The Second Reich

In the “strange new respect” department, we have none other than Robert Reich (or, as Rush Limbaugh would say, “ReishhhhhhAAH”), late of the Clinton administration, writing the following (from the Sunday paper): “The way to get the economy back on track is to boost the purchasing power of the middle class”. Wow – this, from a guy whose former boss said he didn't trust people to spend their own money in the proper way. But to be fair, Reich equates the middle class with unionized labor – which may actually be valid, if we're talking strictly about income, but is a bit dicey if we're talking about sociology. Reich wants all “working” people to be unionized, in his ideal world. Well, would this make everyone middle class? If so, then what would become of what is currently the great cash cow of the world, namely the American middle class (as opposed to the American working class, mostly non-unionized)? Surely Reich isn't proposing a two-class society consisting of “middle” and “upper”? That would make him a traitor to everything the Clinton administration stood for, namely a liberal elite lording it over a nation of serfs.

But wait, there's more! Later in the same column, he says “Making it easier for all Americans to form unions would give the middle class the bargaining power it needs for better wages and benefits. And a strong and prosperous middle class is necessary if our economy is to succeed.” Again, wow – I'd like to know if he ever spoke this way when he was in the employ of the Clintons; I doubt it very much. Back then, the middle class was just this greedy, ignorant, hate-filled bunch of people we would be much better off without -- you know, the same way Obama describes them. But I guess if you turn all the lowers into middles, it's not such a bad thing after all. The question then becomes, who will be the new cash cow for all government follies, both foreign and domestic? Who will provide the money to bail out Wall Street, for instance? Clearly, the new middle class, i.e. the old working class. The problem with that is that, unlike the old middle class, which stands silent before its shearers, the new middle class is likely to be a bit more feisty about the benefits of turning over half of its income to bureaucrats. Who knows, they might even revolt! After all, if it's “bargaining power” Reich wants to grant to these people, what better way to exert said power than with the IRS?