Quote from CaptainObvious:
That's rather harsh, although I was flipping burgers at McDonalds in 1968.![]()
On a more serious note, I agree the CT'ers are off base, but do you think this economy is sustainable with this continuing transition from well paid mfg. workers to poorly paid service slaves? It's a great environment for some with entrepeneurial aspirations, but the average Joe LunchBucket is taking a hard hit. Is it true that the average Joe keeps the economy going, or is it something else?
Here is what I think. I think we live in a world economy now. You can't simply just look at the US economy. I think from the perspective of a world economy, it is by far the best it's ever been. More and more countries are raising their standard of living. Prosperity is slowly spreading throughout the world (at the expense of the US). Job growth is strong worldwide. And more importantly, productivity is on fire.
What a lot of people are having a hard time wrapping their hands around is the fact that the days were the US produced, manufactured, marketed, sold and consumed everything in the world is over. The days when we enjoyed all the wealth while everyone else suffered in poverty is over. Wealth is finally seeping out of the US and spreading out. This is a good thing in my opinion. I'll never understand the greediness of some in this country that believe that the US should prosper at the expense of the rest of the planet.
The problem is, this transition is very hard for those that are most affected. It would appear to them that the economy sucks and no one is making money. But this simply is not true. People are making money, just now it's not all heavily concentrated in the US. What's wrong with China having prosperity? What's wrong with India having prosperity?
Americans are so myopic and only care about themselves. Joe Lunch bucket had it easy man for a long time. He could live on a high school education, join a union and make 60k a year with full benefits and a pension while foreigners in poor countries were eating grass for dinner. Yippee!!!!!! Now Joe Lunchbucket is pissed of that the family eating grass for dinner can suddenly have bread and water and maybe some beans and Joe is bitching that he can't afford season tickets to see the Cubs anymore. I mean seriously guys, wake up. The days where someone could make 75k a year for having a pulse are over. We are now in a very competitive world economy. If you want to make 75k a year, you are going to have to fight for it. Is that a bad thing? I don't think so.