"Envy Versus Anger" by Paul Krugman at the NYTimes

[JayhawkSD]

13. I don't think it really matters.

I'm probably going to get flamed for my attitude here, but I think all of the focus on the rich is a huge distraction and waste of time. Suppose we talke all of their money away from them: is that going to help the middle class?

I think we should be focused on the issue that the middle class has been shattered and on how we go about restoring that. How do we "onshore" jobs and make the "unglamorous jobs," like welding and driving a truck, respectable and well paying again. How do we put millions of people back to work?

These are the things that matter. Venting our spleen about the fucking rich may feel good, but it wastes time and attention that should be spent focused on what matters in our daily lives.

I read a piece the other day that mentioned jobs such as pipefitter, welder and electrician, saying that they were "better than nothing." Really? I was appalled. These were the jobs that my generation aspired to, what we wanted to grow up to be. Men held these jobs and raised families on them with wives who did not need to work. One income could support a family. We need to be talking about how we get back to that. Not how pissed off we are that somebody has too much money.