Why There’s No Outcry

It's hard to get people worked up to change society or even to change a few laws when they don't believe government can possibly work.

You'd have to believe in a giant conspiracy to think this was all the doing of the forces in America most resistant to positive social change.

It's possible, of course, that they intentionally cut jobs and wages so much to cow average workers, bury students under so much debt they'd never take to the streets, and make most Americans so cynical about government they wouldn't even try to for change. 

But it's more likely they merely allowed all this to unfold, like a giant wet blanket over the outrage and indignation most Americans feel but don't express. 

Change is coming anyway. We cannot abide an ever-greater share of the nation's income and wealth going to the top while median household incomes continue too drop, one out of five of our children living in dire poverty, and big money taking over our democracy.

At some point, working people, students, and the broad public will have had enough. They will reclaim our economy and our democracy. This has been the central lesson of American history.

Reform is less risky than revolution, but the longer we wait the more likely it will be the latter.