exception of Seabrook. Most of the ocean side towns were a bit "raggedy" and we loved them for that. If we didn't already live in a beautiful place - the northwestern corner of Michigan's lower peninsula - we would seriously consider moving
A huge part of the Trmp campaign was run on the war against inefficient government and fraud. Many many people were fired. And yet never didnI ever see anyone show evidence that rampant waste existed nor that it has now been fixed.
Did you not see what is going in Minnesota with fraud? What’s going on in California? A high speed train that was supposed to cost $33b is now up to $126 billion. Over $15 billion has been spent and not even a mile of track has been laid. In the last 5 years California has spent $20-25 billion to deal with homelessness and yet the homeless population has gone up 20%. The government has plenty of money it’s just wasting most of it.
I see evidence of a bloated military budget larger than most developed countries combined, and historically low taxes, especially on the ultra rich. The Iraq War ($8 billion) didn't help either.
Costs are not "off the charts". Everything necessary for life except housing is cheaper at point of consumption in wage-hour terms since 1980, and that's because it's illegal to build enough of it.
That "except housing" is doing a lot of work there, since housing costs (the largest single expense) have doubled. Also, health care is much more expensive, the second largest cost in America. I'd argue that's "off the charts," sorry.
Hmmm, you may be right but I am not so sure. What about healthcare? My wife and I pay $1,850 a month plus an $11,000 deductible. College tuition at an average public university is over $30k/yr for an in-state public institution. A new car costs roughly $40k (depending on the type of vehicle). Median US home prices are >$400k (again, depending on where you live. San Diego is obviously more than Des Moines).
This so perfectly articulates why the playgrounds for the rich make me feel so icky! We're squarely in that middle class zone (in Canada) and in 2019, we moved to a small village 10 minutes from Ottawa on the Quebec side of the river. We bought a charming house in one of the three new developments, and it was beautiful, but it wasn't the "Seabrook" development that had just come up. My husband wanted to buy in Seabrook (I'm just gonna keep calling it Seabrook and trust that you know I'm referring to the place in Quebec) but I couldn't see why we should commit to a mortgage that was 300,000 dollars higher to get a house that was slightly smaller literally five minutes away. He reluctantly agreed, and we moved into our place and still went for walks there and took the kids to the "Seabrook" park, but it always left a bad taste in my mouth. And what you've is why! This neighbourhood was so picturesque, so manicured, so meant to mimic the charms of a 1950s Stepford style neighbourhood, except again it was only accessible to those who could afford to take on that insane bill.
Your observations about shows and sporting events and planes are also very apt. Our oldest son is 15 now, and he wants to do things with his friends, and just the cost of a movie and dinner is double what it used to be when he was a baby. It's all pretty crazy and frustrating, and that's without being part of the third group.
You made the right call! Honestly, even ten years ago, the vibe might have been different. But things are changing FAST.
It's not sustainable, it's just not. Something has to change.
(I didn't know this was an issue in Canada too, but it makes sense!)
Canada is funny in that we look at the intense problems of the US and pride ourselves on how much better we are, but the reality is that the gravitational pull of American culture, economy etc is so strong that we are actually a lot more like the US than we are like Europe or elsewhere in the world. It feels like only recently that people in Canada are starting to wake up to this (Carney's Davos speech was something a lot of us felt pride in, in terms of distinguishing ourselves and admitting that not everything American is always right/better) but I still think we have a long way to go in terms of looking at how much more equitable our society could be in and of itself, and not just patting ourselves on the back for being the sane neighbour "upstairs".
The death of unions over the past several decades has really hurt people’s fortunes. I was fortunate to retire at 58 with a healthy public pension. Doesn’t seem like there are many similar opportunities on the private side.
Even public pension benefits are getting less and less generous. I'm lucky enough to be in a stable and well managed system, but my benefits aren't as good as the ones for people hired before 2011, and there's been another round of "worse after year XXXX" since then.
And I still tell my entry level staff to stick around at least until they vest in the pension system because PENSION I mean seriously.
It's just outrageous. Worse and worse offerings.
Yes, I agree.
Unions are cartels for the commodity of labor that raise prices for everyone not in them.
The prices are raised a miniscule amount. The same can be said for every job that exists, so according to you anyone making over minimum wage is a parasite on the system of putting as much wealth in the hands of the top 0.1% as possible.
Employers are already organized to help each other against employees, if employees don't organize to resist that we all end up peasants.
Read an economics textbook.
You are retarded.
If you have a point, make it. Otherwise don't suggest I read something that was won't address the points I made, and that was written by those beholden to the ownership class.
You are retarded (in every sense of the word) and I'm done with you.
