I first heard the expression "increased productivity" during the Reagan years. That was when the capitalists who were taking over government promised us they would unzip and let it "trickle down" on the middle class.
Clinton, who wanted the big guys to like him, continued to espouse economic policies that "increased productivity", but that red flag began to wave with a vengeance when the smaller Bush reigned.
Increased productivity sounds like a grand thing to want to have. Who doesn't want to be productive? Who doesn't want more of it?
Well, as we have all come to find out, increased productivity means a lot fewer of us doing a lot more work for a lot less, less money, fewer benefits.
Bigger profits for the trickle down guys, who continue to let it stream all over us.
Now they want the few of us remaining to work for more years, for less money and benefits, so we can get too little Social Security too late in life to enjoy it.
I just turned 59, had to reduce my work to part-time because all that increased productivity left me with injuries that would get worse if I continued to work full-time, but might get better if I did less of it. And I'm hoping my little nest egg holds out till I turn 62, because I doubt that I'll hold out to 66.
And now I'm learning that folks like Jim Demint and John Boehner think we need to start acting more like adults and work a few more years, so that they and their corporate friends can keep all their cash for a nice comfy retirement, and not even give up a penny of their fortunes after they die.
Is this an ugly country? Or are we going to elect real progressive democrats that will protect us from those who plan to keep unemployment high while we who are lucky enough to have jobs hope we live long enough to enjoy retirement?
Time for the corporate conservatives in congress to stop living off the working poor and middle classes. Time to vote folks like Demint and Boehner out of office.
Enough increased productivity!
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