Capitalism in America today
By
CLIFFORD
M. BROCK
Lately, a great deal has been written about the failure of
capitalism—how more socialism would benefit “the people.” Critics assert that
executives make too much relative to workers and that working Americans are
suffering because of that. In fact, some 19 percent of Americans say that
capitalism is bad. 32 percent of young people 18-35 say they do not support
capitalism. I confess, I do not see this misery as I look around me. So, I
tried to look at some real numbers to see how American are faring in the
world today. After all, life span in just the last 60 years has increased from
69.7 years to ~79 years. At the turn of the last century, it was under 50. So,
how do Americans fare today?
Well--pretty well it would seem.
The discussion of the digital divide that raged a few
years ago is a good starting point. Mr. Biden has allocated $90+ billion to
bring Internet service to “underserved areas”. On its face that seems
reasonable. It is hard to imagine life in 2023 with access to the Internet. But
it also raises the question:” “What exactly is the state of access today?” A
quick check reveals that 81.9 percent of U.S. households have internet
connections. That does not sound as though vast swaths of American territory
are without service. But it also overlooks an important point. About 91 percent
of Americans have cell phones. Among the young people we know, cell phones are
the point of access to the internet. Desktops or laptops are only used at work
or at school—and then rarely. So, we are spending $90 billion to provide a
service that most Americans already have and access in a form other than the
one we are spending all that money to provide. Capitalism has provided that
benefit.
Another discussion has been regarding wage stagnation
among workers. In 1980, median household income was ~$51,528. In 2019, it rose
to $62,179, but it fell back to $61,937 by this year. Of course, inflation
dropped from 9 percent in 1980 to less than two percent by 2019. The last three
disastrous years--party COVID, partly business trying to get back lost profits,
partly supply chain disruptions and partly wrong-headed federal government
spending--have caused a jump in inflation. After peaking at above nine percent,
it has dropped to 3.2. percent (July 2023).
Most of us hate inflation, but how do we LIVE? That is the
real question.
Pretty well it would seem. American households have 2.8
cars on average {31 percent have two vehicles or MORE); 92 percent of Americans
have a car. A writer said this week that an American had to make $100,000 a
year to own a new car. That seems awfully high, but it is probably accurate. Do
we need to own a new car? In the 1950s, I remember frequent breakdowns, valve
jobs, master cylinder failure and a host of other mechanical problems. Cars
with 50,000 miles were ready for trade and many people traded every year or
two. Young people today do not hesitate to buy cars with 150,000 miles on them.
With proper maintenance, they can expect those cars to go 300,000 miles. It
appears capitalism has provided a product that serves people well.
We do not live in our cars. What kind of living has
capitalism provided when we are home? In 1950, the average American home had
983 square feet. Today, the average American home has 1,650 square feet. When I
was a kid few homes, and none that I knew about, had more than 2,000 or so
square feet. Today, many middle-class home homes top 3,000 square feet and
5,000 or 6,000 square feet are not unheard of. Granted, my sample is not sound,
but the averages speak for themselves. Thanks to capitalism.
Consider those
numbers when in 1950, couples averaged 3.7 children--In those 983 square feet.
Today, deprived by capitalism, they must live with 1.9 children in an average
of 1,650 square feet. In 1950, 10 percent of American households had
televisions; today that percentage is 98.9 percent. In those homes, I wondered
what the status in those home is. A quick query found that 99.5 percent of U.S.
homes have refrigerators and 90 percent are air conditioned. Technology? —89
percent have a computer in the home and the average household in American has
2.4 computers. On average 211 million American play videogames.
If capitalism destroys peoples’ lives, why is it that 50
percent of our food dollars are spent on meals outside the home? Where does the
~$2,000 Bankrate says Americans spend on vacation each year come from if not
from capitalism. If capitalism oppresses
people so badly, how do 37 percent of American travel abroad (2022)?
Given real numbers, not histrionics, Americans live better
today than at any point in the three-billion-year history of the planet. Don’t
land on me. I know the poverty rate in the country is +/- 17 percent. But it
has been stuck there for the last 50 years, even after the trillions of dollars
of “programs” designed to eliminate it. And remember, that 17 percent does not
take into consideration TANF, AFDIC, Section 8, Medicaid, food stamps, free
lunches or the panoply of state, local and federal largess that goes to those
not enjoying the numbers cited here. It also does not recognize the 47 percent
of Americans who pay NO federal or state income tax. Somebody is working to pay
the $4 trillion the federal government spends.
Bottom line when examined objectively? Don’t believe the
claptrap put out by social naysayers today. The American dream is alive and
well. Millions of people dream of coming to this country to enjoy the
“OPPRESSION” dealt to Americans. Millions more risk their lives and the lives
of their children to come here and be mistreated.
Meanwhile, enjoy the plenty afforded you by capitalism. Help
the less fortunate around you to the extent you can. But above all do not
listen to the nonsense that capitalism is the problem. Capitalism since the
Industrial Revolution has been the answer.
I will end here with the rising sound of “America the
Beautiful” playing.
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