Margaret Thatcher must be smiling from the grave.

The overwhelming rejection of the British Labor Party by voters completed the surrender of the working class to the rich elites. With scarcely a protest, workers voted to settle for whatever crumbs fall from the tables of billionaires.

It can happen here.

After suffering through nearly two generations of near-zero wage growth and skyrocketing costs for basics like housing, health care, education, and childcare, the U.S. working class will soon choose whether to give up, British style, or send a message that they will not be satisfied with their plight.

For many, it will be a difficult choice. Finally, America is back to work, and workers may feel satisfied with a jingle in their pockets, no matter how small.

But they should consider this. There was a time in the U.S., not long ago, when these things were true: One income can support a family. Regular working people can afford homes close to their jobs. You can afford to go to the doctor. You can afford college tuition, mostly without student debt. If both parents work, childcare does not eat up virtually all of one income. And the rich pay much higher tax rates than the middle class.

This could be the reality in the U.S. again. But American workers must come to realize that far more is possible than the occasional crumb from the table.