The wage inequality of 1870 was less than the wage inequality of today, 2014. The gap between the capitalists and the poor proletarians is much wider and getting wider each year and eventually will spawn a proletarian worldwide revolution unless the gap closes. This isn’t the first time a revolution was waged to end the tyranny of the rich.
Wages must be raised from subsistence to a living wage with some disposal income. There was a proletarian revolution about to happen in the 1800s, between 1867 to 1870 in England, western Europe and North America, but was averted by real wages being paid; however, there were some small declines in wages from time to time.
Then we had the rise of the so-called third world countries, which some of these countries had just gotten their independence from European colonialism and with this the inequality began to spread because the third world countries were draining jobs from the rich countries so the 1 percent could keep even more of the money made off the backs of workers. The third world countries were exploiting workers and using cheap labor to lure the greedy corporations to their countries, thus setting the stage for wage inequality once again.
In rich countries, with the threat of a proletarian revolution, which Karl Marx claimed would happen, our capitalist society dodged a bullet in the 18th and 19th centuries, but will we dodge the bullet in the 21st century? I think we will if we start raising the wage to a minimum of $15 to $16 an hour. Then get good immigration reform and some good laws with teeth in them for our unions to organize workers, but it's up to the oligarchies to make their country a priority.
I hope that I am wrong, but what I see at this time is our unions are going to be in the fight of their existence. This is the most perilous time of our life. The life we had is threatened like never before. Unions are the largest organized group of people who can save our country if things keep going the way they are heading at this time. We need to all stand together for power, but we each must prepare and plan to take care of ourselves and our families. We can fight the big fight and not be distracted by worry about things that can and should already be taken care of. For instance, stashing at least one month’s pay and at least a month or even a year’s worth of food, whether the food is staples (pasta, rice, canned goods) and meat or chicken in the freezer. Keep your vehicles' tanks full and if possible a gas can full. It’s in your best interest to also save money for house or rent payments plus extra. This is not new thinking for us old trade workers who had to prepare when...
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