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Its only an "at home" problem until pre-school....which last time I looked was three years old. After that it becomes a village that takes care of our children! When that "village" is only available to upper middle income and high income people then its time to make some changes.
I totally know what you mean. I mean, every time I drive down the street, it's just charity after charity that only provides free day care to high income people, and soup kitchens for bankers, and there is constantly some chick with Jimmy Choo shoes and an Armani skirt using food stamps in the checkout line. To say nothing about all those "rich-only" scholarships and grants out there, and how you're only allowed to send your kid to a public school if you actually help pay for it instead of taking from the system as a whole. Then you have all those free clinics where you have to show you make at least $125,000 per year, etc.
I grew up upper middle class. Probably many would have considered us wealthy. My parents still instilled a work ethic in me and I've done very well. I work 60-70 hours a week, own my own business have have a six figure income.
But, I have to say, the path was easy for me. I went to one of the top high schools in the nation in a wealthy community. I attending a top public university. I graduated debt free because my parents paid for it. Through some connections through my father, I interviewed at and worked at two Fortune 500's-- One as an executive. When I graduated college I had two brand new suits with which to interview. I knew how to behave in the corporate environment and what was expected of me, because I grew up seeing my father in that culture.
I had many other benefits as well. I don't believe for a second the playing field is level.
If we truly want social mobility in the country (and I think many are disingenuous when they say they do... They want to maintain their social status even if at the expense of others) we have to support education, crime prevention, health and nutrition in our disadvantaged communities.
Hard work is definitely part of the equation-- but not the sole answer.
Now go ahead-- Call me a socialist.
Excellent post!!!! Thanks. Those that benefit from a stable, well adjusted, financially independent household are usually those that are most vocal about all those nasty lazy good for nothing poor people. These poor people of course consist of everyone who is truly poor up to the working class poor that already bust their britches nursing, teaching, firefighting....but they are so lazy they should quit complaining and get 2nd jobs! Idiots! I'm glad to hear from you that really tells the truth of the matter.
When I went to a State University because my parents couldn't afford private colleges. At the time, the state university was 75% subsidized and I am an example of the a productive person that succeeded because of that public investment. Today, due to reduced budgets the state only subsidizes 25%. This is another example of disinvesting.
But as I said previously, education does NOT explain the gap between the middle-class and the wealthy, as even those with graduate degrees have attained only 11% of the gains of the top 1%.
In my opinion, the major decline in the wage power of the middle-class is coupled with decline in union membership. Now, corporations have greater ability to hold down worker pay in favor of CEO pay, which has skyrocketed.
Without a doubt you are in the top 3 posters that should be vying for that 5 grand! Love following you around the forum. Good work. that government subsidized education and socialist can do attitude seems to work!!!! LOL.
A huge chunk of them come from upper middle class homes. They were raised with a house and a yard and parents that drew in 6 figures and could afford nice things. Those parents gave them a trophy just for attendance and told them everything they did made them special.
Then they turned 18 and went off to college. They studied interpretive dance or liberal arts or 19th century philosophy as they "found themselves", got a piece of paper saying how special they were after 4 years, and then moved to New York, expecting to be just as prosperous as their parents.
Then when, predictably, it didn't work out and they were unable to achieve the same level of success as their parents (because the world doesn't usually give out trophies for attendance, and majoring in something to "find yourself" is typically a great way to have a career working retail), they lashed out and blame everybody but themselves for their failure to do so. They felt that just because they had that piece of paper, that they deserved to be upper middle class just like their parents without having to work for it, and that the reason they weren't was clearly the result of the machinations of some faceless banker or CEO.
Now they sit around and whine that the middle class is under assault, how it's shrinking, how "robber barons" are making life impossible for it.....ignoring the fact that their parents continue to be just fine, and that it's really not that difficult to attain a middle class lifestyle, so long as you're willing to put in the effort and make yourself useful.
And then to top it all off, they whine all the way to the voters box and vote in yet another conservative! Go figure.
Them that own the casino rig the games. So what else is new.
The point of eliminating the middle class is to prevent any competition from "unqualified and improper" aspirants trying to buy their way in.
Partially true but I think it has to do with power. By subjugating the middle-class, the wealthy and powerful deny them political power that can be used to equalize their economic status. While the wealthy complain about government, they like the way it is, where gridlock prevents government from addressing fundamental issues of economic inequality.
