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I wonder if the notion of a plurality middle-class is NOT the inexorable direction of historical progress, but was instead a happy accident of the 20th century, which was a “golden age” where technology was just mature enough to obviate subsistence farming, but not so mature so as to replace human workers with machines.
Maybe the 20th century really was an anomaly, and the 21st century will be more like the 19th?
Still does not make sense. That was not an expensive house, yet after 24 years of payments she still owed 92K?
I've seen it happen. Early in the show, Terry was saying she was three months behind on the mortgage. This probably happened numerous times in the years that followed. Each time racking up huge interest charges and other fees that were tacked on to the principal. She could very well have owed more at 24 years than she originally borrowed.
A lot of people hang onto their homes with their fingernails. Many times coming up with just enough money to avoid foreclosure.
I know a person that took close to 40 years to pay off a 30 year mortgage.
There were some truly horrendous financial decisions made. The black guy seemed like a genuinely hard working guy, just had bad luck. But I am sure he could have done a lot better if he graduated HS. His wife flunked the real estate exam 9 times before passing on her 10th attempt. Perhaps its not a good idea to open your own firm (financed on credit) if you cant even pass the exam to qualify as a Realtor...
The white husband seemed like a whiner and the marriage was clearly broke regardless of financials. I wouldn't be surprised if there were some substance abuse issues involved back in the day. Not in love with the white woman's attitude either. Defeatist, did not even think her kids could make anything of their lives. She was never anticipating having to work, so I guess she did catch some bad breaks.
Luckily a good % of the kids seem to be doing ok. Made me mad when the Mom said her kids would never be able to afford a good life even though the one is an auto mechanic and the other works as a secretary in a doctors office.
There were some truly horrendous financial decisions made. The black guy seemed like a genuinely hard working guy, just had bad luck. But I am sure he could have done a lot better if he graduated HS. His wife flunked the real estate exam 9 times before passing on her 10th attempt. Perhaps its not a good idea to open your own firm (financed on credit) if you cant even pass the exam to qualify as a Realtor...
The white husband seemed like a whiner and the marriage was clearly broke regardless of financials. I wouldn't be surprised if there were some substance abuse issues involved back in the day. Not in love with the white woman's attitude either. Defeatist, did not even think her kids could make anything of their lives. She was never anticipating having to work, so I guess she did catch some bad breaks.
Luckily a good % of the kids seem to be doing ok. Made me mad when the Mom said her kids would never be able to afford a good life even though the one is an auto mechanic and the other works as a secretary in a doctors office.
Interesting perspective.
I'm sure the black father got his GED at some point. He had to if he was changing jobs every few years. Clearly the white father was very scared and worried about not being able to provide for his family. It can be very heartbreaking for some guys and promotes the development of other issues. Over time, because both were working, they never got to sleep in the same bed anymore. What marriage can survive that?
Of course the white mother wasn't optimistic about her children having better lives. She lived through it only to watch her children having the same problems. I would call her a realist, not a defeatist. The mechanic and secretary were both making around $15 an hour..clearly not enough to raise a family and sock away enough for savings.
I'm sure the black father got his GED at some point. He had to if he was changing jobs every few years. Clearly the white father was very scared and worried about not being able to provide for his family. It can be very heartbreaking for some guys and promotes the development of other issues. Over time, because both were working, they never got to sleep in the same bed anymore. What marriage can survive that?
Of course the white mother wasn't optimistic about her children having better lives. She lived through it only to watch her children having the same problems. I would call her a realist, not a defeatist. The mechanic and secretary were both making around $15 an hour..clearly not enough to raise a family and sock away enough for savings.
A couple both making $15 an hour would be making over the median household income. From how they grew up that would be pretty good.
NEVER, EVER place blame where it lies.....big government.
Those families never had a chance.
If you asked them if they preferred low corporate tax rates which would bring business back to America, or taxing businesses out of America, which would they prefer?
Why do lefties continually vote against their best interests?
They're told by obama that it's not "fair" that businesses should ever pay a low tax rate, while millions lose their jobs due to these policies.
