How many of us are really any more than one, two or three paychecks out of the poor house? Or more than one medical crisis removed from bankruptcy?
There used to be a sort of social contract in the United States where is you play by the rules, learn skills, get educated and lead a frugal life that you can get ahead. Not so much any longer it seems.
Those who follow are the first who are likely to be less well off than their parents.
What does this breach of the social contract hold for the future of the American dream and social stability?
Walden, I have not read the article yet, but I think you identify a subject very worth discussing. I'll comment further after reading the article and thinking on the subject for a while.
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I read it. And I can sum up the problem in one word:
S O C I A L I S M!
Brought to us by the liberals, aka Democrats!
Over-Taxation
This is what happens in a "Democracy". The mob rules and those in office need to pay them off, and use our money to do so. --Funny thing is, our U.S. Constitution says that each state shall guarantee its citizens a "Republican" form of government.
It's time we get back to the U.S. Constitution, that lil contract that everyone who holds office in this country, swears to defend and uphold.
"There used to be a sort of social contract in the United States where is you play by the rules, learn skills, get educated and lead a frugal life that you can get ahead. Not so much any longer it seems. "
Define "getting ahead".
In America today, the majority of people are so spoiled, that it is usually thier own fault for thier lot in life.
I come across people every day who sit in a chair and complain about everything from the cost of the Starbuck's coffee on thier desk, to how much gas they had to put in the Escalade yesterday. Then they complain that the cable internet in the house was messed up and they couldn't watch the game on the 72 in. plasma. To top things off, they went to the mall 30 miles from the house, because the mall 2 miles from the house didn't have 10 shoe stores to choose from, only 7.
What I am saying is that as a group, Americans are very well off. Quit your bitchin...
Have you been to the deep South, any ghettos, any barrios?
Talked to any normal people who work multiple jobs and can't support their kids?
Or do you just try to aid the Neocons in their destruction of the principles and foundations of America by covering for them, by blaming the ignorant for getting sucked into the toys and distractions the corporations offer? Blaming those whose futures and children's futures have been stolen away to off shore accounts in Dubai, the Caymans, and Switzerland, while you ignore and give a free ride to the scheming malfeasant culprits?
-whose goal has ALWAYS been to do what is the subject of this post.
To prevent the average American from cutting into corporate ill gotten gains with law.
To prevent us from stopping wars of attrition and greed with reason.
To look at the obvious pattern and the same names appearing for decades when Democracy is eroded or destroyed AND DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.
No wonder justice in this country was so easy to topple.
TOD and Crespi..I agree with both of you on most points.
I came from a family that worked hard(we had a outhouse for several years in my life)and rose above poverty into the good middle class.It was done with hard work and for company's that appreciated their work and dedication.The hard working American is still there,but the company's and corporations have made the bottom line more important than the worker or the country.
The other side is yes we have become a nation of spoiled brats that have come to expect every convenience and luxury as their birthright.
There was a day that you worked from the bottom up and learned that sometimes hard work was its own reward.Now it seems that people want to be the manager of the firm before before they even know what business the company does,and that attitude is part of whats wrong.
I have been blessed with what i have,which isn't a lot if you measure in monetary value.But if you measure by whats important,i am a rich man.
Baddad: Concise, straightforward, truthful, and dignified. But there is something you left out. Being that you probably didn't consider it because it is some much a part of your self. There once was a time when a man worked and was proud of what he did. It's still there but only in the older generation (those that fought for this great country and died defending it). Companies rewarded those people with higher wages and promoted them because it was good for the company, it's employees, and gave the working forced something to strive for. Plus those who bought the products were assured of quality and durability.
Pride. Not false pride but the good feeling one gets when he know he, or she has done a good job and the customer is happy and will return again if needed. That's part of what made this country great.
Greed has always been here. Now they just more open about it because they believe that they deserve everything that they never had to work for.
"There was a day that you worked from the bottom up and learned that sometimes hard work was its own reward.Now it seems that people want to be the manager of the firm before before they even know what business the company does,and that attitude is part of whats wrong."
