This Country Is Tearing Apart At The Very Seams

[basquebromance]

Bernie is a formidable opponent for Trump. Biden is not!

 

[Dragonlady]

The Democrats are NOT fighting against higher wages for workers.

You're right- they are demanding wages that reduce profits and increase costs artificially. Artificially is the key.
We live in an artificial economy with artificial currency which began under a Democrat (wilson 1913) and has been exploited by both sides which is what happens with an artificial economy- neither side has done anything other than expand the artificial currency debt expanding the real enslavement of citizens, themselves included, to a central bank.

The "artificial cost reduction" is the "earned income credits", "food stamps", Section 8 vouchers, and other income supports being provided to low income working Americans through government programs. These programs are being paid for by the middle class, so as far as Republicans go, this is the best thing possible: They get to screw over the middle class in favour of the shareholder class, and blame it on the poor.

In reality, the wealthiest, most profitable corporations in America are having their low wage workforce subsidized by the taxpaying middle class. In 2014, it is estimated the government benefit programs, including Medicaid, Food Stamps, and earned income credits, paid out $9 billion dollars to Walmart employees, while Walmart was bragging about having the second highest profits in America. Had Walmart given their employees a $100 a week raise: that's $2.50 an hour above minimum wage, Walmart would still have been in the top 10 of the most profitable companies in America, and the taxpayers wouldn't have been out of pocket at all.

Walmart would have written that $2.50 per hour off as a business expense and reduced their income tax payable on their profits by 35% of that amount so that in reality, the corporation would only be out of pocket $1.63 of that $2.50, since the rest would have been paid in taxes anyway.

Consider that every dollar of aid being paid out to those receiving "earned income credits", "food stamps", etc., has to first be collected from the taxpayers, and then apportioned to those who qualify, and then paid out to them, so that even in efficient scenarios, at the very least, every $1 of assistance costs the taxpayers at least $1.15, and that's assuming only a 15% administration fee for these programs. Wouldn't it make more sense to have the employers pay their employees a living wage directly and eliminate all of these wage based income support programs, and the taxes necessary to fund and administer them?

 

[Gdjjr]

Costs for goods and services have been artificially raised for decades. Very little has been passed on to employees since wages have been flat since 1975.

Yes they have- wages always are at the bottom of the pile. That's life. Artificially increasing an artificial wage is still artificial.
Artificial ain't real. Life is. Artificial begets artificial. Demanding more artificial exacerbates a situation which could be controlled by free markets which are influenced by consumers (wage earners) not determined by someone with no skin in the market. Wages will still be at the bottom of the pile, but, supply and demand will determine wages and profits not a centrally controlled arbiter of artificial.
Anything and I do mean anything given can be taken. If it's earned there will be more of a fight to keep it. If gov't gives it you can bet the cost will be much higher sooner rather than later. Besides that, I don't recall seeing that power enumerated in the constitution- a power, btw, granted, not earned and can be rescinded at any time.

 

[gipper]

I have to admit I have an obsession. It gnaws at me. I am frequently preoccupied with it, searching for a solution to this puzzle only to be disappointed and frustrated.

How did this country get to the fractured, broken place that we currently find ourselves in?

I know part of the answer to that question involves Trump, but it’s far more than just that. It’s much deeper and has been in the works for much longer than the political prominence of Donald J. It goes back decades. It’s the legacy of toxic nativism, hateful racism, know-nothingism and general selfish assholishness. There is a strain of person in this country that are frankly dumber than a stump and arrogant about it. Removing Trump either by a vote in the Senate or during the election won’t remove these people, they’re with us to stay.

And that’s a problem, a big problem.


This country is tearing apart at the very seams

It’s the legacy of toxic nativism, hateful racism, know-nothingism and general selfish assholishness.

that's pretty much it in a nutshell. Good article.

Trump has nothing to do with it. Our nation is divided because the Oligarchy that runs everything from the government to the media to academia, wants us divided. The billionaires run the show along with a bunch of psychopathic neocons.

If the people were united, these jackasses know their toast.

^^^ THIS. They want us divided. It’s all about distracting people from what’s really happening by keeping us busy fighting each other. Divide and conquer.

What's really happening is that corporate America, Republicans, and tRump are throwing the American Worker under the bus.

Hopefully you also see that after 8 years of the “black mascot for Wall Street,” the D party is doing the same thing.

The Democrats are NOT fighting against higher wages for workers.

Doesn’t matter. They won’t do anything. Both parties are nearly identical. Owned by the 1%.

