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Old 07-25-2012, 08:09 PM
 
1,139 posts, read 3,403,828 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Info Guy View Post
USA is the most wealthiest country on the planet by far.
Being wealthy and being debt-free are two different things. China and India may have lower GDP per person but then they have lower debt per person too.

Example:

You(China) earn $2 per day but have no debt vs You(US) earn $200 and have $500 in debt who is RICH?

You can be wealthy but if you have tons of debt eventually you'll go bankrupt - look at AIG, GM and numerous other companies that received bailout - you have REAL-LIFE examples.

900+ companies in the US received bailout which is SHAMEFUL for being known as the most wealthiest country on the planet. Bailout List: Banks, Auto Companies, and More | Eye on the Bailout | ProPublica

Also, here is the debt clock: U.S. National Debt Clock : Real Time

I see two things to happen: Either the wage increase rapidly(which has 0% probability) or your standard of living(a.k.a purchasing power) goes down(which is occurring as we speak)
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Old 07-25-2012, 09:20 PM
 
4,338 posts, read 7,421,976 times
Reputation: 1650
Quote:
Originally Posted by LeavingMA View Post
Yes and no. We do have a lot of wealth and then we have lots of people that live on credit and have more debt than the do actually savings.
That is their problem then.
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Old 07-25-2012, 09:28 PM
 
4,338 posts, read 7,421,976 times
Reputation: 1650
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tampaite View Post
Being wealthy and being debt-free are two different things. China and India may have lower GDP per person but then they have lower debt per person too.

Example:

You(China) earn $2 per day but have no debt vs You(US) earn $200 and have $500 in debt who is RICH?

You can be wealthy but if you have tons of debt eventually you'll go bankrupt - look at AIG, GM and numerous other companies that received bailout - you have REAL-LIFE examples.

900+ companies in the US received bailout which is SHAMEFUL for being known as the most wealthiest country on the planet. Bailout List: Banks, Auto Companies, and More | Eye on the Bailout | ProPublica

Also, here is the debt clock: U.S. National Debt Clock : Real Time

I see two things to happen: Either the wage increase rapidly(which has 0% probability) or your standard of living(a.k.a purchasing power) goes down(which is occurring as we speak)
They sure do but their quality of life is nowhere near USA. USA has much more freedom then India and China also.

$500 in debt for how long though? Is that a investment borrowed money for the long run?

Gov't bailed out AIG, GM and numerous other companies and they are soaring since March of 2009. There are very low cost of living areas in USA where you have more buying power vs modest to high salary.
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Old 07-26-2012, 12:04 AM
 
6,302 posts, read 11,548,016 times
Reputation: 6595
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tampaite View Post
Being wealthy and being debt-free are two different things. China and India may have lower GDP per person but then they have lower debt per person too.

Example:

You(China) earn $2 per day but have no debt vs You(US) earn $200 and have $500 in debt who is RICH?

You can be wealthy but if you have tons of debt eventually you'll go bankrupt - look at AIG, GM and numerous other companies that received bailout - you have REAL-LIFE examples.

900+ companies in the US received bailout which is SHAMEFUL for being known as the most wealthiest country on the planet. Bailout List: Banks, Auto Companies, and More | Eye on the Bailout | ProPublica

Also, here is the debt clock: U.S. National Debt Clock : Real Time

I see two things to happen: Either the wage increase rapidly(which has 0% probability) or your standard of living(a.k.a purchasing power) goes down(which is occurring as we speak)
I'll take earning $200 per day versus $2 per day every single time. Debt and credit are not bad, having debt beyond what you can service is bad. If you make little and have no debt because no one offers you credit isnt a badge of honor, its a sign of a pretty crappy existence.
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Old 07-26-2012, 09:09 AM
 
1,139 posts, read 3,403,828 times
Reputation: 797
Quote:
Originally Posted by Willy702 View Post
I'll take earning $200 per day versus $2 per day every single time.
Again, just like the US Govt.

If you are earning $200 a month and borrowing $500 debt a month, you can't service your debt forever and have to declare bankruptcy. At some point debtors will seek their money back, plain and simple!
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Old 07-26-2012, 09:18 AM
 
Location: The Triad
33,925 posts, read 80,889,974 times
Reputation: 43156
Quote:
Originally Posted by Willy702 View Post
I'll take earning $200 per day versus $2 per day every single time.
Who wouldn't? And if you ever land in a world where the question is ever that simplistic... you'll be all set.
Send me a postcard with the directions there... OK?
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Old 07-28-2012, 01:55 AM
 
30,768 posts, read 36,062,756 times
Reputation: 34104
Quote:
Originally Posted by Info Guy View Post
That is their problem then.
Not that simple. It's EVERYONE's problem because we are all affected by what others do. When millions of people took out crazy mortgages they can't afford to pay back, ALL OF US were, and still are, very much affected by it.
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Old 07-28-2012, 01:58 AM
 
30,768 posts, read 36,062,756 times
Reputation: 34104
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tampaite View Post
Again, just like the US Govt.

If you are earning $200 a month and borrowing $500 debt a month, you can't service your debt forever and have to declare bankruptcy. At some point debtors will seek their money back, plain and simple!
Eh, I think you meant "creditors", not "debtors".
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Old 07-28-2012, 07:23 AM
 
Location: Sierra Vista, AZ
17,541 posts, read 24,289,474 times
Reputation: 9974
More than half of the wealth is in the hands of the rich, that leaves the rest of us fighting for what is left. Yes, with falling wages and a declining middle class America is becoming a Third World Nation. Without a Federal Usury limit the banks will continue getting free money from the Fed and lending it out at 20+%
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Old 07-28-2012, 07:54 AM
 
Location: Western North Carolina
7,676 posts, read 10,214,442 times
Reputation: 17942
Quote:
Originally Posted by LeavingMA View Post
The U.S. is a poor country. Even a lot of this so-called wealth in the middle class is nothing but credit and debt.
I agree. The credit availability just makes us LOOK wealthy. What would happened if from now on, absolutely everything had to be paid for in full with cash that people earned or saved from working current jobs, the way it actaully was several generations ago before "borrowing" for things became the norm.

Take away all the cars, homes, and everything else that people are now making payments on with credit and loans. In reality, until we pay these off in full, we do not really own them anyway, the lenders do. I call myself the "homeowner" of my house, but I do not really own it, in fact, I will not "own" it for 26 more years!

Then take away all the food stamps, subsidized rentals, heating assistance, and other false sources of un-earned, non working wages paid income.

Now how "rich" of a country are we?
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