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Comment by iepathos | Hacker News Reader

I don’t think it’s accurate to say that the working class is “resorting to populism to reverse the trend.” If anything, the fact that so many working-class voters support a wealthy oligarchy—one that consistently advances policies benefiting the super-rich at the expense of ordinary people—suggests that a significant portion of the population is being swayed by misinformation and manipulation, not that they’re successfully advocating for their own interests.

Ironically, it’s often the opposite party that actually pushes for policies that would materially benefit the working class. The real fallacy is equating the current wave of so-called “populism” with a genuine effort to improve conditions for workers. In practice, what’s being called “populism” is frequently just another vehicle for entrenched elites to consolidate power, not a movement to empower ordinary people.

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> it’s often the opposite party that actually pushes for policies that would materially benefit the working class.

Except on immigration.

Immigrants are a critical part of the working class in America. Always have been.

> Ironically, it’s often the opposite party that actually pushes for policies that would materially benefit the working class.

Such as?

All the Democrat led states have paid leave and higher minimum wages/overtime exempt laws. And higher unemployment benefits. And longer leave times for new moms. It’s also the Dem states that have free school lunches for kids and more robust Medicaid funding.

Democrats passed ACA, which made insurance even possible to purchase if you weren’t offered it by employer, and the annual out of pocket maximum, ban on pre existing conditions as a criteria for calculating premiums, and ACA premium credits made it more attainable than it was before ACA.

Build Back Better bill a couple years ago would have made paid leave policies nationwide and provided more assistance with childcare.

> All the Democrat led states have paid leave and higher minimum wages/overtime exempt laws. And higher unemployment benefits

They also have significantly higher unemployment rates.

> Build Back Better bill a couple years ago

This bill was named after policy advanced by people who want to turn the general population into a class of permanent renters.

Lets not forget higher taxes!

> Democrats passed ACA, which made insurance even possible to purchase if you weren’t offered it by employer, and the annual out of pocket maximum, ban on pre existing conditions as a criteria for calculating premiums, and ACA premium credits made it more attainable than it was before ACA.

Have you actually ever purchased a plan from the website? The last time I checked, the costs were the same as if I had a plan on my own. Also you could get policies prior to ACA, but were subject to health exams and non-coverage of preexisting conditions. In fact, one could argue that all ACA accomplished of benefit was forcing coverage of preexisting conditions. But let's also not forget the fine, which was applied to people who did not have health insurance under the assumption that it was a choice. In reality, people don't have health insurance if they can't afford it which made the penalty functionally a tax on the poor.

You speak of ACA like everybody will agree with you. A decade later I'm still mad at Obama and want my $4k back.

>In fact, one could argue that all ACA accomplished of benefit was forcing coverage of preexisting conditions.

Aka giving people access to healthcare.

Health insurance is not real insurance, it’s a facade where we pretend premiums are not taxes.

99% of people could never afford the healthcare they get, they would just die. Which is fine, but there is no situation where healthcare + low taxes (wealth redistribution) exists.

So it’s high taxes + healthcare, but with a flattening and top heavy population age histogram, even that doesn’t work.

The worst is when old people only get healthcare (Medicare, which is all there was before ACA). A country is doomed if it’s just sacrificing the future to eke out a few years its oldest.

You ignored my post.

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