Profound comment. That is exactly what they instruct in MBA 101(that's Management By Accident 101). The professors seem to feel that you do not need to know anything about what you are managing in order to manage it. All that is required is the ability to manage a spreadsheet!
Back to your comment; you are correct in stating that everyone wants to manage. However, I would venture that most people are not qualified. People skills are required. Notice how so few managers possess people skills? Human resources now do managements "dirty" work. Must be nice not to have to destroy a family to their faces!
I think that to a certain extent we have become a nation of "spoiled brats". But when the CEO's are paid 400X's what the guy on the factory floor is getting paid and the CEO hasn't the slightest idea of what it takes to make the product, the workers have a right to be angry when the guy at the top deploys his golden parachute while everyone else is left to fend for themselves.
"Or do you just try to aid the Neocons in their destruction of the principles and foundations of America by covering for them, by blaming the ignorant for getting sucked into the toys and distractions the corporations offer?"
Typical response. This falls in line with questions such as: Are you still beating your wife?
Yes, I have lived in poor areas, worked at minimum wage jobs, and it doesn't matter whether it is the deep south, Dtroit, or any other region in the country. Poor is poor.
Get off of the soapbox, please. You sound like you are running for office. Gimme a break.
"To prevent the average American from cutting into corporate ill gotten gains with law.
To prevent us from stopping wars of attrition and greed with reason.
To look at the obvious pattern and the same names appearing for decades when Democracy is eroded or destroyed AND DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT."
Cry me a river, build a bridge, and get over it...
It's not that simple. Back in the day someone could graduate high school and get a good job in a factory, buy a house and support a family with the one job.
Now both parents need to work. Now gains in productivity aren't being shared with the workers. Corrected incomes have been almost flat for 30 years. Savings are non-existent. Kids graduate with more loans than ever before. What made us great, manufacturing, is DOA. The number of hungry Americans and those living in poverty is increasing. The number of kids that live longer and longer with their parents is increasing. Private pensions have disappeared. The hours we work increase and the time away decreases.
This is a great post walden. I think you have it nailed. Once disparities start opening up in a developed economy, they're almost impossible to turn around. An increasingly large slice of the pie is being shared among a smaller and smaller segment of the population.
(And when the commander-in-chief himself says openly that the people he likes are the "haves and have-mores" the trend is further strengthened).
I saw this article too, "Income inequality grew significantly in 2005, with the top 1 percent of Americans â;; those with incomes that year of more than $348,000 â;; receiving their largest share of national income since 1928, analysis of newly released tax data shows."
I wish we could get your comments over to a national Democratic platform member. These comments are precisely what has been sinking the greatest asset to the concept of capitalism and democracy. (the middle class)
"I come across people every day who sit in a chair and complain about everything from the cost of the Starbuck's coffee on thier desk, to how much gas they had to put in the Escalade yesterday."
--If you "come across" them, fine but if you seek them out, I'd be worried. In fact, I often come across people who, based on their limited experiences with an irresponsible friend, neighbor or family member, will generalize about all people who are poor or fall on hard times. More disturbing is that these same people seem perfectly willing to discount the benefits many wealthy people have which weren't based on their skills, education, or frugality.
There was a guy on New York City radio - same station as Rush Limburger - he spoke the same as you Tod - but he got his job through nepotism - his name is John Gambling - his father & grandfather & he were fixtures on radio for 83 years - on Feb 29 th he got fired with no warning - hahaha sometimes the holier than thou fall
I've had that medical crisis and paid for by selling our home to pay the bills. Now there are some out there who will say big deal. No it is no big deal. But we as a nation have started to fall from the being a nation of midde class workers. We are becoming the nation of the wealthy and those who just get by.
I'm not talking about the nimrods' who are to caught up in status symbols to live within their means. I'm talking about the hard working people who had their futures shipped to other countries for the profit of the CEO's and the elitists.
I do not begrudge a person their wealth, but when their wealth exceeds what they really need and they allow others to suffer and die for their wealth. Well that is sick beyond reason. Money is never more important than human beings. But it seems like it has become such to many.
