June  2020

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The United States' history and development has always been a roller coaster -- people and culture evolving in fits and starts as the country progressed through advances in technology, science, economy, philosophy, social welfare, education... continuously enriched by immigration.  There has always been, however, a dynamic tension between the rich and the rest of us.  Society's progress can even be measured by the pitched battles of the people asserting their will over the rich when the latter grab too much income and wealth.  Note progress is the root word for progressivism.

Thereby term progressivism most basically means rebalancing to shared democratic values.

There are multiple time frames during which progressivism is applied.  Many say the 1930s New Deal was progressivism.  While that was progressive in its efforts and results, it was Teddy Roosevelt beginning in 1901 who launched the First Progressive Age.   TR fought the First Gilded Age Robber Barons.  FDR built upon that progress some thirty years later to rescue the country from the Great Depression.  Similarly Lyndon Johnson's Great Society in the 1960s another 3 decades later improved the quality of life with programs like Medicare, Medicaid, the war on poverty, desegregation, voting rights and environmental efforts.  As stated above, this was a roller coaster, but the long term trend was upward toward a more fair and inclusive society -- a more perfect union.

But then the rich came up with two great new ideas.  The first was shareholders use their ownership to direct profits only to them! The argument was We own it and thereby deserve it all.  The other stakeholders, were cut out of the loop -- workers, unions, communities and public programs of all stripes.  The second evil twin idea was tax rates, notably for the rich, were cut in half on the theory of trickle down economics.  This perverse conservatism began in the late 1970s and took off under Reagan.  Remember President Reagan declaring, Government is not the solution to our problem, government is the problem. 

These concepts of shareholders as sole beneficiaries business income and wealth and low taxes has since gobbled up a huge share of the economy -- and much of its growth.  Since 1980, the top 1% expanded their 10% share of all income to 20%, and their 20% of all wealth ballooned to 40%.  The rest of us meanwhile, have tread water -- and that's with newly working women adding theirs to the family pot!  The middle class that emerged after the New Deal and the ending of WW2 found its gains slowed, then stopped and lastly reversed.

The stock market and GDP show this shift clearly.

The Dow Jones chart from below the DOW average reached 1000 in 1980.  Then, with shareholders seizing complete control and taxes dropping, stock prices shot up -- via dividends, stock buybacks, short term profits, holding down wages, battling unions, cutting taxes, eliminating regulations.... to 24,000 in 2017. That's a multiple of 24.   Wow.

Now look at this graph of GDP -- Gross Domestic Product.  It marched steadily along after WW2. From $3 trillion in 1980 to $20 trillion in 2017. That's a 7 fold increase.

But 7 fold GDP growth is dwarfed by the stock market's 24 times increase. That is, the stock market increased in value 3 1/2 times faster than GDP.  And where did all this investor wealth go?  We already know the 1% grabbed a lot of the growth, but now we know how much they took, and are taking, compared with the rest of us.

There are alternative interpretations and many variations on the theme of income and wealth inequality fueling inequities in society.   But this one fits the basics, and with its genesis in the U.S. chart's Vedic Dasas (planetary cycles), further insights can be gleaned.

The Celestial Wheel has long predicted the U.S. chart's 18 year Rahu (head-of-the-dragon eclipse point) would so stimulate change through the turmoil by its larger than life unanticipated and uncontrollable events.  That change will emerge into the Second Progressive Age.  This is not a movement, as is environmentalism, women's rights, ending racism....  It is rather an era -- a collection of these, and many other areas of progress, coming from separate sectors of society -- some independent agendas and others that are related.  Those who seek free public universities, for example, also applaud the higher taxes that requires.  Those groups are natural allies.  But increased minimum wages don't require boosting tax rates.  Yet, affordable public universities will increase worker skill levels, stimulating higher pay.  So even as free public universities are being pushed by different folks who want wages, their efforts are complementary.

Rahu's 18 year cycle began in late 2015 and lasts until 2033.  It takes a while for a Dasa to express itself, and obviously we're still early into Rahu.  But then Rahu's alien serpent energy comes in massive strikes.  As stated, sometimes there are unrelated, sometimes pieces of a puzzle.  We can see in 2020 that Rahu has thrust upon the U.S. three tremendous events -- the coronavirus, economic collapse and riots.  This last is basically about racism, but that term encompasses all the unfairness's from which people of color suffer.

The astrologer's old Macbook Pro, with the astrology programs, remains in the shop.  So, I'm flying a little blind about the current strife.  The May 2 Mars Into Aquarius included this about the Moon, which goes a long way to explaining the rioting -- and why the virus and the economy will suffer further,

There are, of course, upsides to any Dasa, no matter how malefic the planet is and where it is placed.  Here again is the U.S. Vedic chart.  Rahu is in the eighth house, which is not just calamity but also hidden things.  As the dragon's thirst is endless, and he symbolizes science, especially flying machines, it's a great position for aeronautical advances.  That Mercury, the calculating mind, communications and business planet for this chart, is also in the eighth gives Rahu the demon the brain needed for research with effective applied results -- like the SpaceX launch this past weekend.  (Note: the age of flight began during the last Rahu Dasa in 1903, which transformed much of society.)

Note that the manned space capsule is named dragon -- which fits with Rahu the dragon.  And here's the stuffed glittery dragon they took on the spacecraft.

In closing, the turmoil Rahu Dasa is subjecting us to fits with he being the destroyer of today and creator of tomorrow.  While we see this in world events, our individual experiences are also affected -- by both world events and the turmoil we face in other areas of our lives.

The Celestial Wheel 2002-2020©
Doug Riemer