Would to see your “good results” and “efficiency” metrics for public agencies. Which agencies (state and federal) are failing?
I think it shines more of a spotlight on our wildly inefficient bloated medical industry. Virtually every developed country provides PUBLIC health care for half the price.
Government should absolutely be made efficient, but you're making wild and inaccurate generalizations, IMHO. I wish there was a bipartisan effort at government efficiency, but DOGE was absolute joke, just pure vendetta and outright corruption.
And look at Canada and Britain where the wait times are extraordinarily long. Here are some numbers from Canada.
28 weeks (≈ 6–7 months) from seeing a family doctor → getting treatment
Wait to see a specialist: ~15.3 weeks (~3.5 months)
Wait from specialist → treatment (e.g. surgery): ~13.3 weeks (~3 months)
MRI scan: ~18 weeks (~4 months)
The NHS is no better.
Referral → treatment (main metric)
NHS target: 18 weeks
Reality (2025–2026):
Only ~55–60% treated within 18 weeks
Hundreds of thousands waiting over 1 year
Non-urgent surgery (hip/knee, etc.): Often 6–12+ months
In Canada MAID is killing people at an increasing rate. In 2024 5.1% of all deaths were from MAID and that number is increasing every year.
Is this what you want from healthcare?
Honestly, I've accessed health care all over the world, and talked to locals about their healthcare. The UK is an isolated case, because their whole country is in meltdown. But the situation in Canada is much different than you describe. Yes, there are waits in the nationalized system, but you can also buy (very affordable) insurance or pay out of pocket -- again, affordable -- to easily jump these lines.
The American system, meanwhile, has extremely long wait times as well. I have four friends with cancer right now, undergoing treatment, and we seem to have the worst of all worlds: mediocre care, long waits, and costs that are EASILY ten times what it would be in any other country.
The death with dignity issue is a completely different one, and unrelated to the topic at hand.
Canadian here ... your numbers are a fiction. I personally needed an MRI and it wasn't a life or death matter and I got it in under 3 weeks. As usual your are parroting US right wing propaganda. If you are rich in the US you may get faster health care, but nobody goes bankrupt in Canada because of health care costs. And you won't be paying for needless tests that only serve to waste resources and pad the bottom line of the awful for profit US social travesty called US Healthcare. Most Canadians are justifiably proud of their health care system, flaws and all. What are your premiums monthly?
Whenever I see someone use this argument it really makes me wonder if the person has ever interacted with the US healthcare system outside of the occasional checkup or minor injury.
Do similar metrics from the US exist? What I'm about to say is anecdotal, but a very common experience from what I've heard, and I'm curious if the actual statistics back it up.
The wait times you listed are comparable to what I've experienced in the US for specialists and GPs (maybe not ER). Almost every healthcare specialist I've gone to is booked out for months in advance, many within insurance not even taking on new patients. And then once you actually get an appointment, wait times for procedures and tests can be even worse. Maybe in less populated areas this isn't the case, but in those areas you might not even have access to certain specialists and need to travel out to populated centers anyway.
I just don't believe this idea that healthcare in the US is significantly faster or easier to access across the board. At least, not enough to justify the exorbitant costs. I agree that wait times for life saving treatment are unsustainable in the public systems you mentioned, but that's for free to low cost healthcare. You can still seek out private healthcare in those countries to avoid waiting, and from my understanding is still much cheaper than healthcare costs here (even WITH insurance). The issue still boils down to inaccessibility due to cost. Whereas people who can't afford healthcare are at least guaranteed it even if delayed in a public system, in the US if they can't afford it, they simply cannot access it. What are the statistics of people dying preventable deaths in the US because they couldn't afford to see a doctor? What does it matter if I could see a doctor sooner or receive a treatment earlier if I can't afford to at all? Or if I delay seeking treatment until I need urgent care because of the cost?
That's not even to factor in the time cost of waiting on and fighting approvals from insurance providers. I'm sure there are also people who desperately need life saving treatment in the US who are also on waitlists, but they ALSO have to pay more to be on that list at all.
And yes, on paper I have more flexibility in terms of who I can choose to see, but that's not the reality for most folks dependent on insurance. Insurance will limit what practitioners you can see and when, what facilities you can use, what medications you're allowed to take, and this all slows things down. I'm not convinced our system is more forgiving. You do have the choice to just go out of network, but like I said, you also have the choice to go private in Europe. One might argue why pay into a public system if I have to go private anyway, but why pay into a private system when I'd have to go out of network?
It also doesn't have to be an argument of either or, there can be a place for both public and private healthcare in our society.
