From what I have read thus far - excluding the off topic tangents - the most disputed points about the continuation of WC are:
1) Sharing the wealth with developing nations and the WC's poor (unlikely due to the influx of the neuvo-aristocrats, and the political organizations dependent upon there support).
2) The decline in the infrastructures of the developed nations. In the USA, the RR's are not sound, the rails are out and out dangerous. Due to the "pork" in our highway bills, some states (blue at the moment) are literally falling into disrepair. Forget about talking about water and sewage - I once read that 40 - 60% of our water supply in unsafe. Maybe why the bottled water industry exists at all.
3) The new fear of immigration, in the West - senseless, but a great political button to push to convince the ignorant that poor, uneducated, migrant workers want your job (as though a white person would work in the fields). 4) Going to war without defined guildlines, or cause. Well, some times.

Prior to the depression - 1929-1938 - 70% of the USA population lived on family farms. Today, less than 1-3% do (depending upon definition). Manufacturing jobs that once allowed a worker to be a part of the working-middle-class are either being outsourced, being replaced by robotics, or are being downsized to such a level that only 1 in 3 will remain by 2015.

Wages for the working class are not keeping pace with the upper-business class. The average wage is less today that it was in 1996, for the average household. However, The upper-business classes wages have quadrupled - hell, CEO's wages are those of kings (40 times the average worker in 1987, and 300-400 times that today.).

What the WC nations have today is pretty much the same thing Rome had in its heyday - the senatorial rule being doled out to the rich and powerful ... by the rich and powerful, for the rich and powerful, to the exclusion of as many as possible.

Common sense would tell anyone that by sharing the wealth one easily reduces the poverty, crime, welfare, and envy. It also permits those willing to sacrifice for their future the opportunity to better their position in the stratus of society. But, no .... life isn't suppose to be fair - and by god the wealthy seem to be willing to risk it all versus sharing a dime of what they inherited.

The decline in Unions, due to their complacency and their leaders willingness to be bought off, has a direct impact to the plight of the non-Union worker. This I know (having worked in a machinist union and postal one), there is power in numbers - and safety, and health insurance.

Point is, the more basic privelages (like living decently) that are taken away from or deprived a society - the higher the rate of crime, of anger, of possible retaliation in the future - or now. Imagine for one second what could have actually been done to prevent 9/11 - starting 50 years ago, versus our short term thinking of blaming it on a two year period (when in fact it took 5 years to plan, and 2 more to carry it out).

Imperialism, Nationalism, identifying with one faction against another (time honored), Religonistic hyperbole with political agendas, the idea of a sacred privilaged class (theirs primarily, but they do it oh so well!), and the buying of elections (it now cost a minimum of $1 million to win a HR seat, $5-10mil for a senate, and $500,000,000 for president). minimum wage has not been raised since 1998? But, our reps have given themselves increases of 40% in the same time frame.

Decline of the WC? Well, maybe. Probably. But, those with the power won't realize it until some wildman steps forward (again) and says, "Political power comes from the barrell of a gun".

I seriouly doubt we will see a decline in the wages of CEO's (etc), before we see more of a decline in the working-middle-class. You see, what they forget is that the WMC is their buffer against the disenfranchised poor. They lose the men and women (their sons and daughters) that worked on the production lines to make a decent living for their kids - then they lose, or the majority of us move into slavery. And, that ain't going to happen - even if it is in S. Korea, China, etc.

Bottom line, share or perish. Greed kills.