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It may be completely flawed, yet it does seem to be happening. Wages in richer countries are stagnant, maybe not quite as bad in other rich countries ex-USA, but a variation on the same theme.
Richer countries also have a larger tax base for the parasitic class (governments and their benefactors, i.e. military contractors, welfare recipients, infrastructure companies, intelligence agencies, etc.) to feed off of, plus they can use their tax revenue to enforce commerce-killing regulations more thoroughly, since they can pay the regulators to be more thorough.
You want to start a business in a third world country and you can generally just bribe some official with a low sum to overlook any mistakes on your paperwork, and then continue about your business with basically no government intrusion.=. You want to open a business here, or in other over-regulated industrialized countries, you better be licensed, numbered, have a lawyer, understand the laws of your particular industry, know who you can and can't hire, be prepared to pay the minimum wage even if that persons MVP is not worth half of it, and have an understanding that a singe misstep could ruin your livelihood.
It's no wonder first world economies are stagnating. That analysis doesn't even touch on the fact that EVERY CENTRAL BANK ON EARTH is printing fiat currency.
It's a simple formulation and has nothing whatsoever to do with immigration at all.
I predict that America will be a third world country within the next 10-20 years. I have this feeling because of the following:
1. Wages are continually being lowered or suppressed, benefits keep getting cut, and the cost of living keeps going up exponentially, particularly housing.
2. More and more people will become homeless because of No. 1. It seems more housing is being built but none of it is affordable if you aren't a highly-paid, white-collar professional. Also people are being pushed into cheaper rent areas with inefficient or no public transportation, limiting their options to get to certain jobs if they can't afford a vehicle or have car problems.
3. High paying white and blue collar jobs are drying up and more low-wage service jobs are being created.
4. It seems more and more these days that a college degree isn't worth the paper it's printed on, as people with college degrees or new graduates are being force into low-wage jobs because there aren't enough jobs available for them that pays a good wage. And many low-paying jobs these days are requiring a degree, or jobs that didn't require them before the recession, companies are now asking that candidates have one.
It is better to have a degree than to not have one. But if there aren't enough good-paying jobs for everyone who has a degree, is it worth it to take on college debt these days?
5. Many people who made a good living before the recession have never been able to find jobs that paid the same since. Some people still can't find work. Also, if you are unemployed or if your experience isn't current (due to not being able to find or keep a job), employers discriminate against you.
If things continue at this rate, isn't it fair to say that as a nation, the United States is on it's way to being a third world country?
What is the solution?
1. Wages are not lowered on average, benefits are not being cut on average and housing is still far below the peak in 2008. What is currently happening is that wages are not able to keep up with inflation, but even if it keeps that way for the next 20 years the wages in the US is still better than many other developed countries.
3. Maybe, but the same is happening in other developing nations. The reason is due to developing nations building up their manufacturing industries. Previously we could rely on selling manufacturing goods to third world nations, while they provided us cheap resources. That is no longer possible as developing countries are also providing manufacturing goods. But again, all developed nations experience declines in manufacturing.
4. This is actually a problem in nearly every single country. It is called inflation in degrees, where you need to have a degree to get a decent job, but the degree does not lead to high paying jobs. This will not make US a third world nation, just make it harder for the younger generation.
5. It has always been like this after crisis. It sucks for those people, but it does not make US a third world nation.
US is not going to become a third world nation, and it won't become like Greece/Argentina either. US economy is growing, infrastructure is good especially housing, and the logistical system in the US is very efficient. You need to undo those before US can become a third world nation. Greece however experienced a 30% decline in GDP per capita, and the infrastructure was not good in the first place.
US will in fact remain one of the best countries to live in with only a few contenders such as Norway, Denmark, Switzerland and Germany.
1. Wages are not lowered on average, benefits are not being cut on average and housing is still far below the peak in 2008. What is currently happening is that wages are not able to keep up with inflation, but even if it keeps that way for the next 20 years the wages in the US is still better than many other developed countries.
3. Maybe, but the same is happening in other developing nations. The reason is due to developing nations building up their manufacturing industries. Previously we could rely on selling manufacturing goods to third world nations, while they provided us cheap resources. That is no longer possible as developing countries are also providing manufacturing goods. But again, all developed nations experience declines in manufacturing.
