I’m 80 years old. A child of boring privilege. I grew up on the fantasy island of Palm Beach with conservative parents in a very conservative town. I became a Republican because I thought “they are the sensible ones”. I’m still a registered Republican because I can’t vote in primaries if I switch to Independent. But now I think that Republicans are the crazy ones. As far back as my teenage years I thought it was practical to invest tax money in health and education in order to cultivate a population with maximal ability to contribute to the good of the whole. I thought the Democrats were foolish to see investment in disadvantaged children of any color as something to do for the sake of being kind and caring. It seemed instead to be simply practical to invest in making all members of society as capable of contributing as possible. But I also thought that investment in our population had to be done only within the parameters of sensible spending. I still feel the same. I am disgusted with the waste of energy that people put into proving that their tribe is better than every other one. I grew up with the haves in beautiful country clubs. Nice, but generally ignorant of the value of others without the same financial and social success. I lovingly dated a guy in college whose southern family had no advantages. He had what I came to think of as reverse snobbery. Everybody is prone to it. Labeling others as deficient so we can feel in some way superior. It’s all such a waste.
As far as I’m concerned we have screwed our selves. Our American culture has sold wealth and social status as the ultimate to be desired. For more than fifty years I have been thinking exactly what Mr Cass is saying. Not everyone is meant to sit behind a desk. And plenty of people without pedigrees or college degrees are talented and spiritually admirable.
Yet, with a family and extended family mixed with white collar and blue collar workers, I don't ever remember a time where anyone thought less of each other. As a matter of fact, the lawyers drew up wills for the steam fitters and the steam fitters fixed the lawyers pipes.
The only people who ever felt "less than" were those who put that upon themselves. I'm 65 and never once saw in my own family anyone look down upon anyone else's jobs, in fact, they would usually compliment the other's abilities to do those jobs but not in a self deprecating way.
It's comical that because people can't make up their own minds and think for themselves that they are "put upon".
I never had the "college experience" because I worked and went to College at the same time. So What.
When did making your own decisions about what's best for you and your life become such a struggle?
Hey Oren--how do you reconcile Trump's lofty language about "pouring concrete" and the glory of working with one's hands with his well known side hustle in memecoins and other shady crypto ventures? He and his family are making billions doing it, simply by sitting back and taking the vig off every transaction of one of his coins. Why shouldn't this be a ticket to wealth and power for all our nation's young people? Shouldn't they expect to get a luxury Boeing 747 donated to them by the Qatari government so they can travel via private jet for the rest of their lives? Or does"understanding America" require one to accept that back-breaking blue collar factory work is for some people, and get-rich-quick schemes and grift are limited only to MAGA elites?
I'll never cease to be amazed how these people can continue to enable and defend this vile human. They wouldn't allow their daughter to date him, nor hire him to run the local Arby's. And yet, they give him the nuclear codes and tolerate his devastation of so many lives. All while knowing the truth. How lovely. Good luck America.
I know. I'd like to think Cass genuinely believes in what he's saying. But its very hard to do that when he essentially treats Trump like a buffet meal, where he selects from the few policies he likes and flat-out ignores those that are less appealing than a chafing dish filled with dog vomit. Its just so brutally dishonest. Every politician is flawed, but in Trump's case the level of cruelty, corruption and incompetence one must tolerate in order to support him is off the chart.
Geez, Oren. It's hard to take seriously a column that references Don dissing "financial speculation" at a time he's perpetrating his meme coin corruption. I guess allowing foreign governments, crypto criminals seeking regulatory relief, and anyone else seeking favor from the dear leader to shovel millions in cash into his pocket is now accepted. Just another day. No commentary needed from the "new" right economist supposedly laboring on behalf of the little guy. Spare me. Weakening the rule of law, randomly imposing tariffs on long time allies, gutting the nations scientific golden goose, driving away the best and brightest students-DonOrenomics sure has been interesting to watch unfold. Now the tax bill looms, destined to be another exercise in budget busting and transference of wealth away from the poor and middle class. Remember Oren, Don has dumped all his closest allies and appointees, often trashing them in the process. Tread carefully, the very stable genius will soon be 80...
