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| David Brooks via Wikimedia Commons |
New York Times columnist
David Brooks lives in a fantasyland. Brooks, like most, is a product of his environment. He's hobnobbed with the conservative elite of New York and Washington DC like the late William F. Buckley for years. I would suggest that the circles Mr. Brooks inhabits has perhaps left him out of touch with the day-to-day reality most people face. This has been clear for a while and is particularly evident this Friday as he writes in puzzlement on the millennial embrace of Bernie Sanders. From his NYT column:
...Sanders would weaken the ability of members of the middle class to make choices about their own lives. He would raise taxes on the rich, but there is only so much money you can squeeze out of such a small group of people...
I'm not sure if Brooks realizes this, but the middle class has all but vanished thanks to many of the policies embraced by Brooks and those of similar ilk. You know what hampers choice? Relying on your employer to provide benefits that are universally guaranteed in other developed nations. While it is true there is only so much money to be squeezed from the wealthiest among us, they are the ones who can afford to chip in a bit more for the system that has helped them amass such a level of wealth.
