Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Then it must be only alarmism, falsehood, to claim the downward slide of the US? A country where YOU are worried about your contribution to SS ceasing to exist. Where does that worry stem from in a prosperous country? America's prosperity has been on the credit card it hasn't been and can't pay off in the foreseeable future. If you claim that the country is only going downhill, is it because the disparity is shrinking? Or, is the growth in disparity a result or a cause of such debacle?
The decline of our country isn't caused by inequality of wealth.
The taxes on big corporations have been going down for the last thirty years. Regulations of business also have been dismantled since then, starting with Reagan. Our mean-spirited partisanship and mindless ideological warfare is making solving this problem next to impossible.
Actually, a large part of reduced tax collection can be attributed to tax breaks to individuals, not businesses. In another thread, I quoted federal tax receipts in 2010 being lower than that in 2000 by $400 Billion and 75% of it could be attributed to individual income tax. This, while ignoring the fact that the economy (GDP) grew by 16%.
Reagan wasn't quite as stupid as Bush and his policy supporters are or the crooks who went laughing all the way to their bank at the idiots, his 1986 tax reform did work to increase tax revenue primarily by closing loop holes. Consequently, the corporate tax collections were higher than although nobody has worked to increase revenue and close similar loop holes since. This, largely because the right wing mouthpieces has successfully sold the idea that the corporate tax rates in the USA are high, as they conveniently ignore the effective tax rates which enables likes of GE and Exxon Mobil to escape with taxes and often give them credits!
as we all should know, the US is no more a nation of productivity. It shifted from a system of manufacturing to a system of service industries. What destroyed America's manufacturing base?
Government over taxes the hell out of everything.
They followed up by over regulating and fining everyone to hell.
Lastly they left in place lawsuits everywhere that put all companies at more risk than anywhere else. No tort reform as long as they donate to politicians.
We have two other giant problems.
Giant social program support that is unsustainable.
We have way overemployed people into the government and we need to cut that about 75%.
And the boycotting that went on in America was phenomenal wasn't it ?
The refusal to buy offshored goods at cheaper prices and demand that stores provide "Made in USA" goods was huge. Oh wait..NO IT WASN'T !!
The corporations offshored and the American people spoke, didn't they ?
They couldn't buy enough "plastic pumpkins" from China and were running off to Walmart and loading up on the cheap crap.
WE let it happen. We voted a corrupt government and keep sending them back. We demanded cheap crap and bought it up as soon as it reached the shores. We did this to ourselves. Want to point a finger..well then go stand in front of a mirror..that is who let this happen.
That is exactly right.
The middle class american will shoot his own foot off if it means he can now afford stuff that only the richer people could afford before...because those things are now cheaper bc they are made offshore.
This has everything to do with Americans' demand for instant gratification. The corporations only gave you want you wanted.
Another reason there are more poor people...they are breeding faster than any other group.
That will NEVER happen as long as cell phones, food, housing, clothing are mandated "necessities" for the poor in America.
Our OBESITY problem includes the majority of poor in America.
Most third world countries have problems with malnutrition, not obesity.
People in third world countries have no water facilities, no waste facilities, substandard electricity if any and are living in the streets.
Stop drinking the koolaid...the poor in America are RICH by third world standards.
Heh..heh..you're a good one to talk about koolaid, Happy. That fact that you have a history of trying to blame our precipitous slide on consumers reveals that you haven't a clue.
The widely popularized notion that America could and should compete with the third world on wages.
The only way to compete with the third world on wages is to be third world.
Many other first world economies have retained manufacturing jobs, and none have tried to lower wages to be competitive with China. After a while, cutting wages and extending hours starts affecting the economy in itself, because people go into emergency cost-cutting mode.
Henry Ford knew how to build an economy: Workers should make enough money to buy the products they are making.
With all the codes and regulations plus the unions today, do you think Ford could have had the same results???
With all the codes and regulations plus the unions today, do you think Ford could have had the same results???
The countries which compete successfully with third world manufacturing all have stricter regulations and far more unionized workforces. So i'd expect so. The whole point is that the unions and Henry Ford in the end pulls in the same direction: A middle class that can afford to keep domestic demand going.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