I'm sure I'll be called a socialist, or worse, for what I'm about to write, but it's been my belief that-
Education based on ability and medical care based on need. To me that's the most basic social compact that a so-called civilized society should have with the governed.
That's right walden3. And you know that as soon as the word "socialism" is raised in America, the word "communist" is not going to be too far behind, and THAT equals "enemy" for sure. It's very difficult to move on from that point.
The Czecs were moving in an interesting direction in 1968 {"Socialism with a human face") before the jackboots of communism snuffed out the Prague Spring.
I have always felt as you do cowboy.If a person makes their money through hard work,ingenuity,and just plain smarts,i applaud them.But when that wealth becomes obscene and isn't used to help those that put those people in the lifestyle they have,then that is wrong.Does anyone need billions of dollars to pay the electric bill when others that work can't pay for medical care?
You have just described the "ASIAN" approach to life. Throughout Asia there is little regard for any life. Human or otherwise. That region or the world is where our economy has gone. Asian nations do not care about the rest of the world. Their "golden rule" is: Do unto others BEFORE they do unto you!
That rule is fast becoming the norm here as well. I hope it is by necessity rather than because people are becoming hardened toward their fellow humans.
wow, how unbelievably stupid can anyone be? here's a geography lesson for you. asia is the world's largest continent. when you talk about asia you're talking about most of the world's population. asia is so unbelievably huge, incredibily populated and remarkably diverse that as a continent it stretches from japan in the east to israel --- yes, israel is also part of asia -- in the west. it also includes russia -- yes, russia -- in the north. it also includes the middle east and india. besides, from what i know of "asians" -- and this includes chinese, japanese, fillipino, malay, thai, indian, indonesian, vietnamese and a few others only -- is that most of them believe strongly in family and traditions and that belief means they all pitch in and help each other out. from what i know of "asians" you couldn't be more wrong. do you have any asian nations in mind when you spew such hatred or are you just going to damn them all? or is it a skin color thing? hmmm?
Or more than one medical crisis removed from bankruptcy?>>>>
This is my fear. I did what was prudent to save for retirement, but medical costs could wipe me out, despite medical coverage. And I put my cash into FDIC insured CD's, which are now losing money with inflation and the low rate of interest they're generating as income. The banks are being saved with the low interest rates from printing worthless money, & those who saved their money are thrown under the bus.
jordan11, I know some middle aged and elderly Americans living here (in Japan), who would've gone home years ago, but feared the scenario you describe. Japan has a fairly low-cost and comprehensive medical system which all can buy into, with Western levels of health care. The security that brings is a strong reason for some to remain expatriates.
The health issue is surely going to loom larger and larger
Dumbyanomics isn't anything new. Look at the end of the Bush The Elder's administration and you'll see the same things that are going on now (though it's definitely more dire this time): oil through the roof (a Bush crime family mainstay); stock market meltdown; housing market implosion; financial bailouts off the taxpayer's backs and the raiding of the US Treasury for the enrichment of cronies.
Trillions of dollars are missing from the Pentagon's budget. You might think that in a sane world this would be a news item - especially when the economy is flopping around. No way. Today there is only amnesia. There is no more fiscal responsibility from this Repugnant regime than there is from Congress.
Americans are only tax livestock. Dumb beasts fed a diet of bs about free markets by command economists.
Now we're going to see hyper-stagflation. A long, deep and painful recession, exacerbated by Bushco's wars for oil.
I don't feel that Bush Sr. did a bad job. Considering the mess he inherited, I feel he did a superior job.
You must realize that we had a massive debt, and deficit spending was out of control when he took office. However, when he left office, the debt had not increased.
You're like that beast I'm talking about. Bush Sr followed Reagan, remember? Reagan outspent every administration that preceeded his COMBINED. Remember the $600 toilet seats?
There is so much missing money stolen by this crime family - with no accountibility - it defies any rational explanation. We saw with Iran Contra the rise of shadowy mercenary forces with their own airforce, own navy and own armies and Bush The Elder was at its center - not least of which was air dropping cocaine into the US (Mena, Arkansas, actually, with Bill Clinton as his partner) to raise $ off the books for rightwing Central American deathsquads.
