There has not been a single year in American history that was great for all groups of Americans. This country was founded on the murder of natives and the exploitation of slaves/immigrants: that foundation has reverberated throughout our entire history. Government and corporate policy, often racist and sexist, works to maintain a permanent under class of exploited workers that provide cheap labor for the ruling class (e.g., Jim Crow, redlining, denial of reproductive rights, etc.). So while I wholeheartedly agree with taxing the rich, taxation alone did not prevent injustice in the 20th century.
Not to mention the devastation that America has inflicted on the developing world. Obvious examples include millions of civilian casualties during our wars in Asia and the Middle East, foreign resource extraction that provides us with cheap consumer good (e.g., banana republics in South America, slave mines in the Congo, etc.), as well as CIA operations that have been brazenly declassified (e.g., overthrowing presidents, installing dictators) because this country can’t even pretend to live up to its professed ideals. Any serious study of American history suggests this country has never been “great” in anything beside our wasteful military expenditure and our inexhaustible favoritism of the wealthy.
spankmonkey@lemmy.world 3 days ago
That was a pretty great time for middle class white people!
gibmiser@lemmy.world 3 days ago
Well if we could try that era’s tax policies again, but without Jim crow this time, that would be a great starting point…
spankmonkey@lemmy.world 3 days ago
Yes, but that would require learning from history and we suck at that.
Tar_alcaran@sh.itjust.works 3 days ago
Middle class white males. Though granted, white women probably had it best out of all women.