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Even with the better than factory pay I cannot afford a standalone house or a new car. Not without carrying more debt than I am comfortable with. I am not complaining but new products cost relatively much more than they did a couple decades ago. How are enough people, both blue and lower white collar, going to be able to afford mass produced products in the quantity requires to make a return on the investment in a mass production line?
I don't know if all new products are more expensive, but I see your point. Even if they're not as expensive as the past, wages for many, many, have been stagnant for decades. Unless this changes, there will be a tipping point where the average consumer (myself included-I'm as blue collar as they come) won't be able to afford much more than the basics for survival. Should be interesting watching the house of cards collapse.
"As the labor market continues to struggle, one surprising bright spot stands out amid the list of battered industries -- factory jobs. Manufacturing employment began its decline long before the recession, losing jobs every year since 1998. But since the start of this year, there's been a 1.6% gain in manufacturing jobs -- about twice the pace of growth in other private sector jobs.
Even if manufacturing hiring stays flat the rest of this year, the industry is poised to post its biggest percentage gain in jobs since 1994."
Unless this changes, there will be a tipping point where the average consumer (myself included-I'm as blue collar as they come) won't be able to afford much more than the basics for survival. Should be interesting watching the house of cards collapse.
But it won't collapse. You act like you're the only consumer on the Planet. There are 4 Billion people who would love to have 1/100th of what you have, so you are fast becoming irrelevant, just another Swede as we say.
Since you are unable to support yourself, you need the rest of the world to help you. Unfortunately, it will take about 150 years for the rest of the world to catch up so you just happen to be born at the wrong time.
A lot of the pain could have been avoided if the US government had taken a different foreign policy approach and helped countries to develop instead of standing on their backs and stealing their resources. Like they say, what goes around comes around.
"As the labor market continues to struggle, one surprising bright spot stands out amid the list of battered industries -- factory jobs. Manufacturing employment began its decline long before the recession, losing jobs every year since 1998. But since the start of this year, there's been a 1.6% gain in manufacturing jobs -- about twice the pace of growth in other private sector jobs.
Even if manufacturing hiring stays flat the rest of this year, the industry is poised to post its biggest percentage gain in jobs since 1994."
This is certainly a surprise.
If this is true and continues to gain momentum, there is hope for the future. Some gain is better than continued loss. Thanks for posting.
A lot of the pain could have been avoided if the US government had taken a different foreign policy approach and helped countries to develop instead of standing on their backs and stealing their resources. Like they say, what goes around comes around.
This is the by far the best point you've ever made. I would only have added: instead of stealing their resources and perpetrating wars on their people."
Not sure about your comment that the above poster "cannot support himself," however. He sounds like he is, even though he has a blue collar job. All the more power to blue collar workers.
Since you are unable to support yourself, you need the rest of the world to help you. Unfortunately, it will take about 150 years for the rest of the world to catch up so you just happen to be born at the wrong time.
Try as I may, I can't for the life of me understand what you mean. Do you mean "you" as me personally or is it some kind of collective "you"? Either way, I don't get it.
Last edited by vaughanwilliams; 09-28-2010 at 03:22 PM..
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