It's always the same story with the Bush's - looting the middle class for their parasitic enrichment.
What do you think happened to those mercenary forces described during the Iran Contra hearings? Wasn't Bush cousin Wirt Walker CEO of the company in charge of security at the WTC right before 9/11? Wasn't Bush brother, Marvin a principle at that company?
Iran Contra took place under the Reagan administration.
Reagan, not Bush was funding the Contras.
When Bush took office, his mess was the invasion of Kuwait by Sadam. We had to go in and run Sadam back out of Kuwait. At that time, oil shot up, it hurt the economy, and everyone blamed Bush.
Obviously, you either are too young to recall the details, or you were high when this all took place.
Bush the Elder wasn't just VP, he Chaired the National Security Council and he was CIA Director Bill Casey's immediate superior. They were running a shadow government, in case you've forgotten - with Reagan claiming he was outc of the loop. Documents were shredded 'round the clock by Ollie North under the supervision of Atty General Ed Meese - and that's how Bush The Elder wound up in the White House instead of a prison cell.
Then he had to go after Noriega to bury his Iran-Contra cocaine connection.
Two years ago Dumbya's daughter Jenna closed a deal on a huge tract of land in Paraguay while she was supposedly working there for a few days with Unicef. The land has airstrips large enough to accomodate military transport jets.
This is a crime family with unparalleled wealth and resources where treason is just a way of life going back to Prescott Bush.
On the contrary, I don't think Reagan had a clue what was going on. i also suspect that Bush the Elder may have been involved somehow in the attempt on Reagan's life. It's a known fact that the Bush's and the Hinckley's were close friends. As a matter of fact, Dumbya's brother Neil had a dinner date with John Hinckley's brother the day after the assassination attempt.
There is prima facie evidence that Bush the Elder was at the crime scene at the exact time of the Kennedy assassination in Dallas. There are even pictures of him standing outside of the Texas Schoolbook Repository. There is also mention of him as a CIA agent in a letter by J. Edgar Hoover. Other CIA principles who were involved in that hit were given high level jobs in the current Bush regime - like Porter Goss, who was appointed to head the CIA.
The Bush's don't twice about assassination. They are like American version of the Borgia family. Presidents are no exception.
Twistoflex you are absolutely correct about the Bush crime family. The Elder along with Joseph Kennedy Sr. and a small circle of others were instrumental in taking JFK out. JFK was about to change the system, which those who truly held power, could not allow.
Keep posting the truth Twistoflex. I don't know who you are, but you're the only one on these boards who really understands what the real deal is. Sadly.
Mexicans get in state college tuition, out of state students don't. Illegals get free medical, we don't. The illegals are becoming the new middle class.
I'm not bitter, I came from a dirt poor family. My first 10 years I was raised in a converted chicken coop. I went on to owning a company that did millions.
Half the people voted for Bush because of some swift boaters. Those people suffering, ask me if I care... their stupidy bought us all a ticket to BUSH HELL!!
340)
How many of us are really any more than one, two or three paychecks out of the poor house? Or more than one medical crisis removed from bankruptcy?
There used to be a sort of social contract in the United States where is you play by the rules, learn skills, get educated and lead a frugal life that you can get ahead. Not so much any longer it seems.
Those who follow are the first who are likely to be less well off than their parents.
What does this breach of the social contract hold for the future of the American dream and social stability?
Walden, I have not read the article yet, but I think you identify a subject very worth discussing. I'll comment further after reading the article and thinking on the subject for a while.
Thanks.
I second Son's comments. If I have time, I'll be back.
Thanks for letting me know about this article.
I'll be back too. Thanks for the heads up.
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I read it. And I can sum up the problem in one word:
S O C I A L I S M!
Brought to us by the liberals, aka Democrats!
Over-Taxation
This is what happens in a "Democracy". The mob rules and those in office need to pay them off, and use our money to do so. --Funny thing is, our U.S. Constitution says that each state shall guarantee its citizens a "Republican" form of government.
It's time we get back to the U.S. Constitution, that lil contract that everyone who holds office in this country, swears to defend and uphold.
