Why is America so screwed up?

[francoHFW]

After 30 years of Voodoo: worst min. wage, work conditions, illegal work safeguards, vacations, work week, college costs, rich/poor gap, upward social mobility, % homeless and in prison EVAH, and in the modern world!! And you complain about the victims? Are you an idiot or an A-hole?

Blah blah blah......Liberal talking points.

Also known as proven facts, chump of the greedy idio

No, a lot of jobs are pure crap after 30 years of Voodoo. 1969's min wage would be $11 today. People can't live on many jobs, and the nonrich have no money to spend. See #3 and #4:
The Demise of the American Middle Class In Numbers.

Over the past 30 years the American dream has gradually disappeared. The process was slow, so most people didn’t notice. They just worked a few more hours, borrowed a little more and cut back on non-essentials. But looking at the numbers and comparing them over long time periods, it is obvious that things have changed drastically. Here are the details:

1. WORKERS PRODUCE MORE BUT THE GAINS GO TO BUSINESS.

Over the past 63 years worker productivity has grown by 2.0% per year.

But after 1980, workers received a smaller share every year. Labor’s share of income (1992 = 100%):

1950 = 101%
1960 = 105%
1970 = 105%
1980 = 105% – Reagan
1990 = 100%
2000 = 96%
2007 = 92%

A 13% drop since 1980

2. THE TOP 10% GET A LARGER SHARE.

Share of National Income going to Top 10%:

1950 = 35%
1960 = 34%
1970 = 34%
1980 = 34% – Reagan
1990 = 40%
2000 = 47%
2007 = 50%

An increase of 16% since Reagan.

3. WORKERS COMPENSATED FOR THE LOSS OF INCOME BY SPENDING THEIR SAVINGS.

The savings Rose up to Reagan and fell during and after.

1950 = 6.0%
1960 = 7.0%
1970 = 8.5%
1980 = 10.0% – Reagan
1982 = 11.2% – Peak
1990 = 7.0%
2000 = 2.0%
2006 = -1.1% (Negative = withdrawing from savings)

A 12.3% drop after Reagan.

4. WORKERS ALSO BORROWED TO MAKE UP FOR THE LOSS.

Household Debt as percentage of GDP:

1965 = 46%
1970 = 45%
1980 = 50% – Reagan
1990 = 61%
2000 = 69%
2007 = 95%

A 45% increase after 1980.

5. SO THE GAP BETWEEN THE RICHEST AND THE POOREST HAS GROWN.

Gap Between the Share of Capital Income earned by the top 1%
and the bottom 80%:

1980 = 10%
2003 = 56%

A 5.6 times increase.

6. AND THE AMERICAN DREAM IS GONE.

The Probably of Moving Up from the Bottom 40% to the Top 40%:

1945 = 12%
1958 = 6%
1990 = 3%
2000 = 2%

A 10% Decrease.

Links:

1 = ftp://ftp.bls.gov/pub/special.requests/pf/totalf1.txt
1 = https://www.clevelandfed.org/Research/PolicyDis/No7Nov04.pdf
1 = Clipboard01.jpg (image)
2 – Congratulations to Emmanuel Saez
3 = http://www.demos.org/inequality/images/charts/uspersonalsaving_thumb.gif
3 = U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA)
4 = Federated Prudent Bear Fund (A): Overview
4 = FRB: Z.1 Release--Financial Accounts of the United States--December 10, 2015
5/6 = 15 Mind-Blowing Facts About Wealth And Inequality In America

Overview = http://www.ourfuture.org/blog-entry/2010062415/reagan-revolution-home-roost-charts

That's hilarious. I'm not rich, and I'm building another house, which will be my last where I'll retire to. Then I'll sell the rest of them.

How did I manage that? Because I worked for it, and I didn't wait for someone to give me anything.

I had one employee that started on the bottom of the totem pole. She listened, she learned, she busted tail. She's gotten promoted 4 times in 3 years. She bought a house recently, and is off to a good life. I see her once in a while, and I always remember seeing her in the training class. She was different, and she never let anyone else tell her she was a failure because she was starting at the bottom.

There was a lady who worked at McDonalds about 20 years ago. She was working the window, and I'd see her every day as I came through picking up breakfast on the way to work. Today she owns a McDonalds franchise.

For every success there's a 100 failures. But almost all of those who fail do so because they're waiting for someone to give them something for nothing. The government might do that, but the private sector has little patience for it.

The American dream is alive and well, for anyone who won't have morons like you tell them they shouldn't dream it, or try to achieve it. Just takes brains and work. 2 things you're unfamiliar with apparently.

Well that proves all those stats that prove the ruin of the class wrong then, dupe.
After 30 years of Voodoo: worst min. wage, work conditions, illegal work safeguards, vacations, work week, college costs, rich/poor gap, upward social mobility, % homeless and in prison EVAH, and in the modern world!! And you complain about the victims? Are you an idiot or an A-hole?

