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Dear John,
The robber barons of the Gilded Age are back!
Much as in the late 1800s and early 1900s, a time of great innovation and invention, the super-wealthy dominate America’s politics and economy.
Now as then, the gap between rich and poor widens into a chasm, union organizers face intimidation tactics, voter suppression seeks to silence the voices of the underrepresented, and bucketloads of money shape policy decisions at the highest levels.
Back then, it took the reforms of a couple of Roosevelts, the reporting of muckraking journalists, and the activism of people protesting in the streets to break up monopolies and put into place basic economic protections for all Americans.
What about today? How do we confront a similar set of challenges and bring about social justice in the 21st century? Check out our new video for my thoughts. Add your own comments, and share the video with your friends.
The question now is the same as it was at the start of the 20th century: Will we fight for an economy and a democracy that work for all rather than the few?
We’ve done it before. We can -- and must -- do it again!
Robert Reich
Inequality Media
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