A Nation in Denial
What are people thinking?
Consider the following questions and answers concerning everyday scenarios in the United States, and ask yourself, “Are my answers the answers of a sane person?”
You need a job. You like helping people and decide to train to be a CNA (Certified Nursing Assistant). You understand that it’s an entry-level job, but you can’t afford college tuition, and this is a position that doesn’t require a college degree. You complete your training and start your job search. The average pay for a CNA in your state is $18/hr ($37,440/yr). The average rent in your state for a one-bedroom apartment is $1,868/mo. ($22,416/yr). You don’t know how you will be able to afford expenses like food, transportation, and clothing.
QUESTION: This situation strikes you as:
A. Totally fair. After all, this is the punishment for not going into debt to get a college education. You get stuck in low-paying jobs.
B. Fair, because the job is entry level, and those jobs are meant to be filled by younger folks, not adults with any work experience. After all, it’s great that young people, whose brains are not even fully developed yet, be in charge of caring for the most fragile members of our society. Besides, older folks who don’t have an education should shut-up already about low pay, and go back to school.
C. WTF!! This situation is impossible! This sucks!
ANSWER: C is the correct answer for a sane person, but answers A and B are regularly overheard as responses to people who find themselves in this situation in the US.
Referring to the scenario in Question 1, you visit an assisted living facility for the elderly, as you want to observe a typical workday for a CNA. This facility’s residents pay a lot to live here. The facility is owned by a corporation, and the CEO of the facility is well compensated for keeping the costs of running the facility low and the profits high. You are surprised to learn that the nursing staff is inadequate for the number of residents in the facility, and that the CNA turnover rate is high due to chronic understaffing and worker burnout.
QUESTION: You learned in your basic economics class in high school that a capitalist system is dictated by markets, and supply and demand. If demand for a job is high, and supply is limited, the wage should increase to fulfill the demand. Why does supply and demand not seem to be working in this situation?
A. The facility is run by a corporation that follows the Friedman Doctrine: "An entity’s greatest responsibility lies in the satisfaction of the shareholders." The shareholders are making money, so it’s okay in a capitalist system for the employees to be understaffed and underpaid. This is normal.
B. Workers’ unions, that were once strong, are now weak due to years of union-busting tactics, and government deregulation has led to the development of a system of inverted totalitarianism (ex. Economy – In Nazi Germany, the state dominated the economic actors whereas in inverted totalitarianism corporations through lobbying, political contributions and the revolving door dominate the United States, with the government acting as the servant of large corporations. This is considered normal rather than corrupt.) So, it’s normal that workers are paid so little even though demand is high. It’s about the shareholders, not the residents and employees, stupid!
C. WTF! I now realize that supply and demand is all a myth, and that I have been lied to my whole life about our capitalist system.
ANSWER: While answers A and B are both true in real life, C is the sane person’s answer.
Your employer offers health insurance, but the premiums (what an employee pays to get the insurance coverage, not including co-pays on services) are getting outrageous (Average annual health insurance premiums in 2023 are $8,435 for single coverage and $23,968 for family coverage. These average premiums each increased 7% in 2023. The average family premium has increased 22% since 2018 and 47% since 2013.) You listen to NPR (National Public Radio) that has a series called Bill Of the Month, where journalists investigate surprising medical bills that people send in to the NPR station. (Check out that link, the stories are wild.) You heard some progressive political candidates talking about Universal Healthcare or Medicare for All, which are similar to programs in other countries, but have heard that these programs are socialist, and have no place in the United States.
QUESTION: Do you investigate further, to learn more about alternative healthcare systems and consider voting for a progressive candidate?
A. Capitalism is the greatest system in the world, and health insurers are part of the marketplace. Yes, our health insurance is costly, but you get what you pay for.
B. I’ve heard that in other countries you have to wait forever to an appointment with a doctor. I’ll stick with the system I have.
C. I think we can do better here in the US. I’m looking into organizations like Healthcare-NOW.
ANSWER: This is a generational issue in the US. Older people, who may have had great health insurance coverage during their working years, lean towards answers A and B. But the sane person, who is not living in the past, would choose answer C.
How’d you do on the quiz? Did you click on any of the links for more information?
Do you think a healthy society is possible when the divide between the haves and the have-nots continues to expand? Do you think that people are poor due to the decisions they make, and not because of systems that trap them in poverty?
Is healthcare a human right?
What responsibility should corporations have regarding employees. What is the government’s responsibility? If laws are enacted, are they actually enforced?
Are we a nation in denial?