4. This is actually a problem in nearly every single country. It is called inflation in degrees, where you need to have a degree to get a decent job, but the degree does not lead to high paying jobs. This will not make US a third world nation, just make it harder for the younger generation.
5. It has always been like this after crisis. It sucks for those people, but it does not make US a third world nation.
US is not going to become a third world nation, and it won't become like Greece/Argentina either. US economy is growing, infrastructure is good especially housing, and the logistical system in the US is very efficient. You need to undo those before US can become a third world nation. Greece however experienced a 30% decline in GDP per capita, and the infrastructure was not good in the first place.
US will in fact remain one of the best countries to live in with only a few contenders such as Norway, Denmark, Switzerland and Germany.
But the quality of life in the US is lower than those countries, especially Scandinavia.
Richer countries also have a larger tax base for the parasitic class (governments and their benefactors, i.e. military contractors, welfare recipients, infrastructure companies, intelligence agencies, etc.) to feed off of, plus they can use their tax revenue to enforce commerce-killing regulations more thoroughly, since they can pay the regulators to be more thorough.
You want to start a business in a third world country and you can generally just bribe some official with a low sum to overlook any mistakes on your paperwork, and then continue about your business with basically no government intrusion.=. You want to open a business here, or in other over-regulated industrialized countries, you better be licensed, numbered, have a lawyer, understand the laws of your particular industry, know who you can and can't hire, be prepared to pay the minimum wage even if that persons MVP is not worth half of it, and have an understanding that a singe misstep could ruin your livelihood.
It's no wonder first world economies are stagnating. That analysis doesn't even touch on the fact that EVERY CENTRAL BANK ON EARTH is printing fiat currency.
It's a simple formulation and has nothing whatsoever to do with immigration at all.
I don't dispute any of this, but I think it's an oversimplification. And I don't believe 3rd World countries are quite as easy to do business in as you're making it out to be.
But the quality of life in the US is lower than those countries, especially Scandinavia.
It depends. Everyone has a different idea of "quality of life" based on their socioeconomic position. Some people would say Sweden has a crappy quality of life just because of the climate alone. If you're living off the welfare state, Sweden may have a better quality of life. If you're working for a living, maybe/maybe not.
It depends. Everyone has a different idea of "quality of life" based on their socioeconomic position. Some people would say Sweden has a crappy quality of life just because of the climate alone. If you're living off the welfare state, Sweden may have a better quality of life. If you're working for a living, maybe/maybe not.
I wonder how accurate these statistics are??? Probably impossible to say.
However, I will say homelessness is rarely just a problem of a lack of housing or lack of money/jobs. Most homeless people have lots of other problems that led to their living on the streets. It usually starts in childhood with unstable family units, often with drug/alcohol/sexual abuse. Others have mental illness or drug/alcohol abuse problems that are often related to their families of origin.
I said if you have to work for a living in Sweden the quality of life may or may not be better than it would be for you in the US in an equivalent job/career. Sheesh.
I said if you have to work for a living in Sweden the quality of life may or may not be better than it would be for you in the US in an equivalent job/career. Sheesh.
But you said:
Quote:
Originally Posted by mysticaltyger
If you're living off the welfare state, Sweden may have a better quality of life. If you're working for a living, maybe/maybe not.
It sounds as if you are insinuating that Sweden's socialist government would appeal to someone who doesn't want to work, as if Swedes aren't working hard and paying taxes into the system that they benefit from. I
It sounds as if you are insinuating that Sweden's socialist government would appeal to someone who doesn't want to work, as if Swedes aren't working hard and paying taxes into the system that they benefit from. I
Are you saying it doesn't?
Lots of things go into labor participation rates. For example, someplace like Mexico has much lower labor participation than either the US or Sweden. Why? Economy sucks. Up until the great recession, the US labor participation rate was higher than Sweden's. Since then it's been lower. Why? People dropped out of the labor pool because there weren't any opportunities. If there's no jobs, there's no jobs. The marginally employable become dissillusioned and drop out regardless of welfare. Welfare, however, does make it easier. Look at France or Greece. Especially France has a much more viable economy than Mexico but much lower labor participation.
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