We were all , as children, indoctrinated into a caste of slaves. Then the master allowed you to rise above others if you were better and/or harder working and you believed it. This ethic holds true right up till you get old, at this point you still have 25 working years ahead. This is where unions become the only thing that protects you. Never delude yourself into thinking that your 50Y/O ass making six figures adds value when there is a sea of guys half your age willing to work for half the price. My company recently replaced 40% of its most senior engineers with new grads. They started whittling away at retirement, benefits, and pay, the coup de grace was replacement with someone an old guy could no longer compete with. This made me realize how foolish I was in ever believing in conservative BS while I was punching a clock. If my grandfather was still around he would be saying "I told you so" because indeed he did.