Social ramifications of austerity measures in the U.S.A.

How do you foresee a possible, even likely, scenario in which severe austerity measures are implemented in the United States? For example, and from a sociological perspective, lets say that all social justice, wellfare, government subsidies, regulatory, public health, public service and works were either completely cut off or severely cut. How would this change or effect gender roles, married life, single life, the family unit, the neighborhood, the community in daily life? Would these institutions be strengthened or weakened? Would we experience social progress or regress, or both?

 

Go read The Grapes of Wrath.

 

I have. Let's say we set the Grapes of Wrath in 2012. How would it be different?

 

If the cons win in November, you'll get the answer to your question. I think the answer will be world war, 50% unemployment, global pandemics, global famine, tripled prison population, and total economic collapse. If Obama wins, we will have more of what we have now, whining obstructive cons. The cons promises are impossible. It's impossible to lower unemployment while cutting the government in half. It's impossible to lower tax rates and the national debt. It's impossible to start a war with Iran without adding trillion$ to the deficit. It's impossible to destroy health care and Medicare without creating a medical national catastrophe. It's impossible to destroy Social Security and welfare without quadrupling the homeless population, and the crime rate. Anyone that believes otherwise is as dumb as the cons hope America is.

 

Lol god I hope not I really don't want to shit in a hole in the ground

 

Never been to a rainbow gathering, have you.

 

Okay, I'm not looking for a "big picture" vantage point of this, I'm more interested in how you perceive your community, your neighborhood, your family, your marriage, your interpersonal relationships/friendships might change under such a scenario.

 

No; it could also happen if The President wins re-election.

The US is on the road to bankruptcy with the current rate of deficit spending.

The day of reconning will come sooner or later.

:bigcry:

 

That day came and went when Shrub doubled the national debt and destroyed the global economy. The government has been living in denial the last four years. When Shrub left the White House the national debt was over $11 trillion. To pay off that $11 trillion at $30 billion per month would have taken 1,500 years. Insanity is low balling it.

 

I agree completely with rjhangover. Now, can we discuss how austerity measures might change our lives on a daily basis?

 

The present right -left dichotomy and the resulting worldwide economic clusterfuck is showing me that capitalism is flying apart worldwide. People are buying fewer and fewer "things" and the buying of "things" is what keeps it all going. The right evidently doesn't care if our country turns into a country like Mexico and the left doesn't have the pelotes to stop them. I don't know what's next,but it's not going to be "good". Any austerity measures instituted won't bother my generation too much. We've put our time in,are collecting our retirement and/or social security and we can see plainly how much worse the society has become. It was good while it lasted. It's up to you youngins to figure it all out and take corrective measures. Or just line up and let the shearing continue.

 

I hate to say this Scratcho, but apathy is just too widespread. I'm a Gen X/Yer and the attitude of most of the people (I say most, because there are small pockets of exceptions) are so mired in distraction and self absorption that I have no faith in "us". One of the most disappointing realizations/observations that I had when I came of age and committed myself to what I finally came to understand as the Neo-hippie counter culture that was blossoming in my college years was the poverty of activism and social conscience that I saw at gatherings and festivals. Yes, there were booths and petitions, and people like Julia Butterfly Hill, but there was/is much more posturing, marketing and just plain decadence for decadence sake. That was a missed opportunity.

It's like the ball never really got rolling. Now people are just plain angry and hopeless. The Occupy Movement was a real breath of fresh air, but it seems to have been successfully marginalized and undermined lately, and I'm affraid that if/when it does start gaining momentum again, it's going to come back with a bloody vengence, and it seems that the only thing our lawmakers have been to successfully accomplish in the past four years is to pass laws to suppress it.

 

+ Rep... ^^^

 

Yes. The pacification seems to have worked/is working. Interesting to see the Greeks,the Japanese,the Spaniards and I suppose some others ,test their "authority figures" with fire-bombs and other serious methods without actually getting machine gunned. I'm certainly not advocating that here and if those methods did take place here,I believe they would end in death to some and looooooooong prison sentences for others. Henceforth,free speech is not going to be as effective.I thought the Occupy movement might awaken MANY,MANY more participants--maybe even millions, if what the crooks have done was even noticed by the citizens. Evidently not. The only way to get something done about those that ruined the economic system is to start jailing them and pass laws that would preclude a repeat. The only way to get anything progressive going and paid attention to,is en masse.

I will say that the right is damn good at what they want to get done. They never stop and they never give up their well thought out Ayn Rand influenced programs. The left is filled with too many live and let live types,I guess, and continually forget the right never sleeps. I'm not really sure how TRUE austerity would play out with the citizens here that are alive now. Most seem to take whatever is grudgingly meted out to them and carry on. As the Holographic actor said in THX-1138, "it all happened so slowly,most didn't even realize it was happening."

 

THX-1138 - Good Reference. Perfect, in fact.

 

Look at what is happening in Greece. Public suicides, extended familiy living together, pooling resources, young people immigrating elsewhere.
In the US we'd probably see the same as Greese and crime rates would soar. People would be desperate. The population would be shocked if all aid, social programs, tax breaks, retirement funds, etc.. were cut substantially or ended. US people are used to priviledge and lack of hardship.

 

GOOD EXAMPLE! I wonder how people feel about the idea of the "extended family living together". Good or Bad? Positives? Negatives? How might this affect the dynamics of marriage or romantic relationships? Gender roles?