To what degree are the productive forces even still developed by capitalist relations and markets themselves anymore and not just military research repurposed for civilian and corporate use?
No one is "replacing" you. They're driving up profits by depressing wage prices. They're socializing the costs (tax payers pay for immigration process and subsidies) while privatizing the profits (corpos can now pay below minimum wage).
The most basic principle of capitalism
βNo man who owns his own house and lot could be a Communist. He has too much to do.β
β William Levitt, founder/builder of Levittown, a pioneering suburb development
You are horrified at our intending to do away with private property. But in your existing society, private property is already done away with for nine-tenths of the population; its existence for the few is solely due to its non-existence in the hands of those nine-tenths.
Socialism is the inevitable result of capitalism, the next phase of the development of the social production process to which capitalism itself gives rise. It has nothing to do with compassion, nor is it something that can "work" or "not work". It is simply the evolution of
Why does the average consumer feel worse off?
Because 41% of consumer spending goes to: housing, utilities, healthcare, medications, and insurance.
This was 16% in 1947, 30% in 1980, and 35% in 1990.
Fewer consumer dollars are left for true discretionary spending.