The Standard of Living for the average Middle Class Person is going down, down, down! (bankrupt, small business)

[Wild Style]

Originally Posted by Simple Living

I long for the return to simpler times when towns and cities weren't open 24/7, but actually closed on Sundays. (Many places on Saturday, too.)

I'd love to see people return to a bartering service so everyone could afford to get what they need. The single mother babysits for credits towards the plumber fixing her toilet, whose earning credits to "pay" for the dental work he needs done so the dentist can earn credits to "pay" for babysitting services so he can take his wife out. Every service is worth a different, but fair, amount of credit, which is stored and used for bartering. I've lived in places where people did this and it was great!

Frankly, after they invented indoor plumbing, they could have just stopped with all inventions right there! We had all we needed with that!

well I don't think we will go back to Sunday being the day places are closed. but we will get to a time when economically, things are more even handed.

[myrc60]

The middle class isn't getting pay raises to keep up with inflation. I haven't had a raise in 4 years for fear of pricing myself out of a job. CEO's walking away with multi-million dollar bonus is outrageous.

Our local news had a segment recently about living to the age of 150; that the medical profession is making it possible. Can you see all the problems this country will have if that happens?

[Simple Living]

What I will never understand is how corporate executives can cut salaries and budgets and downsize and lay-off due to "budget woes" and still get their exorbitant raises and bonuses. Their bonuses alone far exceed what the average worker there makes in a year.

I hate Corporate America with a passion that burns deep within my soul and has the red-hot intensity of 2,000 burning suns.

[Wild Style]

sample

short answer is, we live in America and America's motto is GET MONEY at all cost.

[myrc60]

Originally Posted by Simple Living

What I will never understand is how corporate executives can cut salaries and budgets and downsize and lay-off due to "budget woes" and still get their exorbitant raises and bonuses. Their bonuses alone far exceed what the average worker there makes in a year.

I hate Corporate America with a passion that burns deep within my soul and has the red-hot intensity of 2,000 burning suns.

Actually some of those bonuses far exceed what the average worker makes in 10 years! IMHO

[John23]

Originally Posted by Simple Living

What I will never understand is how corporate executives can cut salaries and budgets and downsize and lay-off due to "budget woes" and still get their exorbitant raises and bonuses. Their bonuses alone far exceed what the average worker there makes in a year.

I hate Corporate America with a passion that burns deep within my soul and has the red-hot intensity of 2,000 burning suns.

I think they stopped being CEO's long ago. Now they're just opportunistic theives, not much different than the guy who walks into a jewelry store and cases the joint. Stealing money in a suit seems to be alot more lucrative!

Why aren't more CEO's brought up on outright thievery charges? What else is it?

How do you walk away with $80 or $100 million when your company loses billions?

What's the difference between that and a 3rd world dictator that steals hundreds of millions from the state treasury while the population in general suffers?

[UpperPeninsulaRon]

Originally Posted by Simple Living

Government misspending and corruption (and being owned by special interest groups) are HUGELY to blame for money woes. Higher taxes is the American public bailing politicians out of the messes THEY'VE made.

What is the meaning of "special interest groups"?

Big oil?

Trial Lawyers?

Insurance companies?

Teacher's unions?

Drug companies?

University grant seekers?

[jimhcom]

America will not recover. When the Corporations began to implement Globalization they began to dissasemble american industries and export them to countries with cheap labor in order to maximise their own profits. They told us that a service based jobs would pay just as well as manufacturing. Of course this was a lie, but there were few out there that were speaking the truth and the ones who were were ignored (ie Ross Perot). Through inflated real estate and cheap borrowed money they were able to keep the economy booming thru the 90's and early 2000's. But it was all a pyramid scheme. There was no real wealth being created, only consumption thru debt. Now it is all falling apart. It is clear now that the Emperor has no clothes. There is no indusrial base to create wealth, there is no population of well educated people to launch us into the high tech arena. Only non growth service sector jobs in which one service is traded for another. We have allowed self serving corporations and a corupt goverment to lead us down a dead end street. In the end we will get what we deserve.

[Buckhead_Broker]

Gloom, despair and agony on me. . Deep, dark depression..excessive misery, If it weren't for bad luck, I'd have no luck at all. .

Jeez, I've never heard such whining in my life! Well, maybe from 3 or 4 year olds.

[myrc60]

Originally Posted by Buckhead_Broker

Jeez, I've never heard such whining in my life! Well, maybe from 3 or 4 year olds.

You work for the rich, maybe you don't belong here?