The New Normal: A Lot Like Now Only Worse

[Joanne98]

For OpEdNews: Chaz Valenza - Writer

The "New Normal" is code for the continuing race to bottom that will marginalize what was the American middle class to a lower caste subservient population.

The promotion of the New Normal concept can be seen the current socioeconomic situation and the matter-of-fact statements about coming social trends

If you haven't heard these platitudes, meant to condition you to your "New Normal" life, you haven't been paying attention. Since you probably have, I beg you to take just a moment to reflect on them and their meaning:

"We are experiencing our second jobless recovery...


"Germany is succeeding now due to wage concessions made by their workers...

"There's a disconnect between economic recovery and job creation...

"The recovery from this recession will be very slow with many ups and downs...

"The new normal may include higher levels of unemployment than in the past...

"America needs to learn how to produce and export more...

"Corporations are cash rich but are afraid to hire as they are unsure about the rules of the game...

"Unemployment benefits stop workers from looking for a job...

"Workers may not see low unemployment and wage gains for ten to twenty years...
"We will not be able to replace the 8 million jobs we lost overnight. It's going to take some time.

"Employers are less likely to hire someone who is unemployed...

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http://www.opednews.com/articles/The-New-Normal-A-Lot-Like-by-Chaz-Valenza-100821-634.html

[ixion]

1. To get an idea of what it will be like, read Steinbeck

More than most authors from that area, he covers the historically under-reported suffering of We, the People.

http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1962/steinbeck-bibl.html

In particular,
In Dubious Battle. – New York : Covici-Friede, 1936
The Grapes of Wrath. – New York : Viking, 1939
Cannery Row. – New York : Viking, 1945
East of Eden. – New York : Viking, 1952

And just plain good reading:
The Winter of Our Discontent. – New York : Viking, 1961

[glitch]

2. +infinity. nt

[Dr.Phool]

3. It's the new normal, only if we allow it to be.

We need leadership. Real leadership.

The federal government is the ONLY entity with the means to pull us out of this. They'd better get off their asses and start doing it.

[LongTomH]

4. Here are a couple of good paragraphs:

They have convinced you that their corporate way is the better, cheaper, faster, and the only way to live. You have been lulled into semi-consciousness and made unaware of how they can and do suck every last penny out of you and your life.

Here's the short list: Equity investments (stocks, mutual funds, et cetera through fees, programmed trading, market manipulation, out right fraud); banking and credit cards (interest, fees, charges, expensive and worthless rewards, et cetera), imported goods (decimation of the American economy made possible by subsidize oil), corporate influence (tax structures, barriers to business entry/less competition, job exporting, job importing H1B visas, government subsidies, et cetera), category killer big box stores (predatory pricing eliminating smaller competition, impulse buying, unnecessary volume packaging, cost of driving vs. local purchase, et cetera).

:grr:

[Populist_Prole]

5. They've been saying this stuff for years

"Those factory jobs are gone...and they're not coming back......."

"We're going to have to compete....adapt..."

"comparative advantage" "....buggy whips....luddites....building a wall around our country...."

Blah blah blah.... All written by some starched shirted maggot in a high-handed tone so smarmy you could practically imagine them sneering and chuckling ha ha ha as they do. So many bought into this as though it were bona-fide conventional wisdom, but really, so many "bought" this line only because it wasn't happening to them or theirs.

I'm afraid it's going to have to get worse. When the upper middle class feels it, only then will there be enough critical mass amongst the hoi-polloi to effectively challenge the ruling plutocrats.

[nilram]

6. And all while CORPORATE profits are going UP.

Edited to add:

:mad:    :mad:    :mad:

[Lucky Luciano]

7. Don't worry...corporate profits will slow down. nt