The Revolt of the American Worker (complaint, salary, housing costs, job)
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If the guy working an entry level job can't afford a $10k Camry, which will probably last him another decade, that's on him.
10K plus maintenance, insurance, etc. How much is the entry level job paying him? Is it worth it to have a car in the city vs using mass transit which could cost him half as much?
What seems to be happening instead is that the pandemic led many U.S. workers to rethink their lives and ask whether it was worth staying in the lousy jobs too many of them had. For America is a rich country that treats many of its workers remarkably badly. Wages are often low; adjusted for inflation, the typical male worker earned virtually no more in 2019 than his counterpart did 40 years earlier. Hours are long: America is a “no-vacation nation,” offering far less time off than other advanced countries. Work is also unstable, with many low-wage workers — and nonwhite workers in particular — subject to unpredictable fluctuations in working hours that can wreak havoc on family life.
Finally....I agree with Krugman.
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There is also COMPETITION,so many doctors,dentists,hair stylist,fast food,slow food,coffee shops,dept stores,competing for our take home pay.
Back then,we are glad we get to see a doctor ,a movie,eat in a restaurant,have a cup of freshly brewed coffee and we gladly pay their asking price and these workers get to support a family and pay his bills .
But now there are more businesses competing for our $$,so where to cut cost,well,cut the worker pay,it is exploitation,it has been around for thousand of years,if the boss can get away with it,why not?
competition is everywhere,ask you lawn man,handyman,barber?
10K plus maintenance, insurance, etc. How much is the entry level job paying him? Is it worth it to have a car in the city vs using mass transit which could cost him half as much?
I think we all want a car,thats part of our culture,TO BE FREE.
You hear Home Depot has a big sale,but you cant just go and bring them home on a bus or walk,you need a car.
Someone invites you to a party and he is in the suburb,you want to go,you need a car.
People who drive resent being your chauffeur,unless he is a Uber or Lyft driver making a living.
We also cant wear the same clothes more than one day,in some countries,they wear the same clothese for 2 days ,they dont whiten their teeth,they dont use deordorant,they dont use credit cards,they dont have wine with dinner,some dont eat desert.
If there is spot on your clothes which you cannot remove,throw it out.
No one mention TAX,how much tax we pay,fed tax,state tax,city tax,sales tax,property tax,look at your phone bills,cable bills?
I just cant help laughing out loud when I watched Biden repeating 'PAY YOUR FAIR SHARE".
MAY BE if we stop paying so much tax,we could all enjoy a cup of freshly brewed latte.
I think we all want a car,thats part of our culture,TO BE FREE.
You hear Home Depot has a big sale,but you cant just go and bring them home on a bus or walk,you need a car.
Someone invites you to a party and he is in the suburb,you want to go,you need a car.
People who drive resent being your chauffeur,unless he is a Uber or Lyft driver making a living.
We also cant wear the same clothes more than one day,in some countries,they wear the same clothese for 2 days ,they dont whiten their teeth,they dont use deordorant,they dont use credit cards,they dont have wine with dinner,some dont eat desert.
If there is spot on your clothes which you cannot remove,throw it out.
Muh freedom. Is it free when people are FORCED to drive in order to participate in society? Many modern countries don't have your approach yet they do just fine.
Yeah Boomers are the most privileged generation dude...
In the history textbooks Millennials will be respected as cleaning up all their mess.
My grandmother was born right after the Depression and she had a more realistic outlook on jobs and labor. She worked for the post office and dept of education. She said never trust private employers they'll always hang you out to dry - I'm in a F500 and she is right...
There are some good Millennials, and some good Boomers, but let's be honest, the Millennials have no business criticizing the Boomers.
I try hard every day not to lash out at Millennials for the nonsense I see every day. Even Gen Alpha has by and large been a bit better, but it's the Millennials that are brainwashing them right now.
I'm on the tail end of Gen-X. All I've ever done my whole life is work my ass off. I'm early 40s, proud of what I've accomplished, and I've been very successful. I do almost everything myself... from rebuilding car engines, to laying tile, to writing software. I really, truly believe in rugged individualism and meritocracy. Any time I hear people complaining about life being unfair, when it's something under their control, it drives me nuts.
Don't even get me started on the whole student loan stuff, that infuriates me. I got ALL of my degrees while working full time. My associates, and my bachelors were all paid for out of pocket. My dad paid for one semester, and I got 1 out of every 4 classes paid for by the state because I was taking classes full time and getting a 3.5 gpa or higher (I got a 4.0). These were all engineering degrees, and I got them WHILE working full time. My first masters, also an engineering degree, my company paid for, but I got it while taking full-time semester courses, while working full time. All my masters certificates, paid for by me, while working full time. My Juris Doctorate, which I'm working towards right now... paying out of pocket while working full time.
There is NO excuse. I understand a lot of people got into hot water or... "underwater" as it might be, and I sympathize, but the push to have the government "forgive" the debt simply drives me insane. What does that say about the rest of us who used our own money to pay for college?
People don't really appreciate that which they haven't worked for... and that's the problem with today's society.
There was a poll that was taken by Millennials a couple of years ago (prior to COVID). More than 70% of Millennials believed their retirement would consist almost entirely of inheritance.
What then does that say about their kids? It shows how totally out of touch Millennials are with reality.
I'm on the tail end of Gen-X. All I've ever done my whole life is work my ass off. I'm early 40s, proud of what I've accomplished, and I've been very successful. I do almost everything myself... from rebuilding car engines, to laying tile, to writing software. I really, truly believe in rugged individualism and meritocracy. Any time I hear people complaining about life being unfair, when it's something under their control, it drives me nuts.
Don't even get me started on the whole student loan stuff, that infuriates me. I got ALL of my degrees while working full time. My associates, and my bachelors were all paid for out of pocket.
I feel for you, but again Blame Boomers.
Boomer hiring managers mandated that all jobs require a degree which skyrocketed the value and thus cost of a degree. You grew up during a time where it was even fathomable to pay for a decent degree plus there was more financial aid. Financial aid has dried up for most GOOD degree programs and nobody makes 80k a year WITHOUT a degree to pay 40k annually for a GOOD school.
I've said this quite a few times but my private school education while more expensive allowed me to get opportunities which would have been impossible for a CUNY/SUNY grad. I get callbacks whereas Baruch grads are routinely discriminated against because it's perceived as a run of the mill school now and easily replaceable.
This entire system of privilege and social stature focused hiring based on name brand/value - Boomers set that up. Period. (Affluent White Boomers specifically). If I had a low cost degree I'd be working at Home Depot now. No debt, but earning minimum wage. Gen X had to bust their a** yeah, but at least you guys had the option. Millennials we're presented with a catch 22 cliffhanger sink or swim option. Right now I'm (perilously) paragliding over the abyss and most of my cohort is down in the dirt.
Muh freedom. Is it free when people are FORCED to drive in order to participate in society? Many modern countries don't have your approach yet they do just fine.
Or even work, when I was young with no car; my choices were limited due to our never developing public transportation. Unless you rent them out, vehicles are a proven liability.
As is the insurance you're forced to purchase.
Coincidentally, I quit a few jobs over the commute times in urban areas; commute was worse than the job.
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