Title: Capitalism Killed the Middle Class: 25 Ways the System is Rigged Against You
Author: Dan McCrory
Publisher: XlibrisUS
ISBN: 978-1-7960-1586-7
Pages: 374
Genre: Political
Reviewed by: Jason Lulos
Pacific Book Review
This book is a highly insightful and thorough analysis of the current plight of the middle, aka working, class. McCrory traces historical precursors as well as relating his own experiences in the telecommunications industry. He highlights his role in the labor movement and unions and proposes these areas as key organizational starting points toward rescuing the middle class. McCrory gives a detailed analysis in each of the “25 ways” the system is killing the middle class. Although a progressive blueprint, the facts and ideas in the book should resonate with people across the political spectrum.
Capitalism Killed the Middle Class: 25 Ways the System is Rigged Against You is comprehensive but readable. McCrory covers a lot: housing, NAFTA, Net Neutrality, climate change, Social Security, Tort, unions, immigration, the justice system, health care, Black Lives Matter, the two-party system, and taxes. There are criticisms of conservativism but he has ample criticisms of the Democratic Party: notably their abandonment of the labor movement and thereby the working/middle class as well as their marginalization of Bernie Sanders in the last election. I found this book to be quite objective even in its liberal bent; that is simply because it makes sense.
McCrory laments the lack of a national labor party, also implying that such a party’s ideals should (or used to) coincide with the Democratic Party. After all, labor and unions are responsible for things like the 40-hour work week, 8-hour workday, paid vacation, health care, etc. He questions the unabashed conservative worship of profit and the laissez-faire market. After all, a free market is not really free if an owning class continues to operate like an aristocracy, thus solidifying a caste system – making upward mobility a statistical anomaly rather than a likely outcome for those who pick themselves up by their bootstraps.
Of the 35 wealthiest countries, the United States has the second highest rate of children living in poverty. This poverty statistic reflects the growing disparity between the top 1% and the bottom 99%. That gap is widening still with CEOs making 354 times their average workers. As the middle class vanishes, the poor class grows. McCrory muses that this increasingly large poor class might finally grow frustrated enough to revolt against the plutocrats in the top 1%; that is, if they can avoid being distracted by technological gadgets, shopping, and media brainwashing. However, McCrory capitulates that we are a capitalist, two-party system and must work within that in order to make any progress.
This is a very thoughtful and thought-provoking book. The author encourages people to become educated voters. And this means doing research; not simply finding ideologically affirming sound bites on cable news and social media. He advocates to organize, buy American, buy union, and support the labor movement and ideals. This book should appeal and enlighten anyone in the bottom 99. I highly recommend it.