Yeah...The facts according to the liberal point of view.
When anyone mentions to you the term "personal responsibility" you fly off the handle with anger and vitriol.

They're FACTS any way you look at them. Get more tin foil, dupe. So ignorant.

No...You posted your opinion.

Everything in both those lists is FACT. Google any of them. I'm not anymore. The US Bureau stats are not opinion. Jeeesh.

 

[francoHFW]

Progressives

Most progressives hate free trade and support the unions that built our middle class in the first place. Please learn something.

Dude. Progressives are far left wingers. They are in bed with unions.
And no unions did not build the middle class. The availability of jobs created by business investors, primarily in the manufacturing sector did that.
If anything, a very few people benefitted by unions. As unions grew, businesses relocated to other areas of the country to get away from the the forced union states.
In fact, Congress found it necessary to intervene and passed a law ( Taft -Hartley Act) that barred states from passing laws which compel union membership as a prerequisite for employment and to maintain employed status

When were unions strongest? When was the golden age of the middle class? Now we need Dems help for workers. Un ions and the greatest generation are gone.

 

[Ray From Cleveland]

If you are going to produce people need to be able to buy your production.

Exactly, which is why Americans are buying foreign made products today.

From 2001 to 2008, millions of jobs moved to China and over 40,000 factories were closed. It's difficult to rebuild when the factories themselves were gone. Gone, not there any more. Gone.

■ While the United States enjoyed a positive net inflow of foreign direct investment of more than $40 billion in 2001, direct investment flows deteriorated markedly in the next two years of Bush’s presidency. In 2002, U.S. companies and individuals invested nearly $90 billion more abroad than foreigners invested directly in the United States, and we saw another net outflow in 2003 of nearly $64 billion. And in 2002, more new foreign direct investment flowed into China than into the United States, much of it in manufacturing.

http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1012&context=laborunions

Why would Republicans do that to this country? Why do you think business invest so much heavier in Republicans than Democrats. That information has been posted dozens of times. It can't be denied.

So explain what Republicans did. It was Mitt Romney that stated part of his platform was to get rid of taxation on multinational companies that brought money back to the USA. Democrats would have none of it, so those companies kept their money overseas and still are today.

 

[thereisnospoon]

Half of all American school children are living in poverty.

50 million are on food stamps.

Half of us do not vote.

More than 60 percent of Americans are overweight or obese.

We are trillions of dollars in debt.

We are more divided than ever.

Politics has turned into one big reality show.

The Washington elites don't give a damn.

When will this madness end? Is America the 21st Century equivalent of Rome? How did we get to this point?

When "doing your duty" as a citizen came to mean 2 things; paying your taxes and showing up once every 2 or 4 years to vote in the "big" elections. About 98% of all ordinances that effect your everyday life are passed at the local level. The fees you pay for garbage collection, the tolls you pay on the roads you travel upon, the fares for buses and transit, the number of cops on the street, etc... These elections are the most important and turnout is pathetic. I think it was 9 percent when we elected a mayor last year.

Any partisan bickering is just moronic glossing over the fact that most Americans can't be bothered with paying attention to the minutia.

When will the madness end? When we make a decision....do we want to be the dominant country on the earth or do we want to be around for another few centuries. It's becoming too expensive in both blood and treasure to do both.

I find it interesting you brought up local election participation as a major problem.....
Here's why. Remember that little dust up in Missouri a couple years ago?.....One of the complaints was that a vast majority of the residents were black yet most of the political leadership was either Caucasian or Latino. One news source decided to dig into this a little deeper. it was discovered that black voter turnout over the last decade or so( can't remember what they used) was less than 15%.....And that blacks simply did not show much interest in any political positions.
You also stated that most people could not be bothered with the minutiae....I submit that those who don't pay attention, ignore the important issues as well.

 

[thereisnospoon]

Progressives

Most progressives hate free trade and support the unions that built our middle class in the first place. Please learn something.

Dude. Progressives are far left wingers. They are in bed with unions.
And no unions did not build the middle class. The availability of jobs created by business investors, primarily in the manufacturing sector did that.
If anything, a very few people benefitted by unions. As unions grew, businesses relocated to other areas of the country to get away from the the forced union states.
In fact, Congress found it necessary to intervene and passed a law ( Taft -Hartley Act) that barred states from passing laws which compel union membership as a prerequisite for employment and to maintain employed status

When were unions strongest? When was the golden age of the middle class? Now we need Dems help for workers. Un ions and the greatest generation are gone.

You're the pro union guy. You should know the answer without looking it up.
"Help"? What sort of "help" do you think you are entitled to?
Why must you look to government to solve your perceived problems?

