The always insightful Roger Cohen notes:
“When the Berlin
Wall fell beneath communism’s weight three decades ago, capitalism unbridled
strode forth over the rubble in search of global opportunity. Ideological
struggle seemed over.
But growing inequality
and marginalization — byproducts of financial globalization — have thrust
socialism center stage.”
Northwestern University’s Monica Prasad notes:
“In the recent rush of
proposals to tax the rich, Democrats have forgotten — or never really cared to
learn — an important lesson: The countries that have been most successful at
reducing poverty and inequality have not done it by taxing the wealthy and
giving to the poor”.
Columbia Law Professor Tim Wu notes:
“The defining political fact of our time is not polarization. It’s the inability of even large bipartisan majorities to get what they want on issues like these. …
It is true that policymaking requires expertise. But I don’t think members of the public are demonstrating ignorance when they claim that drug prices are too high, taxes could be fairer, privacy laws are too weak and monopolies are too coddled.”