Canadian middle class passes American- Thanks Reaganism...

[Missouri_Mike]

Canucks aren't greed heads like Yanks. Plain & simple.

Then why is it Americans are still the world leaders in donations?

 

[Listening]

STUPID, GOOD ONLY FOR THE GREEDY IDIOT RICH, TAX RATES AND IDIOTIC REAGAN POLICIES LIVE ON. AND MAINLY THEIR BS PROPAGANDA MACHINE that produce these zombie like arguments. Is Buffett envious of the rich? Or does he want the best for the country? Bvvvvv....

The OP was actually good enough to make me think your sister did it for you.

You nornally don't say anything worth crapp.

But it now appears you are back in good form.

 

[francoHFW]

141-What does that even mean? lol
Oh, OK. Charity. Because of great write-offs and big church goers, Mormons etc-Maybe because we lead the modern world in poor people, homeless. And the charitable aren't the greedy idiot megarich Pubs/thieves.... Of course, we're the worst at foreign aid per capiita.

 

[Avatar4321]

When are you guys going to stop giving into the false divisions of class.

 

[Interpol]

Every country "redistributes the wealth". The article says that is the reason why Canadian and European middle-class people are doing better than American middle-classers.

But America redistributes the wealth as well, only it takes from the bottom and middle and gives generously to the top. It's the reason why there are great number of people like Mitt Romney pay 13% in taxes and why you, dear reader, tend to pay twice that amount. You're paying for the amazing benefits that go to Mitt Romney, who then sends your job overseas.

So much for trickle-down economics, the worst systematic crime on the average worker in America in the last 30 years.

 

[Toro]

One reason is because of the enormous commodities boom that Canada has enjoyed, far greater than in the US. De-industrialization was happening in Canada in the same way as it was in the US, though perhaps not quite as fast, but commodities prices soaring helped cushion that blow, at least nationally in aggregate. My guess is that if one dis-aggregated the data, you would find the middle class soaring in Western Canada, stagnating or up a little in Ontario and Quebec, and up a bit more in the Maritimes, which was depressed a decade ago but discoveries of offshore energy sources has lifted the region.

 

[Toro]

Every country "redistributes the wealth". The article says that is the reason why Canadian and European middle-class people are doing better than American middle-classers.

But America redistributes the wealth as well, only it takes from the bottom and middle and gives generously to the top. It's the reason why there are great number of people like Mitt Romney pay 13% in taxes and why you, dear reader, tend to pay twice that amount. You're paying for the amazing benefits that go to Mitt Romney, who then sends your job overseas.

So much for trickle-down economics, the worst systematic crime on the average worker in America in the last 30 years.

That's a nice myth that plays well to the Naomi Klein crowd, but it is false. Yes, you can find anecdotes like Mitt Romney, but the US tax system is quite progressive. Generally, the more money you make, the more taxes you pay. The lowest 47% pay no income taxes, for example. The highest marginal income tax rate in California is 57%. In Alberta, its in the low-40s. Also, nearly half of all healthcare spending in the US is by government compared to ~75% in Canada. It's true that the welfare state isn't as big in the US as it is in Canada and W Europe, but it certainly exists.

 

[zeke]

Class envy troll thread...

Well somebody has been holding down wage growth for middle class over three decades and that's despite record productivity.
It seems there is an ideology who could give a shit about the middle class. The middle class has every right to be pissed and it isn't class envy!
It seems just about every economist agrees, the middle class has severely been weakened.

If the cost of living does not increase, wages do not need to increase.

Increased productivity is due to technological advances, developed and paid for by companies. Productivity, based on actual, physical human effort is probably down, because more breaks during working hours and more vacations.

Every time I was pissed with my employer, I looked for and found another employer, gave my two weeks notice and quit. Eventually I found the company where I worked for almost 38 years, with mutual satisfaction.

There were times when I felt that I was passed over for a raise or promotion, but I always realized that sometimes we don't get what we want.

A never resented or envied those who got ahead of me on the promotional ladder or on the pay scale, because there were others whom I passed the same way I was passed.

And mainly because I am not a liberal and live and always have lived in the real world.

I am pretty much middle class and quite comfortable with my well earned retirement and in spite of the occasional set back in my life I don't feel that I have been weakened in any way.

And you think that the number of available, good paying jobs today is the same as it was 38 years ago?

Are you fucking kidding me or what?

 

[kiwiman127]

Liberals act so shocked now that they find out their policies aren't helping the middle class. Wealth redistribution is a failure.

Since 2000, the US median income has increased just 0.3, where as in the UK the growth is 19.7, 19.7 in Canada, Ireland 16.2, Netherlands 13.9, Spain 4.1 and Germany 1.4. *
I don't think liberal policies were exclusively used from 2000-2014. Correct?
What wealth redistribution? As the middle class is clearly weakened and have lost wealth, the top percentiles have increased their wealth.
So you're right, wealth going upwards while the middle class flounders is a disaster.
The real problem has been flat wage growth during an era of record productivity. Who determines wage increases? Who shipped jobs offshore to sweatshops? Who replaced workers with automation? Who bebfits from keeping wages low and flat?
You folks are barking up the wrong tree. Maybe some folks should do some research from a vast resources?