 

[Kosh]

Half of all American school children are living in poverty.

50 million are on food stamps.

Half of us do not vote.

More than 60 percent of Americans are overweight or obese.

We are trillions of dollars in debt.

We are more divided than ever.

Politics has turned into one big reality show.

The Washington elites don't give a damn.

When will this madness end? Is America the 21st Century equivalent of Rome? How did we get to this point?

The far left gained political power in the US, once you get the far left out of power, then we as a nation can start to grow again..

14 million private sector jobs under obama isn't growth? Your austerity crap doesn't make anything grow and that is a fact.

Another far left fail!

 

[thereisnospoon]

Corruption.

correction: libertard CORRUPTION!!

AND cuckservatives.

Brilliant

 

[thereisnospoon]

When will the madness end? When we make a decision....do we want to be the dominant country on the earth or do we want to be around for another few centuries. It's becoming too expensive in both blood and treasure to do both.

No, it's not. What's becoming expensive is the waste of a lot of money on nonsense, and supporting people both here and abroad who contribute nothing to our national well-being, and who in fact bite the hand that feeds them at every opportunity.

Fuck 'em. America first.

So we should deploy our military might more often...is that your argument?

Do you see that in my post somewhere, or did you just pull that out of a Rolodex?

It's an example of liberal deflection. Its part of their play book

 

[Kosh]

Progressives

Most progressives hate free trade and support the unions that built our middle class in the first place. Please learn something.

Another far left drone religious scripture being spouted..

It was the military industrial complex that built America!

 

[thereisnospoon]

Half of all American school children are living in poverty.

50 million are on food stamps.

Half of us do not vote.

More than 60 percent of Americans are overweight or obese.

We are trillions of dollars in debt.

We are more divided than ever.

Politics has turned into one big reality show.

The Washington elites don't give a damn.

When will this madness end? Is America the 21st Century equivalent of Rome? How did we get to this point?

One person is responsible: Lyndon Baines Johnson.
Think about it.

FDR invented the "New Deal"....LBJ doubled down on FDR with the "Great Society" programs. These gave us the entitlement mentality and the mega welfare state we see today

 

[thereisnospoon]

Half of all American school children are living in poverty.

50 million are on food stamps.

Half of us do not vote.

More than 60 percent of Americans are overweight or obese.

We are trillions of dollars in debt.

We are more divided than ever.

Politics has turned into one big reality show.

The Washington elites don't give a damn.

When will this madness end? Is America the 21st Century equivalent of Rome? How did we get to this point?

Many problems but name one country better

i'm not saying you're wrong. but really, have you lived elsewhere?

there are more rational governments than ours.

there are places without the high poverty rate we have.

there are places where children are more educated.

And?
Yes, we could patter our public education system after those in the Pacific Rim, but Americans will have NONE of it.
In Japan and Korea, the school year is a YEAR...There is no two months off from school. Kids go to school 7 to 8 hours per day, 6 days per week. I could only imagine the screaming that would occur if the US were to go to such a system
Students learn in an environment that prepares them for adulthood. Kids are not coddled. Learning and achievement are expectations. Not outstanding.
Asian students are immersed in math and science. And the excel at these subjects.
Asian students are also required to learn trades and skills.
We have poverty here despite the trillions of dollars spent on eliminating poverty.

 

[thereisnospoon]

The decline of unions is a sure sign of decline. Reagan started the anti worker agenda. Its been gaining momentum ever since.

Yeah well that might be the popular version among those on the left but the truth is unions were well into their decline long before PATCO decided to call Reagan's bluff.
PATCO( Professional Air Traffic Controller Organization) was BARRED from taking any job action by federal law. That law existed long before the Reagan Admin.

 

[thereisnospoon]

An adult making $12 an hour.... You cannot call that a job.

The Obama administration makes damned sure that is most definitely, a "job"

 

[thereisnospoon]

Staying in a job that pays $12 an hour can hurt no doubt.

Having a job that pays ZERO is far worse.
And for the record. anyone that does nothing to improve their skillset or education to the point where they can leave that twelve bucks an hour job behind is holding back themselves

 

[Rustic]

Half of all American school children are living in poverty.

50 million are on food stamps.

Half of us do not vote.

More than 60 percent of Americans are overweight or obese.

We are trillions of dollars in debt.

We are more divided than ever.

Politics has turned into one big reality show.

The Washington elites don't give a damn.

When will this madness end? Is America the 21st Century equivalent of Rome? How did we get to this point?

One person is responsible: Lyndon Baines Johnson.
Think about it.

FDR invented the "New Deal"....LBJ doubled down on FDR with the "Great Society" programs. These gave us the entitlement mentality and the mega welfare state we see today

Socialism only works for a short time for dead beats, then other people's money runs out...
That is why our government is a banana republic.