For some, this argument also includes the fact that our healthcare quality is seemingly better in the US. And I think this argument plays similarly to saying the US is wealthier, in that there's a huge gap between who has access to that wealth (or in this case healthcare). Sure, I COULD see some of the best doctors in the world here, but realistically? That's inaccessible to only the few who can afford it. Is the average healthcare quality here actually better than in Europe?
And I'm also not convinced it's entirely a problem of public vs private, but the fact that the healthcare system in the US is unregulated and heavily for-profit. If things cost comparably to how they do in Europe, I might see the merits of private healthcare, but that would still require governmental intervention or regulations. The current healthcare costs are an inherent by product of a private system.
I really want to see someone frame this argument in a way that considers the reality and nuances of healthcare wait times and costs in the US. Like please, convince me this is worth it. Show me the statistics that the average quality of care is better, that less people are dying because they can't access treatment, that our wait times justify how much we pay.
I just genuinely don't see it. As someone who pays significantly more for private healthcare in the US, only to encounter the same issues (but MAYBE to a lesser extent) experienced in public systems, like what am I even paying for?? To fill the pockets of healthcare executives? How is that better?
Brent, I’m always fascinated by your observations when you’re back in the U.S. It’s like reading a time traveler who has jumped forward into a dystopian future. You really nailed it. Enjoy this summer at the beach and to hell with Seabrook.
Haha, thanks! Honestly, sometimes it FEELS that way too!
Yeah, screw Seabrook.
One other thing. And this is really fucking sad. When you said your insurance premiums were 26k, my first thought was, that's not a bad deal. I mean, it's a terrible deal. But a few years ago my wife left her corporate job and we bought insurance from Covered California. We didn't qualify for the subsidy since they use your previous year's salary and her's was high. So in a year when we had very little income we paid around 29k for the two of us. She has a new job and her employer cover us, but if you look at the total cost -- what they pay and what's deducted from her paycheck -- it's around 30k i think, and that's before copays and deductibles. I'm sure none of this surprises you, but yeah it was a real reality check when my reaction was, what a great deal Michael and Brent are getting on health insurance.
JFC, that is insane. Just insaaaaane.
The greatest difference I see, as an American living in Europe, is the cost, accessibility, and quality of healthcare. To me, that is the great divide between the haves and the have-nots in the USA, and it does not have to be that way!!
Nope. This is a CHOICE that Americans have repeatedly made, and I don't understand it AT ALL.
Same. Why they don’t rise up and burn the whole thing down, I will never understand.
It's coming!
Absolutely agree. (I’d add on the expense of higher education as well…)
Absolutely. It's disgraceful what American families have to pay and the debt that students have to take on.
I believe we are in a new Gilded Age. We need a new champion who will channel their inner Teddy Roosevelt and JFK to make things better for all Americans. We need a monopoly busting administration. We do not need to raise the tax rate, just do away with all the special laws that allow the rich to shield their money from taxes. For example, Peter Thiel has a Roth IRA that has 5 billion dollars in it! Also, bring back the inheritance tax cutoff that will stop rich dynasties from occurring.
And Trump pays $600 a year in taxes. Yeah, we need a complete redo of the tax code. And essentially eliminating the inheritance tax was insane -- that strikes me as the most "American" tax of all, since we're all supposed to pull ourselves up by our bootstraps, right?
Republicans did a great job of changing the narrative on the inheritance tax. They called it the death tax then used unlikely examples of how small businesses or farms would have to be sold to pay the tax when a small business owner or small farmer died. The DNC pushed back with deafening silence. I guess leadership also didn't like the inheritance tax.
sadly, true (but I do think the Dems pushed back -- they just don't have a media network financed by billionaires to push their messaging 24/7).
Is that a joke? The Dems control or influence almost all of the major networks and mass media creators.
To be clear up front, I'm not advocating or suggesting anything by this. But I feel like people from all three Americas should probably be more familiar with the causes of the French revolution; and the potential similarities in modern day America.
I agree completely.
The US has really become incredibly divided. My sister and I are in our 50s and often joke about how our elderly mom is winning at capitalism in a way we never will. Mom isn't on the scale of the ultra-wealthy, but she is definitely winning in the sense of the "magic of compound interest" and the US stock market over the last 40+ years.
She started a 401k back in 1981 when they were first created. She contributed in that system for 22 years before going into public service. Every time her bank statement arrives in the mail, she gets shocked all over again and tells us "Never in my whole life did I imagine I would ever have this much money." She got scholarships to public colleges and worked until she was well into her 70s.
The kicker is, while it IS a lot of money, it isn't anywhere even close to the top 1%, serious luxury consumer wealth, of the type you described.
Yes, we're the same. And also owning real estate in the Seattle area from 1995-now. It just doubled and doubled and doubled and doubled. But that ain't happening again.