 

[Mac-7]

I cant quite tell where you are going with that so I will just summarize my own position

I took two words and expanded on them. I'm not sure how much cleared I can be. It comes down to education and I can expand that further where I was trying to be succinct.

in America opportunity exists for everyone who is willing to take advantage of it

I don't like using personal anecdotes but I'll make an exception here: When I was in my early teens my Mother told me I could be anything I wanted. The problem with that is multi faceted. The main problem, though, I had no idea what that meant. Anything, especially to a kid, is pretty ambiguous and the smaller his environment the more ambiguous it becomes. I have very few regrets in life and I like me as well as anyone can like themselves- however, had I known today what I know now I would have taken a different path. I would have really enjoyed being an anthropologist or an archeologist working in the southwestern part of the country from the desert of west Texas to the plains north of there all the way to the Canadian border over to Idaho and south into southern Az. but I had no idea that kind of life even existed.

Fast forward to you use of the word opportunity. That's pretty ambiguous to a youngster and with no example from authority figures or no one to define it for them or teach them what it means they have very few clues- the smaller the environment the fewer the examples and those taken advantage of fill the place of an authority figure with something less than desirable.

if black people are not succeeding its because of mistakes in their own lives rather than some grand conspiracy against them

Ok- see above. Small environments render fewer opportunities. Is it a grand conspiracy? No, that denotes some covert or under handed attempt to do whatever and is usually used in a derogatory manner. It is, however, blatantly obvious that proper education is lacking. Reading, writing and arithmetic are all that is necessary to improve one's lot on life. I used the word proper because when there is evidence that kids entering college need remedial reading and math it's pretty obvious their prior education failed- miserably.

If you are complaining about the poor quality of our k-12 education system I totally agree

but its bad for kids of all races unless they have strong families, ideally with two parents, who can get an education in spite of the lousy schools

granted there are more fatherless black kids than other races so that puts them at a disadvantage

but I am not responsible for that and cant solve the problem for them

 

[Mac-7]

Trump has nothing to do with it. Our nation is divided because the Oligarchy that runs everything from the government to the media to academia, wants us divided. The billionaires run the show along with a bunch of psychopathic neocons.

If the people were united, these jackasses know their toast.

^^^ THIS. They want us divided. It’s all about distracting people from what’s really happening by keeping us busy fighting each other. Divide and conquer.

What's really happening is that corporate America, Republicans, and tRump are throwing the American Worker under the bus.

Hopefully you also see that after 8 years of the “black mascot for Wall Street,” the D party is doing the same thing.

The Democrats are NOT fighting against higher wages for workers.

Doesn’t matter. They won’t do anything. Both parties are nearly identical. Owned by the 1%.

I beg to differ

there is a vast difference between base voters in the democrat and republican party

for the GOP that does not always translate into better elected representatives in congress

but on balance the gop is still better than the dems

 

[buttercup]

^^^ THIS. They want us divided. It’s all about distracting people from what’s really happening by keeping us busy fighting each other. Divide and conquer.

What's really happening is that corporate America, Republicans, and tRump are throwing the American Worker under the bus.

Hopefully you also see that after 8 years of the “black mascot for Wall Street,” the D party is doing the same thing.

The Democrats are NOT fighting against higher wages for workers.

Doesn’t matter. They won’t do anything. Both parties are nearly identical. Owned by the 1%.

I beg to differ

there is a vast difference between base voters in the democrat and republican party

for the GOP that does not always translate into better elected representatives in congress

but on balance the gop is still better than the dems

I'm pretty sure he wasn't talking about the voters.

 

[Gdjjr]

but I am not responsible for that and cant solve the problem for them

I don't remember saying you were responsible- the problem is systemic and that can be solved and everyone benefits.

 

[Mac-7]

How did this country get to the fractured, broken place that we currently find ourselves in?

I know part of the answer to that question involves Trump, but it’s far more than just that. It’s much deeper and has been in the works for much longer than the political prominence of Donald J. It goes back decades. It’s the legacy of toxic nativism, hateful racism, know-nothingism and general selfish assholishness. There is a strain of person in this country that are frankly dumber than a stump and arrogant about it. Removing Trump either by a vote in the Senate or during the election won’t remove these people, they’re with us to stay.

And that’s a problem, a big problem.


This country is tearing apart at the very seams

It’s the legacy of toxic nativism, hateful racism, know-nothingism and general selfish assholishness.

that's pretty much it in a nutshell. Good article.

The answer involves trump only to the extent that liberals cant accept the fact that they lost the 2016 election and now they will not get their way

its as simple as that

The American Worker lost in 2016.

You are entitled to your opinion but I strongly disagree

 

[miketx]

I have to admit I have an obsession. It gnaws at me. I am frequently preoccupied with it, searching for a solution to this puzzle only to be disappointed and frustrated.