I read the Wall Street Journal article you recommended. Very good! I'm glad they're offering programs in high school for students to learn the trades. It will make those students very productive once they graduate and start working using their newly acquired skills.
Right now, though, I'm really concerned that a number of Republicans want to make cuts to Medicaid that will hurt the people who need it most. If this happens, it will be a betrayal to the people who voted for Trump. Trump said that nothing from Medicaid would be cut, and now the Repubicans are seriously considering it. Many people, including many Republicans, depend on Medicaid.
I finally got around to voting Republican after years of voting Democratic--and now this.
For every trade school grad pursued with near six figure job offers there are a half million flipping burgers working three part time jobs.
Often people ask me about working the trades. They talk to their kids of the possibility, hearing plumbers make $200 an hour. They talk while I'm digging with a shovel and obviously financially comfortable. I caution them to get a bachelor's if it can be done without debt or even in something useful.
Very very few in the trades make much, especially construction. Imported workers will work for $20, twelve hours a day, six days a week. Managing your own company even with only one helper/employee, is much more difficult than many business majors can handle, they fail consistently, and being the business owner/tradesman is the only viable route to a lower middle class income.
What of the normal kid in trade school, with just a normal 100 IQ? Or the 35 year old, or 50 year old?
Did you see the NYT story of the embroidery factory in Mexico? Long interview with owner. Gross 9 figures. They've moved some to the states but can't find American workers who will work for low pay. Sounded very likely they hire illegally.
There needs to be a lot more screaming and crying from wealthy consumers who have to pay 3x as much for goods and services, as well as businesses who go bankrupt trying to adjust.
I’m 80 years old. A child of boring privilege. I grew up on the fantasy island of Palm Beach with conservative parents in a very conservative town. I became a Republican because I thought “they are the sensible ones”. I’m still a registered Republican because I can’t vote in primaries if I switch to Independent. But now I think that Republicans are the crazy ones. As far back as my teenage years I thought it was practical to invest tax money in health and education in order to cultivate a population with maximal ability to contribute to the good of the whole. I thought the Democrats were foolish to see investment in disadvantaged children of any color as something to do for the sake of being kind and caring. It seemed instead to be simply practical to invest in making all members of society as capable of contributing as possible. But I also thought that investment in our population had to be done only within the parameters of sensible spending. I still feel the same. I am disgusted with the waste of energy that people put into proving that their tribe is better than every other one. I grew up with the haves in beautiful country clubs. Nice, but generally ignorant of the value of others without the same financial and social success. I lovingly dated a guy in college whose southern family had no advantages. He had what I came to think of as reverse snobbery. Everybody is prone to it. Labeling others as deficient so we can feel in some way superior. It’s all such a waste.
As far as I’m concerned we have screwed our selves. Our American culture has sold wealth and social status as the ultimate to be desired. For more than fifty years I have been thinking exactly what Mr Cass is saying. Not everyone is meant to sit behind a desk. And plenty of people without pedigrees or college degrees are talented and spiritually admirable.
I couldn’t have said it any better. Appreciate you sharing your thoughts.
Bravo Ms. White
Yet, with a family and extended family mixed with white collar and blue collar workers, I don't ever remember a time where anyone thought less of each other. As a matter of fact, the lawyers drew up wills for the steam fitters and the steam fitters fixed the lawyers pipes.
The only people who ever felt "less than" were those who put that upon themselves. I'm 65 and never once saw in my own family anyone look down upon anyone else's jobs, in fact, they would usually compliment the other's abilities to do those jobs but not in a self deprecating way.
It's comical that because people can't make up their own minds and think for themselves that they are "put upon".
I never had the "college experience" because I worked and went to College at the same time. So What.
When did making your own decisions about what's best for you and your life become such a struggle?
Trump needs to start doing commencement speeches at VoTechs instead of universities.