I'm one of the "poor" class of Americans, but somehow make it work. Sure, having a ton more money would be welcome, but I'm not going to kill myself trying to earn more...and the system is definitely stacked against the lower class ever hoping to rise above it.
I could work 24/7/365 and still not be even close to as rich as these oligarchs. (And I'd be dead from no sleep or food...too busy working!)
This was a great read, albeit a depressing one. But you said what really needed to be said, because it is so true.
Thank you. And I agree with you about life priorities.
So sorry to hear about your horrendous medical insurance premiums. I don’t know long it will be until you’re Medicare age—but Medicare is amazing. Even when we were on private insurance that was partially subsidized by employers, our coverage was never this good (and inexpensive).
That's good to know! And thanks.
Agree. Medicare is amazing. I remember the "Medicare for all" movement of a few years ago, which I didn't fully appreciate at the time. Now I sure do!
We're sold such a bill of lies, aren't we?
THIS.
We have lived outside the US for nearly 2 decades and have traveled a lot. A striking difference is how happy/ content the people in the rest of the "poorer" countries in the world are, when compared to US. Folks in the US seem to have lost the narrative of how to live a happy, contented life, even while owning most of the world's goods.
This US miserable factor has many causes: lack of even basic socialized medicine + the exorbitant cost of medical insurance, the constant focus on speed and efficiency instead of people, the shredding of family and community connections due to work and lifestyle, excessive taxation of the lower classes, etc.
The more a country mimics the US in consumption, in the mechanics of efficiency instead of people, in the lack of job protections and lack of socialized meds, the more stressed their citizens seem to become.
The US is spreading an unbridled capitalism that is destroying our planet and its people.
I completely agree with this. I have seen the same thing everywhere as well. (I believe in capitalism, as it's also lifted most of the world out of poverty during the 20th century, and the alternatives are even worse. But unregulated American capitalism is not working.)
No, sorry, but I'm not at all attracted to America. I much prefer Australia. BTW did you know a typical Aussie is wealthier than an equivalent American? And 10% of us Aussies are millionaires if assets are included. Plus we have universal healthcare, which is brilliant. And we don't have a senile criminal leader.
Haha. Don't tell Michael -- he lived there in his 20s and is ITCHING to move us back there. We spent three months there last year, and I loved it too. (But it's sooooo far from everything else!)
That's an advantage.
So well put, Brent. What I have believed for a long time is that the US does have a caste system, it's just not labeled (until lately) as in India. It's bc I was born in the US, growing up I was always taught that if you have an education, work hard enough, etc etc. But it seems things have gone horribly askew. I feel so bad that the present US admn. has taken away so much of the narrow, required safety net many people need. Thanks for this post. It needs to be said.
Thank you. Yeah, "caste system" is a good way to put it. I do think the rich are in for a VERY rude awakening very soon. This is not sustainable.
After being in India a while ago now, I just started to realize in western countries it's not really spoken, castes, but they are so prevalent and very obvious once we notice that that is exactly what they are. You pigeonholed them perfectly by stating US grocery shopping. High end - TJ's/Costco crowd - Walmart. India just had the guts to actually say it. But in India, one can't escape caste. I felt really sorry for the lowest caste there, the untouchables, the Dalits. And I hope you're right about the 'uber's' --but me thinks they are too isolated to ever really take a hit.
The whole discussion is so depressing. Sighhhh.
Amen. And it's worsened by the fact that policies toward the poorest are getting not just indifferent, but increasingly hostile. Can't afford housing? You'll be actively harassed and chased out of public spaces. Don't have enough money for the minimum balance in a bank account? Can't pay a parking ticket? You'll have to pay extra fees, compounding your debt.
And I believe the middle class is at more risk of downward than upward mobility. I have read more than one article featuring a middle-class person shopping at a food bank while saying, "I used to donate here; I never thought I'd be a customer."
Agree 1000%!!! And as more and more folks can't afford insurance, medical bankruptcies are rising again too, not surprisingly.
Amen to everything you wrote, Brent! I'm solidly middle-class but can't stomach the thought of paying hundreds of dollars to go to a concert, even when I want to catch a favorite musician while she is still touring. And now, as inflation rears its ugly (and avoidable) head, prices are going up and the pain point of more expensive gas and groceries will inevitably hit the poor first. In my town, I already see more fruit and flower vendors on street corners, unlicensed food carts, and the like. I'm not complaining--people will come up with creative ways to earn a living as best they can. But the policy changes we need must come from the top...
(I'll pay big bucks for Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and Stevie Nicks... and that's about all! LOL)
Thank you. We need a radical overhaul, that's for sure.