Americans have had it so good for so long that they have largely forgotten poverty. I expect the French and Russian aristocracies ( rich ) probably wished they had not been so greedy when the poor rose up and took a greedy share of the wealth for themselves. Don't think it couldn't happen again because it could. With every man and his dog loaded up with weapons it could get very nasty.
World's 85 richest have same wealth as 3.5 BILLION poorest
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The thing that These talking heads on TV absolutely never factor in when they are talking about the lower/middle class is the hours of week worked/quality of life.
I have tenants who work 50-70 hours a week just to try and make ends meet. After they work that much per week, at the end of the month all of their money is gone. After they fork over 35% percent of their income to me for living in the slum that I own, and inflation eating away at their money when they go to buy groceries, there is really nothing left.
Now compared to my Grandmother, she worked 9-5 every day of her life since highschool as a secretary, was able to retire at 55. Owns her own house. This is the reason the lower class are feeling screwed over, despite what Kudlow says about upper and middle class statistics. That douche is not really living life on the ground so to speak.
Thats what I see on the ground, and i deal with people struggling to make ends meet.
There was a documentary on CBC (canada) about the financial crisis. One of the bankers said they would have been much better off by giving the bailout money to the people to spend, rather then buying up bad assets and pumping it into the banks.
He was basically laughing about how stupid the bank bailouts were, and insinuating that when this house of cards falls over...its going to be really, really bad this time around.
An age old problem that has plagued man since day 1.
In ancient Rome the starving used to go on villa raids. The elite of the UK has always been sensible enough to make sure not too many starved at the same time so rarely was there a likelyhood of a successful revolution.
Latin America used to have plenty and often.
The fact is we are all in the same boat ( country ). It is better for the rich to still live in comfort and spread the wealth around fairly than be dragged out of their houses and lose everything including their lives.
Well just my take on a knotty problem and as seen from the middle.
In ancient Rome the starving used to go on villa raids. The elite of the UK has always been sensible enough to make sure not too many starved at the same time so rarely was there a likelyhood of a successful revolution.
Latin America used to have plenty and often.
The fact is we are all in the same boat ( country ). It is better for the rich to still live in comfort and spread the wealth around fairly than be dragged out of their houses and lose everything including their lives.
Well just my take on a knotty problem and as seen from the middle.
Off-shoring, MFN status for China, crippling regulation, bureaucracy and massive taxation here at home, chased out and destroyed the once legion and affluent Western middle class. And reduced us to the ultra-rich and struggling poor.
The baby boomers, of which this site is filled with, will go down in history as one of the most idiotic, greediest and foolhardy generations the world has ever known. They essentially gave away the richest country in the world to Asia, because they believed the fairy tales of con-men, who, with great zeal and enthusiasm, no less!, they voted into office. Again, and Again, and AGAIN. Really a pathetic, gullible bunch. I'll preface that to say: there's always exceptions to every rule, and there are many Boomers who were (and are) great patriots and fought deindustrialization since the beginning. However, those are few and far between, sadly. Now the chickens have come home to roost and we get to sit around, critiquing our own obituary.
I posted here alot during the 2007 bubble, arguing the dangers of offshoring. You wouldn't believe how many old timers on this site lauded globalization and defended it ad nauseum, as the next huge wealth creator - legitimatizing their market bias, no doubt. Idiots.
The baby boomers, of which this site is filled with, will go down in history as one of the most idiotic, greediest and foolhardy generations the world has ever known. They essentially gave away the richest country in the world to Asia, because they believed the fairy tales of con-men, who, with great zeal and enthusiasm, no less!, they voted into office. Again, and Again, and AGAIN. Really a pathetic, gullible bunch. I'll preface that to say: there's always exceptions to every rule, and there are many Boomers who were (and are) great patriots and fought deindustrialization since the beginning. However, those are few and far between, sadly. Now the chickens have come home to roost and we get to sit around, critiquing our own obituary.
I posted here alot during the 2007 bubble, arguing the dangers of offshoring. You wouldn't believe how many old timers on this site lauded globalization and defended it ad nauseum, as the next huge wealth creator - legitimatizing their market bias, no doubt. Idiots.
Very well put.
How I love history. It has all been played out before. Whether it is George Dubyah charging into the Middle East or people trying to keep their secret processes and wealth. However time won't wait for anyone, except perhaps The Amish as they get more and more out of date.
