“There might be a little bit of pain.”
“I’m just saying your daughter doesn’t need to have 30 dolls. She can have three. Your kids don’t need to have 250 pencils. They can have five.”
“American people will understand … because the American people understand shared sacrifice.”
It’s revealing that anytime austerity and shared sacrifice for “the good of the country” are proposed, the person making the suggestion is someone who will not have to sacrifice anything.
The current people making these suggestions are Trump, his administration and his wealthy supporters – all of whom are multimillionaires and billionaires (plus the congressional sycophants who aspire to become millionaires by kissing up to Trump and corporate donors).
- Food prices up by 25%? It’s not a problem for people who have personal chefs, catered meals and all expenses paid.
- Car prices increasing by $6K-10K? It’s not a problem when you have a fleet of limos along with drivers available 24×7.
- Price of retail goods doubles? Shelves empty in stores? It’s not a problem when you have luxury goods custom made and delivered in person to your doorstep.
- Housing prices up 30% due to cost of materials? It’s not a problem when you own mansions, condos and penthouses in desirable cities across the globe.
Shared sacrifice my ass.
Ironically, given my above statements, I’m a proponent of austerity for myself. I very intentionally live a minimalistic life, purposely buying and owning very little.
It brings me peace, contentment and relative financial security.
However, I don’t prescribe my anti-consumeristic, austere way of life to others. I think most people would reject it. And that’s fine. It’s not my job to tell other people how to live.
Nor is it appropriate for billionaires to tell the bottom 99% that we should “suck it up and embrace austerity”.
I have a better idea – let’s tell them to go fu** themselves.
I hope that happens in future elections but I won’t hold my breath.