All Aboard the 1950s Time Machine!

The far right and Supreme Court forgot two important facts about the 1950s

This is what AI thinks a time machine at the Supreme Court Building looks like.

In a secret room deep within the Supreme Court Building, the Supreme Court justices (well, six of them) have been secretly working on a time machine to take them back to the U.S. Golden Age.

There was some question, at first, whether they should go all the way back to 1776 or pick some other Era of American Wonderfulness. 

Justice Clarence Thomas was at first all set to go back to 1776 so he could ask the founders a few questions about their original intent, but something Justice Samuel Alito said changed his mind.

“In today’s world, I can’t out-bid Harlan Crow, but I’ve always thought it would be cool to own a justice and in 1776 I definitely could,” Alito said. At that point Thomas suggested they pick a date after 1865.

According to a source in President Joe Biden’s Deep State who asked not to be identified, the dial on the time machine is now set at 1950. Six of the justices have rolled up the sleeves on their black robes and are working 16-hour days to make the last few adjustments. 

If you wondered why the court did not have time to tackle so many urgent questions recently, this is why. They knew it would all be irrelevant as soon as they went back in 1950 anyway.

But here’s what the far-right has forgotten

• In the 1950s, the rich actually paid their fair share. In 1952, the highest marginal tax rate was 92 percent! No, that does not mean that anybody paid 92 percent on their entire income. If you do not understand what marginal tax rates are, click here for an explanation.

• In the 1950s, income inequality was much lower. Part of that had to do with high marginal tax rates but high union membership played a part, too.

“Union membership peaked in the 1950s at one-third of the workforce.  At that time, despite pervasive racial and gender discrimination, overall income inequality was close to its lowest level since its peak before the Great Depression, and was continuing to fall.” (Source: Labor Unions and the U.S. Economy by Laura Feiveson, U.S. Department of the Treasury.)

It wasn’t all good in the 1950s

While the civil rights movement started to gain momentum in the 1950s, it really was not a good time for women, people of color or LGBTQ folks. The Supreme Court did find time in its very busy schedule to destroy affirmative action and overrule Roe. Many believe they’ve paving the way to reverse the legality of gay marriage and even to go after contraception.

So here’s what I would like to see. By all means, take those six justices back to 1950 where they belong. But keep the rest of the world here. We can name six new justices to the court – people willing to live in the present day and to look forward, not backward. 

All kinds of equality matter

Income inequality harms humanity as much as racial inequality, gender inequality, marriage inequality and more. Many of these issues intersect and none of them are based on any kind of natural law. We can choose for our culture and laws to increase equality of all kinds – if we put in place leaders who care about justice.

Right now, there is little justice coming from the justices of the Supreme Court, six of whom long for the “good old days.”

Imagine the golden age that would follow if we cared about liberty and justice for all.

About Michelle Teheux

I’m a writer in central Illinois. If you like my work, subscribe to me here or on Medium. My new book, The Trailer Park Rules, looks at poverty and income inequality through the eyes of the residents of a fictional trailer park.