What a great piece and collection of other articles. Thanks so much!
Hey Oren--how do you reconcile Trump's lofty language about "pouring concrete" and the glory of working with one's hands with his well known side hustle in memecoins and other shady crypto ventures? He and his family are making billions doing it, simply by sitting back and taking the vig off every transaction of one of his coins. Why shouldn't this be a ticket to wealth and power for all our nation's young people? Shouldn't they expect to get a luxury Boeing 747 donated to them by the Qatari government so they can travel via private jet for the rest of their lives? Or does"understanding America" require one to accept that back-breaking blue collar factory work is for some people, and get-rich-quick schemes and grift are limited only to MAGA elites?
I'll never cease to be amazed how these people can continue to enable and defend this vile human. They wouldn't allow their daughter to date him, nor hire him to run the local Arby's. And yet, they give him the nuclear codes and tolerate his devastation of so many lives. All while knowing the truth. How lovely. Good luck America.
I know. I'd like to think Cass genuinely believes in what he's saying. But its very hard to do that when he essentially treats Trump like a buffet meal, where he selects from the few policies he likes and flat-out ignores those that are less appealing than a chafing dish filled with dog vomit. Its just so brutally dishonest. Every politician is flawed, but in Trump's case the level of cruelty, corruption and incompetence one must tolerate in order to support him is off the chart.
Geez, Oren. It's hard to take seriously a column that references Don dissing "financial speculation" at a time he's perpetrating his meme coin corruption. I guess allowing foreign governments, crypto criminals seeking regulatory relief, and anyone else seeking favor from the dear leader to shovel millions in cash into his pocket is now accepted. Just another day. No commentary needed from the "new" right economist supposedly laboring on behalf of the little guy. Spare me. Weakening the rule of law, randomly imposing tariffs on long time allies, gutting the nations scientific golden goose, driving away the best and brightest students-DonOrenomics sure has been interesting to watch unfold. Now the tax bill looms, destined to be another exercise in budget busting and transference of wealth away from the poor and middle class. Remember Oren, Don has dumped all his closest allies and appointees, often trashing them in the process. Tread carefully, the very stable genius will soon be 80...
I read the Wall Street Journal article you recommended. Very good! I'm glad they're offering programs in high school for students to learn the trades. It will make those students very productive once they graduate and start working using their newly acquired skills.
Right now, though, I'm really concerned that a number of Republicans want to make cuts to Medicaid that will hurt the people who need it most. If this happens, it will be a betrayal to the people who voted for Trump. Trump said that nothing from Medicaid would be cut, and now the Repubicans are seriously considering it. Many people, including many Republicans, depend on Medicaid.
I finally got around to voting Republican after years of voting Democratic--and now this.
For every trade school grad pursued with near six figure job offers there are a half million flipping burgers working three part time jobs.
Often people ask me about working the trades. They talk to their kids of the possibility, hearing plumbers make $200 an hour. They talk while I'm digging with a shovel and obviously financially comfortable. I caution them to get a bachelor's if it can be done without debt or even in something useful.
Very very few in the trades make much, especially construction. Imported workers will work for $20, twelve hours a day, six days a week. Managing your own company even with only one helper/employee, is much more difficult than many business majors can handle, they fail consistently, and being the business owner/tradesman is the only viable route to a lower middle class income.
What of the normal kid in trade school, with just a normal 100 IQ? Or the 35 year old, or 50 year old?
Did you see the NYT story of the embroidery factory in Mexico? Long interview with owner. Gross 9 figures. They've moved some to the states but can't find American workers who will work for low pay. Sounded very likely they hire illegally.
There needs to be a lot more screaming and crying from wealthy consumers who have to pay 3x as much for goods and services, as well as businesses who go bankrupt trying to adjust.
Trump read a speech prepared by someone else. He probably doesn't even understand what he said.
How about Trump start UPHOLDING THE CONSTITUTION? That would be great.
What about your positions is "conservative "?