* http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/23/u...le-class-is-no-longer-the-worlds-richest.html

That is a classic deflection. Liberals have been in control of one or either house for latter half of the 2000's and now have a president whose been in office for 6 years. From 2006 to 2010 they held the house and the senate. From 2006 to present, they have been in control of the Senate. From 2008 to present, they have controlled the White House. They have been in control for long enough to pass policies and enact presidential decrees which would affect the median income in the US. Is this another "it's Bush's fault" I see coming on?

Moreover, who passes the business regulations? Government. Overregulation has forced many businesses to outsource their jobs overseas. As for your so-called "research," it is no match for common sense.

The liberals took control in 2007 and were out in 2011, That's not quite half is it?
At least I'm trying to look at this in a none partisan manner. At least I'm a realist and know it was both parties in control from 2000-2014. Actually wages have been flat for over 30 years and with several different presidents and congresses representing both parties..
Also please note that I also look at the businesses who started offshoring jobs, held wages flat and opted to go with automation. I asked, who benefitted from the flat wages?
Blaming one party or one president isn't living in reality. Also not blaming business and greed is also ignoring reality.
Not everything is this world has to be partisan and that's reality.

 

[Meathead]

It's pretty moronic going back 25 years to find a scapegoat when we've had a perfectly incompetent one the last six.

Reagan, my ass!

 

[hangover]

The cons on this forum are either 1%ers, or as dumb as the GOP wants them to be. They vote to make their children peasants unless they're in the 1%.

 

[Avatar4321]

It's pretty moronic going back 25 years to find a scapegoat when we've had a perfectly incompetent one the last six.

Reagan, my ass!

Well, they cant admit that they have the power or else they would have to take responsibility for their actions. They seriously believe that it's all the Republican's fault. The ones out of power.

 

[Avatar4321]

The cons on this forum are either 1%ers, or as dumb as the GOP wants them to be. They vote to make their children peasants unless they're in the 1%.

And yet this so called middle class is disappearing under a Democrat administration.

 

[Iceweasel]

The liberals took control in 2007 and were out in 2011, That's not quite half is it?
At least I'm trying to look at this in a none partisan manner. At least I'm a realist and know it was both parties in control from 2000-2014. Actually wages have been flat for over 30 years and with several different presidents and congresses representing both parties..
Also please note that I also look at the businesses who started offshoring jobs, held wages flat and opted to go with automation. I asked, who benefitted from the flat wages?
Blaming one party or one president isn't living in reality. Also not blaming business and greed is also ignoring reality.
Not everything is this world has to be partisan and that's reality.

You are being highly partisan. The House of Representatives can't pass budgets into law, they submit them to the Senate for approval. The Republicans held the Senate for two years, thanks to Jeffords' party and affiliation change.

Wages are flat because the economy sucks. You don't need an advanced economic degree to understand why that would happen. Most business are not mega corporations and are struggling like most everyone else. Corporations go offshore for a few main reasons. Lower tax rates, lower wages and better access to foreign markets. Who wants to stay here and pay a 35% tax rate? Simply blaming it on corporate greed is just simple political sloganeering and overlooks the problem and solution.

 

[kiwiman127]

This has been going on since the late 1970's.
In 1979 the hourly wage for a non supervisory position was 18.31, in Real Dollars (constant 2011 dollars). *
In 2012, the same position paid 19.47 again in Real Dollars (constant 2011 dollars).
That equals out to a 6% increase in wages from 1979 to 2012.
Since 1979, we have had 16 years of Democrats as presidents and 20 years of GOP rule in the White House. In Congress we have had 16 years of GOP rule and 20 years of Dem rule.
Profits do not show business struggling. And one of the big reasons our economy is weak at best is due to lack of consumer spending. The Middle Class is the biggest demographic of the consumer class. That segment has seen flat wage growth since the late 70s, which equates to less extendible income to contribute to the economy. I'm sure we all know that over 70% of our economy is driven by consumer spending.

* http://stateofworkingamerica.org/chart/swa-wages-table-4-3-hourly-weekly-earnings/

 

[Iceweasel]

Wrong.

The State of America’s Middle Class in Eight Charts | Two American Families | FRONTLINE | PBS

 

[aaronleland]

How is this possible? Everybody on the right has told me that Obama is a Communist, and hates rich people. That is until they find it convenient to use his own wealth against him in an argument.

 

[bedowin62]

How is this possible? Everybody on the right has told me that Obama is a Communist, and hates rich people. That is until they find it convenient to use his own wealth against him in an argument.

lol you dimwit; obama is so inept he cant even be a competent Socialist

 

[bedowin62]

lol!1 look at the left-wing nutjobs blaming the "conservative', long dead Reagan the Left loves to remind everybody how he raised taxes 11 times for the falures of obama!

 

[Iceweasel]

How is this possible? Everybody on the right has told me that Obama is a Communist, and hates rich people. That is until they find it convenient to use his own wealth against him in an argument.

Everyone said that? Did anyone actually?