Debra...
InformingChristians
Praise Jesus and hate liberals!
Jesus HATES liberals for their GAY COMMUNISM.
Jesus Hates America for its WICKED LIFESTYLES.
We must LOVE Jesus so he can bring about ARMAGEDDON and ALL LIFE ON EARTH WILL PERISH.
CHRISTIANS ARE LOVE. (But Jesus is hate...how does that work?)
Perhaps you should lay off the protein drinks.
"There used to be a sort of social contract in the United States where is you play by the rules, learn skills, get educated and lead a frugal life that you can get ahead. Not so much any longer it seems. "
Define "getting ahead".
In America today, the majority of people are so spoiled, that it is usually thier own fault for thier lot in life.
I come across people every day who sit in a chair and complain about everything from the cost of the Starbuck's coffee on thier desk, to how much gas they had to put in the Escalade yesterday. Then they complain that the cable internet in the house was messed up and they couldn't watch the game on the 72 in. plasma. To top things off, they went to the mall 30 miles from the house, because the mall 2 miles from the house didn't have 10 shoe stores to choose from, only 7.
What I am saying is that as a group, Americans are very well off. Quit your bitchin...
Have you been to the deep South, any ghettos, any barrios?
Talked to any normal people who work multiple jobs and can't support their kids?
Or do you just try to aid the Neocons in their destruction of the principles and foundations of America by covering for them, by blaming the ignorant for getting sucked into the toys and distractions the corporations offer? Blaming those whose futures and children's futures have been stolen away to off shore accounts in Dubai, the Caymans, and Switzerland, while you ignore and give a free ride to the scheming malfeasant culprits?
-whose goal has ALWAYS been to do what is the subject of this post.
To prevent the average American from cutting into corporate ill gotten gains with law.
To prevent us from stopping wars of attrition and greed with reason.
To look at the obvious pattern and the same names appearing for decades when Democracy is eroded or destroyed AND DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.
No wonder justice in this country was so easy to topple.
I lived in the deep south in the 1960s - it was the same then.
Only now it is spreading to the middle class.
TOD and Crespi..I agree with both of you on most points.
I came from a family that worked hard(we had a outhouse for several years in my life)and rose above poverty into the good middle class.It was done with hard work and for company's that appreciated their work and dedication.The hard working American is still there,but the company's and corporations have made the bottom line more important than the worker or the country.
The other side is yes we have become a nation of spoiled brats that have come to expect every convenience and luxury as their birthright.
There was a day that you worked from the bottom up and learned that sometimes hard work was its own reward.Now it seems that people want to be the manager of the firm before before they even know what business the company does,and that attitude is part of whats wrong.
I have been blessed with what i have,which isn't a lot if you measure in monetary value.But if you measure by whats important,i am a rich man.
Baddad: Concise, straightforward, truthful, and dignified. But there is something you left out. Being that you probably didn't consider it because it is some much a part of your self. There once was a time when a man worked and was proud of what he did. It's still there but only in the older generation (those that fought for this great country and died defending it). Companies rewarded those people with higher wages and promoted them because it was good for the company, it's employees, and gave the working forced something to strive for. Plus those who bought the products were assured of quality and durability.
Pride. Not false pride but the good feeling one gets when he know he, or she has done a good job and the customer is happy and will return again if needed. That's part of what made this country great.
Greed has always been here. Now they just more open about it because they believe that they deserve everything that they never had to work for.
Ghost that was one fine comment.
"There was a day that you worked from the bottom up and learned that sometimes hard work was its own reward.Now it seems that people want to be the manager of the firm before before they even know what business the company does,and that attitude is part of whats wrong."
Profound comment. That is exactly what they instruct in MBA 101(that's Management By Accident 101). The professors seem to feel that you do not need to know anything about what you are managing in order to manage it. All that is required is the ability to manage a spreadsheet!
Back to your comment; you are correct in stating that everyone wants to manage. However, I would venture that most people are not qualified. People skills are required. Notice how so few managers possess people skills? Human resources now do managements "dirty" work. Must be nice not to have to destroy a family to their faces!
