Suzanne Mettler

mettler's idea of the submerged state is definitely an interesting one, but her execution on explaining it makes it less so. her argument is basically that many of the benefits americans receive are hidden within tax codes and through subsidized market/private-sector forces, obscuring the government's role in providing these benefits. i also feel that her solution to the problem of the submerged state is sub-par. she suggests politicians need to reveal it through their own public speeches, so that people know about the submerged state, which assumes that ordinary americans are devoted to learning policy from politicians (they're not). in this regard she should have focused moreso on media, but instead used political speeches as an easy out from further research on news broadcasts or online articles. obviously citizens should know about the hidden benefits they reap in order to make more sound political judgments, but in no regard will this be conducive to revealing the submerged state. i'd instead argue that it is the corruption obscuring this system of benefits that must be erased. specifically, powerful lobbying groups swaying politicians who then siphon billions to corporate subsidies and tax breaks for the wealthiest individuals. mettler argues that the submerged state is a matter of invisibility rather than, to put it frankly, a corrupt political system built against working-class interests. an important solution mettler alludes to but refrains from clarifying is that people need to organize to combat these powerful interests and oust the spineless politicians letting corporations control democracy, or at the very least hold them accountable.

overall, i'd argue that there are important takeaways from this book and that people interested in welfare should read it and form their own opinions.… (meer)