We love to blame the victim

... in this culture we break our backs to blame everyone for our misfortunes except the one who is responsible for them.

The "bidding down wages" thing has been a feature of American life ever since Irish and German poor started disturbing the lives of the dominant Britons who had claimed the colonies for themselves. Not to mention those inconsiderate morons who, in defiance of law, started teaching black slaves to read and then (gasp) freeing them.

No one who survived the "mill era" of 19th century New England would consider American labor hard done by, even today.

The disparities between rich and poor, and the sufferings and "blame the victimings", were far greater in the 1930s than now. It took a Roosevelt to stem the tide, to work the New Deal in the face of the captains of industry who, almost to a man, reviled him. Because he symbolized giving back.

We the People have had that New Deal model before us, of sharing, of supporting each other, of taking less for ourselves lest the divides between rich and poor get too wide. Have we voted for that model? No, we voted for Reaganomics. Because we thought we would all get rich. We see the result. Have we demanded a Roosevelt for this decade? No, we have voted in the symbol of corporate thuggery. Twice. Is anyone in the streets shutting down our mad march to Armageddon? No. We're all watching American Idol.

Whose fault is that?