I think that to a certain extent we have become a nation of "spoiled brats". But when the CEO's are paid 400X's what the guy on the factory floor is getting paid and the CEO hasn't the slightest idea of what it takes to make the product, the workers have a right to be angry when the guy at the top deploys his golden parachute while everyone else is left to fend for themselves.
"Or do you just try to aid the Neocons in their destruction of the principles and foundations of America by covering for them, by blaming the ignorant for getting sucked into the toys and distractions the corporations offer?"
Typical response. This falls in line with questions such as: Are you still beating your wife?
Yes, I have lived in poor areas, worked at minimum wage jobs, and it doesn't matter whether it is the deep south, Dtroit, or any other region in the country. Poor is poor.
Get off of the soapbox, please. You sound like you are running for office. Gimme a break.
"To prevent the average American from cutting into corporate ill gotten gains with law.
To prevent us from stopping wars of attrition and greed with reason.
To look at the obvious pattern and the same names appearing for decades when Democracy is eroded or destroyed AND DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT."
Cry me a river, build a bridge, and get over it...
have you ever gotten a positive vote?
What, are you trying to imitate Morton Downey Jr.??
you had me up till the last comment..
you are 100% right about all the many but not all people with financial problems today dug their own hole... ..
but if you think this does not or will not have an adverse effect on you.. you are dreaming..
TOD-
It's not that simple. Back in the day someone could graduate high school and get a good job in a factory, buy a house and support a family with the one job.
Now both parents need to work. Now gains in productivity aren't being shared with the workers. Corrected incomes have been almost flat for 30 years. Savings are non-existent. Kids graduate with more loans than ever before. What made us great, manufacturing, is DOA. The number of hungry Americans and those living in poverty is increasing. The number of kids that live longer and longer with their parents is increasing. Private pensions have disappeared. The hours we work increase and the time away decreases.
Economic opportunity ain't what it once was.
Don't get distracted by the bread and circus.
Check out these articles:
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/03/business/your...
http://www.alternet.org/workplace/63031/
http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/news/releases/child_...
Walden I think you have it right.
This is a great post walden. I think you have it nailed. Once disparities start opening up in a developed economy, they're almost impossible to turn around. An increasingly large slice of the pie is being shared among a smaller and smaller segment of the population.
(And when the commander-in-chief himself says openly that the people he likes are the "haves and have-mores" the trend is further strengthened).
Ranch and Blinkers-
I saw this article too, "Income inequality grew significantly in 2005, with the top 1 percent of Americans â;; those with incomes that year of more than $348,000 â;; receiving their largest share of national income since 1928, analysis of newly released tax data shows."
http://www.starnewsonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/art...
That's just not good for social stability.
I wish we could get your comments over to a national Democratic platform member. These comments are precisely what has been sinking the greatest asset to the concept of capitalism and democracy. (the middle class)
"I come across people every day who sit in a chair and complain about everything from the cost of the Starbuck's coffee on thier desk, to how much gas they had to put in the Escalade yesterday."
--If you "come across" them, fine but if you seek them out, I'd be worried. In fact, I often come across people who, based on their limited experiences with an irresponsible friend, neighbor or family member, will generalize about all people who are poor or fall on hard times. More disturbing is that these same people seem perfectly willing to discount the benefits many wealthy people have which weren't based on their skills, education, or frugality.
Excellent comments. It's hard not to generalize.
Ever hear of the Four Agreements?
1. Always do your best.
2. Be impeccable with your word.
3. Don't make assumptions.
4. Don't take anything personally.
It's a battle everyday.
http://www.miguelruiz.com/fouragreements.html
Go back to sleep until you have somthing of substance to discuss!
There was a guy on New York City radio - same station as Rush Limburger - he spoke the same as you Tod - but he got his job through nepotism - his name is John Gambling - his father & grandfather & he were fixtures on radio for 83 years - on Feb 29 th he got fired with no warning - hahaha sometimes the holier than thou fall
You and Marie Antoinette have a lot in common,
walden3:
I've had that medical crisis and paid for by selling our home to pay the bills. Now there are some out there who will say big deal. No it is no big deal. But we as a nation have started to fall from the being a nation of midde class workers. We are becoming the nation of the wealthy and those who just get by.
