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Sure,but not if you judge your standard of living by the size of your TV or the cool things your phone can do.
Well, at least to me,you and others might find happiness in a large TV.
care to explain how?
I was but a developing fetus 30 years ago, so forgive me if I can't remember just how much better the "good old days" were. I do remember learning about the bad recession and oil crisis that took place during the time, though...
I was but a developing fetus 30 years ago, so forgive me if I can't remember just how much better the "good old days" were. I do remember learning about the bad recession and oil crisis that took place during the time, though...
Wages are stagnant and have been for a while.
The nation is bankrupt and will never be able to pay off it's debts.
Industry has all but vanished from this country,leaving it a service based economy that relies upon consumer spending.
Resources are being used but new sources aren't being found in quantities to replenish those used up.
Several emerging nations are set to become the predominant powers and this will reduce the USA to a secondary position or lower.
The US dollar will most likely lose it's position as the worlds currency.
Can anyone explain to me why it's SO important to make a lot of money?
My parents are pretty successful hardworking individuals who now live very comfortably. For me, I personally don't have a problem with earning a middle-class wage and living a middle-class lifestyle - I honestly believe that after earning enough to meet my basic needs, I would like to spend my free time going fishing, mountain-climbing, swimming, hunting, or just relaxing somewhere instead of fighting to get a higher paycheck.
But whenever I mention this to my parents, they go nuts - looking at me like I'm insane not to want to strive for more. I've seen my dad work 18 hour days and it ain't pretty. Sure, he made boatloads more money from doing so, but there's a LOT of things he sacrificed in order to do it.
But I'm a pretty naive and idealistic kid. I'll admit it. Having been coddled all my life, I honestly don't know what the real world is like. And when it comes to important decisions, I'd say my parents are probably right 99% of the time. Which is why I'm wondering if the importance of money is just something that grows on you as you get older and mature. Am I not taking this seriously enough because I'm still immature and naive?
Or is making boatloads of money really not all that important in the grand scheme of things? Is this one of those 1% of the time when my parents are actually wrong?
You got the right idea.
1 Timothy 6: 6But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. 8And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.
I have heard of people being alone with all that money and having no real friends.
So realistically: if the value of the dollar should drop and money become worthless: what would really be wasted? The time you spent on earth striving after riches that can be here today and gone tomorrow.
Just tell your folks that you would like to do more than just stop and smell the roses in life.
It's because the US has an insanely high cost of living. Why do you think places like Costa Rica or Mexico are increasing in popularity as retirement locations?
Duhhh....sorry but this is a dumb post. How much does the average person in Costa Rica or Mexico earn????
If you compare like with like (rich countries with other rich countries), you'll find that, outside of health care, the US actually has a cheap cost of living. I should know. I just got back from a trip in Germany & Austria. The prices there are higher than here...and I live in high cost California.
It's like I always say... Chasing dollar bills is a fool's game, just as long as you aren't living on cat food.
There is a certain threshold in my mind where the extra $$$ is not worth the extra time spent acquiring them, but I also want a decent place to live, a decent car to drive, owe less on my stuff than it's worth and occasionaly put down a bottle of the fancy stuff. For me, that threshold would be about 100K a year.
I don't know if this applies to you, but when they do surveys of how much money people say they need to make to satisfy all/most of what they want.....it's always 20% more than what they currently make....at every income level.
I think a major mistake Americans have made in the last few decades is to seriously undervalue the portions of their lives that they have traded away in order to earn more money. And they have not spent or managed this money wisely, and ended up working harder than ever just to end up with mountains of debt.
We need the younger generation to save this country. The boomers have messed it up terribly. Question what your parents tell you, and question their values. The ironic thing is that the boomers, the most rebellious generation who gave their parents hell about everything, ended up having such docile offspring. Effectively, they bought their offspring off with material goods (after strongly condemning the much more mild materialism of their parents). Don't be one of those bought-off people. Lots of people in this country have been living a lie for a really long time, pretending to be richer than they are, and the result is mountains of debt and constant financial worry.
Marx is pseudo intellectual? Seriously? You are comparing an economic genius to Hitler? Ouchhh
Whether you like his ideas or not, you have to deal with them. And modern economies have it built into them... We aren't exactly running laissez-faire ...
Your comment, "well, well read", says to me, you aren't that well read at all...
Marx was a genius all right. But his theories were just that. Intellect is great, but if it's not tied to real world behavior, it's worthless.
You are right, Marxism is built into all the modern economies and has been for a long time. How's that working for us????
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