 

[francoHFW]

Progressives

Most progressives hate free trade and support the unions that built our middle class in the first place. Please learn something.

Dude. Progressives are far left wingers. They are in bed with unions.
And no unions did not build the middle class. The availability of jobs created by business investors, primarily in the manufacturing sector did that.
If anything, a very few people benefitted by unions. As unions grew, businesses relocated to other areas of the country to get away from the the forced union states.
In fact, Congress found it necessary to intervene and passed a law ( Taft -Hartley Act) that barred states from passing laws which compel union membership as a prerequisite for employment and to maintain employed status

When were unions strongest? When was the golden age of the middle class? Now we need Dems help for workers. Un ions and the greatest generation are gone.

You're the pro union guy. You should know the answer without looking it up.
"Help"? What sort of "help" do you think you are entitled to?
Why must you look to government to solve your perceived problems?

Cheaper college and training programs, infrastructure bank, legalize and tax it, living wage, tax cuts for the nonrich etc...

 

[francoHFW]

Half of all American school children are living in poverty.

50 million are on food stamps.

Half of us do not vote.

More than 60 percent of Americans are overweight or obese.

We are trillions of dollars in debt.

We are more divided than ever.

Politics has turned into one big reality show.

The Washington elites don't give a damn.

When will this madness end? Is America the 21st Century equivalent of Rome? How did we get to this point?

One person is responsible: Lyndon Baines Johnson.
Think about it.

FDR invented the "New Deal"....LBJ doubled down on FDR with the "Great Society" programs. These gave us the entitlement mentality and the mega welfare state we see today

Socialism only works for a short time for dead beats, then other people's money runs out...
That is why our government is a banana republic.

Exactly wrong- Reaganists seem to WANT a banana republic, it's working great- Our middle class is dying in comparison with other modern countries.
After 30 years of Voodoo: worst min. wage, work conditions, illegal work safeguards, vacations, work week, college costs, rich/poor gap, upward social mobility, % homeless and in prison EVAH, and in the modern world!! And you complain about the victims? Are you an idiot or an A-hole?

 

[francoHFW]

If you are going to produce people need to be able to buy your production.

Exactly, which is why Americans are buying foreign made products today.

From 2001 to 2008, millions of jobs moved to China and over 40,000 factories were closed. It's difficult to rebuild when the factories themselves were gone. Gone, not there any more. Gone.

■ While the United States enjoyed a positive net inflow of foreign direct investment of more than $40 billion in 2001, direct investment flows deteriorated markedly in the next two years of Bush’s presidency. In 2002, U.S. companies and individuals invested nearly $90 billion more abroad than foreigners invested directly in the United States, and we saw another net outflow in 2003 of nearly $64 billion. And in 2002, more new foreign direct investment flowed into China than into the United States, much of it in manufacturing.

http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1012&context=laborunions

Why would Republicans do that to this country? Why do you think business invest so much heavier in Republicans than Democrats. That information has been posted dozens of times. It can't be denied.

So explain what Republicans did. It was Mitt Romney that stated part of his platform was to get rid of taxation on multinational companies that brought money back to the USA. Democrats would have none of it, so those companies kept their money overseas and still are today.

Which would have invited more to outsource...
Link?

 

[thereisnospoon]

If you are a worker that has skills that are in demand, you use those skills as a chip against your employer. Simple economics. Work smarter, not harder. Be on the lookout for better jobs constantly. Make your employer nervous you might walk away at any time.

Wow. Are you out of touch.
That "us vs them" mentality is just one of the issues that has led to the downfall of unions in the US.
The reality is the more suspicious you make your employer, the more apt he or she is to send you packing. Contrary to your view, the more valuable to the company an employee, the more difficult they are to replace..

 

[thereisnospoon]

Half of all American school children are living in poverty.

50 million are on food stamps.

Half of us do not vote.

More than 60 percent of Americans are overweight or obese.

We are trillions of dollars in debt.

We are more divided than ever.

Politics has turned into one big reality show.

The Washington elites don't give a damn.

When will this madness end? Is America the 21st Century equivalent of Rome? How did we get to this point?

One person is responsible: Lyndon Baines Johnson.
Think about it.

FDR invented the "New Deal"....LBJ doubled down on FDR with the "Great Society" programs. These gave us the entitlement mentality and the mega welfare state we see today

Socialism only works for a short time for dead beats, then other people's money runs out...
That is why our government is a banana republic.

Exactly wrong- Reaganists seem to WANT a banana republic, it's working great- Our middle class is dying in comparison with other modern countries.
After 30 years of Voodoo: worst min. wage, work conditions, illegal work safeguards, vacations, work week, college costs, rich/poor gap, upward social mobility, % homeless and in prison EVAH, and in the modern world!! And you complain about the victims? Are you an idiot or an A-hole?

More nonsense.