Businesses are NOT in business to "make enough" or "pay fair wages". They simply want to earn money, and will vote with their feet to places that they can capitalize on profits.
Make it worthwhile for a business to stay in your city, state, country and good paying jobs will follow.
The current system of high taxation and severe regulation obviously isn't working.
Make it worthwhile for a business to stay in your city, state, country and good paying jobs will follow.
The current system of high taxation and severe regulation obviously isn't working.
Are you suggesting that if businesses earned higher profits because of lower taxes that they would pass that on to workers in the form of higher wages? I find that unlikely.
I'm not sure about that. I shop at Walmart regularly, and find it depends on the individual as to whether they are happy in their job or not. Just a couple days ago, my checkout clerk was telling how much she loved her job. It was entertaining. She told me about a man that had changed all the prices of his merchandise, she caught it, and he was forced to pay full price. She got a big kick out of that.
If you keep telling people they've got a lousy job, I suppose they start believing it. If it weren't for Walmart, this town would have a lot more people unemployed, and I'm glad they're here.
I have a famiy member that is a Walmart customer service supervisor. However, her husband makes good money at a government job. She enjoys her job mostly because it is a second income for them. She does not have to worry about benefits or the cost of living because his job covers them well, and what he makes more than makes up for what little she does. I suspect this may be the case for many of the "happier" Wal-mart associates that you see.
I worked low pay retail for a long time with just my income supporting myself and two children. Believe me, low wages, lack of benefits, low job security, and sporatic scheduling is very stressful and nobody's idea of a good time.
NEVER, EVER place blame where it lies.....big government.
Those families never had a chance.
If you asked them if they preferred low corporate tax rates which would bring business back to America, or taxing businesses out of America, which would they prefer?
Why do lefties continually vote against their best interests?
They're told by obama that it's not "fair" that businesses should ever pay a low tax rate, while millions lose their jobs due to these policies.
Businesses are NOT in business to "make enough" or "pay fair wages". They simply want to earn money, and will vote with their feet to places that they can capitalize on profits.
Make it worthwhile for a business to stay in your city, state, country and good paying jobs will follow.
The current system of high taxation and severe regulation obviously isn't working.
So, if we just give the most profitable businesses in this country (if not the world) an even better deal we'll go back to "full employment"? Like hell we will.
There are many factors that go into the decision as to where a business chooses to locate and low taxes are just one of them. Here are a few others: 1. the presence of a skilled workforce in the area; 2. geography such as the availability of a readily accessible port; 3. the infrastructure and availability of good roads, highways, dependable electricity and utilities; 4. whether businesses that provide supporting service have already located in an area; 5. lack of official corruption, a reliable legal system,, and a dependable police force.
The word "regulation" is seen as pejorative by many of the right wing. However, what it means in the real world is restrictions on air and water pollution. Requirements that safety regulations be observed to prevent on the job injuries and deaths. Enforcement of laws that prevent discrimination against workers based on race, sex, religion, and age. The truth is-that without regulation--everyone of these would be a much more serious problem for society. Virtually all developed nations have in common the fact that they impose considerable regulation on business and industry. I bet you could set up a plant in the Central African Republic and avoid most regulation. Does that sound appealing to you?
I have a different solution to the problems we are facing. A guest on a t.v. program I saw last night pointed out that we have over 3,000,000 skilled jobs in this country that are currently going unfilled. These jobs are positions like "equipment serviceman" for a Caterpillar tractor dealership. What we need to do is do a much better job matching and training employees for the high skilled jobs that exist in this country. Not everyone is going to be able to do one of these jobs, but with the right training, many people can do them. Its going to take a partnership between both government and industry to identify these jobs and devise the right job training programs for them. That's something resembling a solution.
Last edited by markg91359; 07-13-2013 at 07:22 AM..
Anyone watch this Frontline show on PBS with Bill Moyers who followed two middle class families in Milwaukee from the 1990s to today? They lost their jobs at a manufacturing plant in the early 1990s, and since that time they have worked jobs that barely paid $9 an hour.
Yet I'm pretty sure Frontline will do a story on why it's so important to grant illegal immigrants amnesty, never realizing that the second story will have a great deal to do with the first story.
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