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My review of the Heritage Foundation and some related material (Project 2025, JD Vance and the 2017 report) reminded me of a 100-year-old story told to me by my father.
In the mid-1920s, my father worked for a wealthy businessman who owned a manufacturing company located in central New York state. As a private chauffeur, he was privy to some of the labor-related beliefs held by local businessmen at the time. One of those beliefs was “keep them hungry, keep them working.”
One hundred years later, one particular conservative position — hunger as a great motivation for Americans to find work — reminded me of my father’s old story about employers and workers. I know, I should not be surprised. Nevertheless, I find the similarity in conservative attitudes regarding labor between the 1920s and the 2020s both striking and disturbing.
Dan Anderson
Kaimuki
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