Investments in education? Anybody can have access to computers and books/periodicals in this nation! WHats with this attitude of constantly throwing money at education? You can do anything you want in this country. When I was younger we couldnt even afford to buy extra books beyond what was required for school so my mother took us to the library to borrow and read them. Too many excuses in this country!
If something is important to you, you'll find a way. If it isn't, you'll find an excuse.
I met a real hard left liberal yesterday.
Great guy.
He and his wife not only talked the talk but walked the walk.
They decided that here we too many unwanted kids in the world so they adopted five children.....and took in three others when their parents died.
The only problem.....their liberal, big government attitudes.
They had a 5,000 sq ft home....built in pool, movie theater, sauna and, I kid you not, 14 large flat screen Tvs.
The kitchen had a $35,000 oven and a $17,0000 refrigerator.
Both of them chain smoked and they both had several drinks in the hour and a half that I was there, at 2 pm.
He then went on a tirade about how unfair the system is. Describing person after person after person who he knew that died due to the lack of health insurance.
He took in the 17 year old son of a close friend of his and was complaining that the kid couldn't afford health coverage. ( i don't know a single person that died because they couldn't get coverage)
Again, I hope they continue to have a great income. I hope that they can buy a $3 million dollar oven some day and have 58 big screen TVs.
The problem is the fact that they have done well for themselves, yet still want big government to socialize medicine.
When I went to a State University because my parents couldn't afford private colleges. At the time, the state university was 75% subsidized and I am an example of the a productive person that succeeded because of that public investment. Today, due to reduced budgets the state only subsidizes 25%. This is another example of disinvesting.
But as I said previously, education does NOT explain the gap between the middle-class and the wealthy, as even those with graduate degrees have attained only 11% of the gains of the top 1%.
In my opinion, the major decline in the wage power of the middle-class is coupled with decline in union membership. Now, corporations have greater ability to hold down worker pay in favor of CEO pay, which has skyrocketed.
Do you honestly feel that the compensation of one person has adverse aggregate effect on rank and file employees? This is just ludicrous. What I pay myself has ZERO effect on what I pay my employees!
Unbelievable. You clearly haven't walked in the shoes of a CEO. That's why you toss around 3,000 charts to make your point....because you've actually never been there.
I grew up upper middle class. Probably many would have considered us wealthy. My parents still instilled a work ethic in me and I've done very well. I work 60-70 hours a week, own my own business have have a six figure income.
But, I have to say, the path was easy for me. I went to one of the top high schools in the nation in a wealthy community. I attending a top public university. I graduated debt free because my parents paid for it. Through some connections through my father, I interviewed at and worked at two Fortune 500's-- One as an executive. When I graduated college I had two brand new suits with which to interview. I knew how to behave in the corporate environment and what was expected of me, because I grew up seeing my father in that ure.
I had many other benefits as well. I don't believe for a second the playing field is level.
If we truly want social mobility in the country (and I think many are disingenuous when they say they do... They want to maintain their social status even if at the expense of others) we have to support education, crime prevention, health and nutrition in our disadvantaged communities.
Hard work is definitely part of the equation-- but not the sole answer.
Now go ahead-- Call me a socialist.
You're not a socialist but unrealistic. To make yourself feel better inside, you spout nice soundbits here on this thread, yet you would never ever move to a neighborhood comprised solely of those that dont have "many of these benefits" as you say. Saying that they need to have things provided to them by a government is the safe play. Does the government not already provide enough for them? If you had grown up in an environment where you were picked on for working hard in school and being smart, and through hard work rose to the upper middle class level , not being born into ityou would understand better. I had an A average in high school with 1390 on my SATS. I was passed over for scholarships because I was white , yet black and hispanic kids in my school with 900 on SATS and B students got said scholarships. I didnt want to be ridden with debt so instead of Northwestern and NYU, I chose instead to go to SUNY Binghamton. State school allowed me to work and pay off my degree very quickly. I still got where I needed to get in life, and probably had to overcome far more than those who you champion for, all the while being picked on by them for being a "nerd". Now because I'm in the 35% tax bracket, you want me to pay for these people who had the same if not more opportunities than I had, with availability of same educational resources.. because I chose Ralph Waldo Emerson(From the library because I couldnt afford it). F that! Go back to your Mercedes station wagon and enjoy your nice drive through Greenwich and Waterbury Connecticut! Tell Martha Stewart I said hello, that is if you see her at Daddy's next black tie event!
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