I'm not talking about the nimrods' who are to caught up in status symbols to live within their means. I'm talking about the hard working people who had their futures shipped to other countries for the profit of the CEO's and the elitists.
I do not begrudge a person their wealth, but when their wealth exceeds what they really need and they allow others to suffer and die for their wealth. Well that is sick beyond reason. Money is never more important than human beings. But it seems like it has become such to many.
So how much profit is a human life worth anyway?
I'm sure I'll be called a socialist, or worse, for what I'm about to write, but it's been my belief that-
Education based on ability and medical care based on need. To me that's the most basic social compact that a so-called civilized society should have with the governed.
That's right walden3. And you know that as soon as the word "socialism" is raised in America, the word "communist" is not going to be too far behind, and THAT equals "enemy" for sure. It's very difficult to move on from that point.
The Czecs were moving in an interesting direction in 1968 {"Socialism with a human face") before the jackboots of communism snuffed out the Prague Spring.
I have always felt as you do cowboy.If a person makes their money through hard work,ingenuity,and just plain smarts,i applaud them.But when that wealth becomes obscene and isn't used to help those that put those people in the lifestyle they have,then that is wrong.Does anyone need billions of dollars to pay the electric bill when others that work can't pay for medical care?
You have just described the "ASIAN" approach to life. Throughout Asia there is little regard for any life. Human or otherwise. That region or the world is where our economy has gone. Asian nations do not care about the rest of the world. Their "golden rule" is: Do unto others BEFORE they do unto you!
That rule is fast becoming the norm here as well. I hope it is by necessity rather than because people are becoming hardened toward their fellow humans.
wow, how unbelievably stupid can anyone be? here's a geography lesson for you. asia is the world's largest continent. when you talk about asia you're talking about most of the world's population. asia is so unbelievably huge, incredibily populated and remarkably diverse that as a continent it stretches from japan in the east to israel --- yes, israel is also part of asia -- in the west. it also includes russia -- yes, russia -- in the north. it also includes the middle east and india. besides, from what i know of "asians" -- and this includes chinese, japanese, fillipino, malay, thai, indian, indonesian, vietnamese and a few others only -- is that most of them believe strongly in family and traditions and that belief means they all pitch in and help each other out. from what i know of "asians" you couldn't be more wrong. do you have any asian nations in mind when you spew such hatred or are you just going to damn them all? or is it a skin color thing? hmmm?
Or more than one medical crisis removed from bankruptcy?>>>>
This is my fear. I did what was prudent to save for retirement, but medical costs could wipe me out, despite medical coverage. And I put my cash into FDIC insured CD's, which are now losing money with inflation and the low rate of interest they're generating as income. The banks are being saved with the low interest rates from printing worthless money, & those who saved their money are thrown under the bus.
jordan11, I know some middle aged and elderly Americans living here (in Japan), who would've gone home years ago, but feared the scenario you describe. Japan has a fairly low-cost and comprehensive medical system which all can buy into, with Western levels of health care. The security that brings is a strong reason for some to remain expatriates.
The health issue is surely going to loom larger and larger
in the years ahead.
"An honest days for for an honest days pay"
This was the social montra in the 50's but is completely gone today. Greedy businessmen and a corrupt government helping them have killed this notion.
Dumbyanomics isn't anything new. Look at the end of the Bush The Elder's administration and you'll see the same things that are going on now (though it's definitely more dire this time): oil through the roof (a Bush crime family mainstay); stock market meltdown; housing market implosion; financial bailouts off the taxpayer's backs and the raiding of the US Treasury for the enrichment of cronies.
Trillions of dollars are missing from the Pentagon's budget. You might think that in a sane world this would be a news item - especially when the economy is flopping around. No way. Today there is only amnesia. There is no more fiscal responsibility from this Repugnant regime than there is from Congress.
Americans are only tax livestock. Dumb beasts fed a diet of bs about free markets by command economists.
