This article is very insightful and got me thinking about why we are seeing someone like Bernie Sanders' rise in popularity:
Peggy Noonan: Socialism Gets a Second Life — The Patriot Post
Particularly this line hits the mark, I think. For those, including many people my age, in their thirties, the example of the economy has been anything but friendly towards folks our age or younger. We struggle to find decent and meaningful work and to feel like full participants in the greater society.
We have a great generation that is not being fully utilized and there is resentment being built up about the current system as a result of that under utilization.
People may complain that Sanders is socialist, but here the real question, why should this generation feel any loyalty to a more pure form of capitalism given that their experience with capitalism has been poor? Everything we know about human nature suggests that people will not stick with a system that they don't feel to be a full member of. Why would the expectation of today's youth be any different from that basic understanding of human nature?
Personally, I seem to be doing pretty well in today's economy (I could be doing better, but I survive, have little debt, eat well, and am not living hand to mouth), but most of my friends, some of whom are more talented than I am, are not. Honestly, I don't blame them for seeking a system where they feel like they will be a full participant in society.
