Written by Michael Strain of the American Enterprise Institute in what’s rapidly becoming my least favorite genre: Gaslighting from extremely out-of-touch right-wing economists with advanced degrees from fancy universities
I've worked since I was 14 and have always paid my own way for everything. It is a point of pride for me that I do. I also dropped out of high school at 16 to work. I didn't get a degree until my 30s (still paying it off) and it did change everything for me
and I will always champion education as a major part of what helped me transcend my class status (as a high school dropout I was just weird; as someone with fancy degrees, I'm an original thinker) but I was incredibly lucky from start to finish and had people helping me make the
best choices and giving me an ear and lending me advice every step of the way, including an incredibly emotionally supportive partner. My experience informs this. The "American Dream" is nearly impossible to attain these days without a great amount of luck or support, and right
now is when people need support and policy change, not miserly one- time checks that don't cover even a month's rent in most parts of the country as we watch companies rake in billions in buyouts and Wall Street gets trillions and advocates for mass die-offs.
