“As we view the achievements of aggregated capital, we discover the existence of trusts, combinations, and monopolies, while the citizen is struggling far in the rear or is trampled to death beneath an iron heel. Corporations, which should be the carefully restrained creatures of the law and the servants of the people, are fast becoming the people’s masters.”
Grover Cleveland in his 1888 State of the Union Address
Things haven’t changed much in 123 years, have they?
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Grover obviously was aware of the manipulations by the “Barons” of his day. Only 6 years later (in 1894) the Pullman Strike was in full swing in New York, and it took quite a toll. SIX DAYS after the strike was forcibly ended by Federal intervention, the U.S. CONGRESS declared a day of recognition (today known as Labor Day). Labor Day as now celebrated has little to do with the PLIGHT of the every-day citizen. MANY folk not necessary for ESSENTIAL services are FORCED to work or risk losing employment. Our current masters have so expertly manipulated our seeming freedoms that for many, we fight over any scrap they throw our way (jealously hoarding our own possessions as we grumble about our neighbor receiving a larger share). As the song says, “Meet the new boss, same as the old boss”. Remarkable is it not how history seemingly repeats itself?
You make good points, Donaldson. Being a working person these days is becoming more and more of a struggle. It is no coincidence that as labor union membership has declined, so have wages, benefits and security.
The prior day’s quote by Paul Craig Roberts was spot on.