One of my granddaughters was about eight years old when she asked her mother whether, when she grew up, she'd be allowed to use the "S" word. Her mother asked "Why, do you want to use it?" and she responded "Oh Boy, Do I!"

It's that same enthusiasm that I bring to your question: "Class War Ahead?"

One can only hope.

In fact, the class war began with the election of Ronald Reagan, but it's been one-sided. The other side, us (or maybe we, I'll have to ask Safire), didn't have a clue that we were fighting and apparently still don't.

I'm left wondering what it will take to strike the spark.

If we could build the Hoover Dam in 1936 . . . .

Authorization for the Boulder Dam Project was signed into law by Calvin Coolidge in 1928. First appropriation was made in July 1930 at which time the work began. The first concrete was poured before FDR became president in 1933.

Just to keep the history straight.

Hmmm. Lets see. JFK and Reagan cut tax rates and the economy boomed. Hoover and FDR raised tax rates and got the most prolonged business downturn in history.

So far this administration has been all about tax increases as in Cap and Tax, the Health Care debacle, et al.

The ability of the S&P 500 to earn does not depend only on economic conditions in the United States. Many of the S&P 500 are global corporations which derive substantial profits from their overseas operations -- often more than half.

The natural rate of uemployment is alleged to have increased recently from about 5% to around 7%.

There are far fewer jobs that can usefully employ lower skilled labor. This is largely the result of the application of new technology, especially information technology. Longer ago, businesses would have many employees doing the same, simple job. Now, if you have multiple employees doing the same job, you wonder whether you need them all. There are exceptions, like call center workers, burger flippers, etc. But jobs to create a new green economy are not low-skilled, simple jobs.

If this situation is not to dissolve into class warfare ...

Too late Jon, the economic policy of every Republican administration since 1980 has been nothing but class warfare.

Or are you just referring to the risk that our side might start shooting back?

By definition, 100 is the median IQ. What will half the population do in the kind of economy/society envisioned here when they can't learn statistics or coding or master database management? A permanent underclass? A servant class? Can a just society condemn half, or some significant proportion of half, the population to poverty and irrelevance based on biological characteristics?

Or does it take not that much intelligence to master these technologies? Cf, Mills, The Power Elite.

Your characterization of class conflict being polarized between the Coughlins and the Longs is oversimplified by quite a lot. Most of that class conflict was channeled into New Deal liberalism and the growing labor movement and was very productive.

At the beginning of the post you say this situation could become dangerous. For whom I wonder? The rich? I certainly hope so! Our common people are having their lives and livelihoods destroyed already. How much more dangerous can it get for them? As for class war, I say bring it on baby! It's long overdue and when it comes to a head the filthy, greedy parasites at the top will finally get what they deserve.