How did this country get to the fractured, broken place that we currently find ourselves in?

I know part of the answer to that question involves Trump, but it’s far more than just that. It’s much deeper and has been in the works for much longer than the political prominence of Donald J. It goes back decades. It’s the legacy of toxic nativism, hateful racism, know-nothingism and general selfish assholishness. There is a strain of person in this country that are frankly dumber than a stump and arrogant about it. Removing Trump either by a vote in the Senate or during the election won’t remove these people, they’re with us to stay.

And that’s a problem, a big problem.


This country is tearing apart at the very seams

It’s the legacy of toxic nativism, hateful racism, know-nothingism and general selfish assholishness.

that's pretty much it in a nutshell. Good article.

All lian at the feet of scum progs. Progressive, faggot, tranny, pedophile, racist, American hating scum is what they are.

 

[Mac-7]

but I am not responsible for that and cant solve the problem for them

I don't remember saying you were responsible- the problem is systemic and that can be solved and everyone benefits.

How can it be solved?

 

[Gdjjr]

but on balance the gop is still better than the dems

Doesn't that depend which side of the equation you're on? And I despise BOTH Party's keep that in mind.

 

[Mac-7]

but on balance the gop is still better than the dems

Doesn't that depend which side of the equation you're on? And I despise BOTH Party's keep that in mind.

I can see the difference even if you cant

 

[SAYIT]

^^^ THIS. They want us divided. It’s all about distracting people from what’s really happening by keeping us busy fighting each other. Divide and conquer.

What's really happening is that corporate America, Republicans, and tRump are throwing the American Worker under the bus.

Hopefully you also see that after 8 years of the “black mascot for Wall Street,” the D party is doing the same thing.

The Democrats are NOT fighting against higher wages for workers.

Doesn’t matter. They won’t do anything. Both parties are nearly identical. Owned by the 1%.

I beg to differ

there is a vast difference between base voters in the democrat and republican party

for the GOP that does not always translate into better elected representatives in congress

but on balance the gop is still better than the dems

This independent did not leave the Dems ... they left me (and I'm not alone).

 

[basquebromance]

in a world run by a cabal of crony capitalists obsessed with quarterly returns and share prices. The result is an alienated working class ready to explode.

 

[Gdjjr]

How can it be solved?

One person at a time as with anything- it's not for me or another to tell you how to do anything. It's up to the Individual.
I do my best to keep my kids informed so they'll inform their kids- things like that work exponentially and I guarantee it will not be solved over night or by writing another stupid rule or regulation.

 

[basquebromance]

my friends, we need a renewed spirit of nationalism to combat the pervasive sense of hopelessness and anger in America today: People begin to feel that the injustices in American society are the whole and there is no hope of redemption. They get the urge to burn everything down.

 

[gipper]

^^^ THIS. They want us divided. It’s all about distracting people from what’s really happening by keeping us busy fighting each other. Divide and conquer.

What's really happening is that corporate America, Republicans, and tRump are throwing the American Worker under the bus.

Hopefully you also see that after 8 years of the “black mascot for Wall Street,” the D party is doing the same thing.

The Democrats are NOT fighting against higher wages for workers.

Doesn’t matter. They won’t do anything. Both parties are nearly identical. Owned by the 1%.

I beg to differ

there is a vast difference between base voters in the democrat and republican party

for the GOP that does not always translate into better elected representatives in congress

but on balance the gop is still better than the dems

Both suck major and equally. Thinking one is better than the other, just divides us over nothing. Time for both parties to disappear.

 

[Mac-7]

How can it be solved?

One person at a time as with anything- it's not for me or another to tell you how to do anything. It's up to the Individual.
I do my best to keep my kids informed so they'll inform their kids- things like that work exponentially and I guarantee it will not be solved over night or by writing another stupid rule or regulation.

Our conversation began with your response to my response to IM2 who seems to believe that whites are responsible for the unfortunate condition of so many blacks

which I strongly disagree with

 

[Mac-7]

What's really happening is that corporate America, Republicans, and tRump are throwing the American Worker under the bus.

Hopefully you also see that after 8 years of the “black mascot for Wall Street,” the D party is doing the same thing.

The Democrats are NOT fighting against higher wages for workers.

Doesn’t matter. They won’t do anything. Both parties are nearly identical. Owned by the 1%.

I beg to differ

there is a vast difference between base voters in the democrat and republican party

for the GOP that does not always translate into better elected representatives in congress

but on balance the gop is still better than the dems

Both suck major and equally. Thinking one is better than the other, just divides us over nothing. Time for both parties to disappear.

The democrat party is steadily being taken over by socialists/communists

I think that is a vast difference from republicans