harry wrote:

Then England got trade unions...

And you don't have them in America?

Yeah, but they're mostly moribund. The union-dominated states are failing
like Britain (New York, California, Michigan, etc.).

The British Empire was destroyed by the economic effort of fighting
tyranny. Some thing the US also once did, except when republicans
were in power.

Agreed.

Then they ground down their own population to enrich a tiny majority
that already had more than they needed.

"Need" has nothing to do - or should have nothing to do - with western
economic thought. The only thing that reasonably counts is "want."

I agree that there's some waste. A rich person can only live in only one
mansion at a time. While he's at villa "A," the 57 rooms in chateau "B" are
going to waste. Maybe he could be encouraged to open those 57 rooms to the
local destitute?

Same with his yachts. While he's lollygagging with the "Pacific" yacht, the
"Atlantic" cruiser could take the water-deprived fishing.