The old must give way to the new, however foolish, lazy and incompetent.
The citzenry of the Boomers isn't any smarter than other generations... IT WAS THE POLITICIANS... Same Boomers who also elected Odumbo.
The Boomers are not greedy. None ever told a politico, "give me something and charge it to my kids and grandkids".... IT WAS THE POLITICANS!!
(And don't you worry.... the Boomers are going to get screwed almost as badly as younger generations. The ONLY group to make out on our failed social support program will be the generation BEFORE the Boomers.)
There is surely something terribly wrong with many of the world's political systems, particularly democracies. And why do I say this ? Well just look at the present mess. Bankrupt democracies and overbearing autocracies. If the general public are going to elect people of such low calibre then they can hardly complain. It is all another balancing act between freedoms and control.
I am glad to hear that at last, things are picking up a bit economically but only until the next crash.
About 30 million people died to get rid of nazism ! About 3 times more were injured. Hopefully Scatos etc. will take note before wishing the old and useless terminated.
I am glad to hear that at last, things are picking up a bit economically but only until the next crash.
About 30 million people died to get rid of nazism ! About 3 times more were injured. Hopefully Scatos etc. will take note before wishing the old and useless terminated.
Ron, you know I have a tonne of respect for you, your service, and allegiance to this Country. The caveat in my original post was written specifically with my father and yourself, in mind. Because you are the only two Boomers I know of personally, that actually understood this and saw it coming from afar. I'm sure there are other patriots out there, but they are definitely few and far between.
That said, you are far too soft on the Boomers. Citizens are responsible for their Government. We let this happen. The Boomers let this devastation happen on their watch. And now my generation has let it happen on theirs. At the end of the day, the buck stops with the citizens. The politicians are nothing but a pit of detestable snakes, carpet-baggers, psychopaths and con-men who do the bidding of their Corporate, moneyed whores. Neither of whom have any allegiance to this Country, goodness or the basis on which either of those stand. Eisenhower spelled it out, point-blank, for petes sake and nobody batted an eye!
Look:
Chinese military advances will overtake those of the United States in as few as five years, a senior Pentagon official told Congress Tuesday.
http://freebeacon.com/pentagon-concerned-by-chinas-new-high-speed-missile/
China went from dirtfloors and horse-ridden Calvary to satellites, manned space craft, and military weaponry poised to eclipse ours, in 50 years. All made in the USA. We handed over every innovation, breakthrough and technology to Chinese factories, who copied it, sold it, and handed it straight over to the Communist Chinese Government. Who then integrated that into their entire military infrastructure. And to that, we gave them the economic capacity to deploy it and assemble a military that will rival ours.
This. Is. MADNESS.
I know alot of people are cowards these days. Most people. But we have to do something now. The time for talking and hand wringing is over. I'm NOT calling for violence, of any kind. But I am calling for ACTION. In whatever way we can, we have to stand up to this beast system that has taken root in America, expose it, and turn back the tide. We have to stand up to these corrupt traitors at every level of Government and in the private sector and expose them for the crimes they have committed and continue to commit against the Bill of Rights and Rule of Law. America is going DOWN. What are we gonna do about it?? Sit here on a message board and hand-wring all day.
You know the citizens are not all that smart nor do we pay attention to the real issues. Most of us get our "politics" from the MSM, especially TV. The Social Security and Medicare programs should have been revamped 40 years ago when it became clear the Ponzi nature of their adminstration would lead to failure.
How do you (1) get the hoi polloi to recognize the problem, and (2) get the enough citizens to demand proper changes? The Boomers aren't that smart.
Think back to before we had social support programs. "Nobody got anything" from the government along those lines... at least not in the sense we see today. Then one day, some Leftist politico said, "let's give the people a little bit, and they'll gratefully vote for us." Later, "give more of them a little bit". Then, "give them a little more". The people never demanded it... they weren't that brash. But the politicos kept giving and giving (and taking powers not authorized in the Constituion) until we're in the mess we are today. Most people don't realize... but in the strict sense of the intentions of the Founders, ALL WEALTH REDISTRIBUTION FEDERAL SUPPORT PROGRAMS ARE UNCONSTITUTIONAL! (We have a LOT of "unconstitutional these days.)
Apparently nobody ever heard of "The Goose That Laid The Golden Egg".
And sadly, it's not a new story.