Now we're going to see hyper-stagflation. A long, deep and painful recession, exacerbated by Bushco's wars for oil.
I disagree. We are headed for a depression that will make the great depression look like a picnic.
I don't feel that Bush Sr. did a bad job. Considering the mess he inherited, I feel he did a superior job.
You must realize that we had a massive debt, and deficit spending was out of control when he took office. However, when he left office, the debt had not increased.
You're like that beast I'm talking about. Bush Sr followed Reagan, remember? Reagan outspent every administration that preceeded his COMBINED. Remember the $600 toilet seats?
There is so much missing money stolen by this crime family - with no accountibility - it defies any rational explanation. We saw with Iran Contra the rise of shadowy mercenary forces with their own airforce, own navy and own armies and Bush The Elder was at its center - not least of which was air dropping cocaine into the US (Mena, Arkansas, actually, with Bill Clinton as his partner) to raise $ off the books for rightwing Central American deathsquads.
It's always the same story with the Bush's - looting the middle class for their parasitic enrichment.
What do you think happened to those mercenary forces described during the Iran Contra hearings? Wasn't Bush cousin Wirt Walker CEO of the company in charge of security at the WTC right before 9/11? Wasn't Bush brother, Marvin a principle at that company?
Iran Contra took place under the Reagan administration.
Reagan, not Bush was funding the Contras.
When Bush took office, his mess was the invasion of Kuwait by Sadam. We had to go in and run Sadam back out of Kuwait. At that time, oil shot up, it hurt the economy, and everyone blamed Bush.
Obviously, you either are too young to recall the details, or you were high when this all took place.
Bush the Elder wasn't just VP, he Chaired the National Security Council and he was CIA Director Bill Casey's immediate superior. They were running a shadow government, in case you've forgotten - with Reagan claiming he was outc of the loop. Documents were shredded 'round the clock by Ollie North under the supervision of Atty General Ed Meese - and that's how Bush The Elder wound up in the White House instead of a prison cell.
Then he had to go after Noriega to bury his Iran-Contra cocaine connection.
Two years ago Dumbya's daughter Jenna closed a deal on a huge tract of land in Paraguay while she was supposedly working there for a few days with Unicef. The land has airstrips large enough to accomodate military transport jets.
This is a crime family with unparalleled wealth and resources where treason is just a way of life going back to Prescott Bush.
Sorry, I blame Reagan for the reagan administration. He was aware of everything that went on, and allowed it to happen.
If you want to blame the ones lower on the food chain, go ahead, but I will always blame Reagan.
The man, (like the pres we now have) should have been executed!
On the contrary, I don't think Reagan had a clue what was going on. i also suspect that Bush the Elder may have been involved somehow in the attempt on Reagan's life. It's a known fact that the Bush's and the Hinckley's were close friends. As a matter of fact, Dumbya's brother Neil had a dinner date with John Hinckley's brother the day after the assassination attempt.
There is prima facie evidence that Bush the Elder was at the crime scene at the exact time of the Kennedy assassination in Dallas. There are even pictures of him standing outside of the Texas Schoolbook Repository. There is also mention of him as a CIA agent in a letter by J. Edgar Hoover. Other CIA principles who were involved in that hit were given high level jobs in the current Bush regime - like Porter Goss, who was appointed to head the CIA.
The Bush's don't twice about assassination. They are like American version of the Borgia family. Presidents are no exception.
Twistoflex you are absolutely correct about the Bush crime family. The Elder along with Joseph Kennedy Sr. and a small circle of others were instrumental in taking JFK out. JFK was about to change the system, which those who truly held power, could not allow.
Keep posting the truth Twistoflex. I don't know who you are, but you're the only one on these boards who really understands what the real deal is. Sadly.
Mexicans get in state college tuition, out of state students don't. Illegals get free medical, we don't. The illegals are becoming the new middle class.
I'm not bitter, I came from a dirt poor family. My first 10 years I was raised in a converted chicken coop. I went on to owning a company that did millions.
Half the people voted for Bush because of some swift boaters. Those people suffering, ask me if I care... their stupidy bought us all a ticket to BUSH HELL!!