Congress made economic crisis worse by incentivizing unemployment over earning a paycheck-
[thefederalist.com]congress-made-economic-crisis-worse-by-incentivizing-unemployment-over-earning-a-paycheck/
By spiking unemployment benefits with an additional $600 a week, Congress made it more profitable to file for taxpayer handouts than remain employed.
Which is what communism requires - state controlled pay, regardless of skill, work ethic, or innovation. Why should I work - the pay is the same (or better). Once they are dependent, you've got controlled. in only 2 generations you have most people not knowing how to work. Who will pick the fruit and vegetables? Most likely prison labour.
Bread and Circus, the fall back policy of any Republic
The people in power want to keep their power and they don't want the people to have it for good reason. Once you have created dependency the ethical options for reversing it are very limited. It's too bad there isn't a frontier for freedom loving people to move to
I think the answer is a return to the city state. Not literally but in terms of a kind of partial economic independence. AI may allow that as we may no longer be tied to assembly line production.
I see the biggest hurdle is how discredited states rights were by slavery. Someone has to be the enforcer or individual rights. We now see that a federal government isn't particularly good in that role. We have also learned that international bodies like the UN are terrible in that role. Any suggestions?