But for now, we hear of bailouts and “austerity” programs, which mean that governments will raise taxes and reduce spending, to some degree causing widespread pain, but certainly placing the brunt of that pain on the poorest segment of society. [read post]

There are also the interrelated questions of income, self regard, and collective action in a capitalist society whose 24-7 emphasis on money, fostered by Milton Friedman and Ronald Reagan, causes a person of low or no income to be regarded as, and, even worse, to regard himself as, someone of little worth -- causes him to question his own ability and/or his own worth as a person. [read post]