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America has inequality because smart and motivated people generate wealth and rise to the top.
That is what you expect to happen in a meritocracy.
However, the standard of living for all socioeconomic classes has also gone up over time.
That's a nice thought. But it's a just-world fallacy. There are elements of meritocracy, but also major power imbalances (actually, that's the only point I needed to make), sycophancy, cronyism, deception, propaganda, manipulation etc. If you think USA is a meritocracy, then you don't know humans.
Cherry on top: only when all inheritance is abolished can we begin talking about true meritocracy. It won't happen, shouldn't happen. But don't call it a meritocracy. No, I'm not jealous. Yes, there are rags-to-riches. Yes, standard of living has gone up (though housing value is a disaster). Yes, it could be much, much worse.
Correct, you can buy a stock, business, car, house, investment, asset etc. on your bed from your phone wearing your underwear without even leaving your house or using a 3rd party. You can also create your own business or gig job from your phone.(eBay, YouTube, Uber, onlyfans, instacart, Amazon) or even buy a turnkey business from your phone.
But it’s far easier for folks to just complain about the rich, forgetting the fact that they only have a job because of their rich president/CEO/founder who took all the risks to create or acquire that company.
Exactly. For example, look at that "cash me outside" girl. She is probably one of the dumbest, most ignorant humans on the face of the planet. She just bought a $6 million house in FL, and i think she is only 25.
Now she is an extreme example, but proof people can jump up in classes in this country. Her ignorance and attitude actually probably helped her get to that level, she was to dumb to realize the cards were stacked against her.
Humans are economic units to exploit. Humans are resources, no different than any other resource like coal, oil, timber, grain, corn, etc.
People need to stop acting like they deserve special treatment just because they are human.
no, that's why we want more jobs onshored, because then the humans get to live under the American system of liberty and general safety, as opposed to less free and less safe countries.
You could look at it that way, you know. An argument can be made that American "labor" (that is, physical or repetitive labor) are damn lucky the American people want employment at home. Because it was NAFTA that said "seek the cheapest labor to do an equal job".
Think about the non-Chinese, non-quasi slave labor that earns maybe $10 a day, and lives under a political and cultural system that makes them practically invisible. And then bring that same labor to the US, where they're paid $100+ a day and essentially free to go and say whatever they want.
Easily argued that more liberty is worth getting paid less. Lucky that's not the case.
Location: Was Midvalley Oregon; Now Eastside Seattle area
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I imagine a lot of wealth is held by us Boomers of which, the last has reached 62.
As for the smaller Gen X generation, hit by multiple deep recessions, and now empty nesters will invest/spend their wealth as they approach retirement.
The Millennials, having seen their parents and grandparents struggle, are delaying marriage, having fewer kids-if any, and remaining as single households.
JMO, Another Trickle Down gambit with Tax Cut, will do even worse than before and with even greater consequences. But I'll gladly take the any tax cut-not sure how we'd spend the extra in our retirement, even as we have difficulty finding ways to spend our retirement income now.
YMMV
Amazon employs 1.1 million people, you complain on the internet, Jeff Bezos has earned his drenching and you have earned your trickle.
1.1 million, mostly making starvation wages.
I’m certainly not going to disagree that Jeff Bezos is a brilliant entrepreneur! I bought 1000 shares of AMZN back in 1999 and sold it in 2016. Bezos made me a lot of money! However, there needs to be regulation to keep titans like Bezos from squashing the up and coming entrepreneur and from turning our society into an oligarchy.
That's a nice thought. But it's a just-world fallacy. There are elements of meritocracy, but also major power imbalances (actually, that's the only point I needed to make), sycophancy, cronyism, deception, propaganda, manipulation etc. If you think USA is a meritocracy, then you don't know humans.
Cherry on top: only when all inheritance is abolished can we begin talking about true meritocracy. It won't happen, shouldn't happen. But don't call it a meritocracy. No, I'm not jealous. Yes, there are rags-to-riches. Yes, standard of living has gone up (though housing value is a disaster). Yes, it could be much, much worse.
You're barking up the wrong tree on that. By the 2nd generation, 70% of rich families have lost their wealth. By the 3rd generation, that jumps to 90%.
If you think you have any power you’re living in lalaland
You don’t have power? Explain to me why the poor pays no taxes but receives almost all the benefits while the rich pays the most taxes and receives none?
That's a nice thought. But it's a just-world fallacy. There are elements of meritocracy, but also major power imbalances (actually, that's the only point I needed to make), sycophancy, cronyism, deception, propaganda, manipulation etc. If you think USA is a meritocracy, then you don't know humans.
Cherry on top: only when all inheritance is abolished can we begin talking about true meritocracy. It won't happen, shouldn't happen. But don't call it a meritocracy. No, I'm not jealous. Yes, there are rags-to-riches. Yes, standard of living has gone up (though housing value is a disaster). Yes, it could be much, much worse.
Why in hell do anybody need to live and work? Aren’t we all working so that we can leave something for our children?
Even the rich gives all the money to the poor today, the poor would quickly squander it and the rich would make the money back again.
People like you are so screwed up in your mind, it’s FUBAR.
You don’t have power? Explain to me why the poor pays no taxes but receives almost all the benefits while the rich pays the most taxes and receives none?
The rich receive the most benefits. Look who took the lion share of the COVID relief money.
The poor cannot pay taxes as they barely have enough to survive (if at all).
You’re middle class (I presume) and it’s you that gets hosed the most by this system. You have no power, you’re a wage slave, and you don’t benefit as much as the rich or poor do by the system.
The middle class in this country is shrinking and its losing its standard of living.
Me? I’m just saying it like it is. I actually benefited from this system. But that doesn’t mean it’s a good system. I’m writing this currently from my phone, on Bora Bora. I’m 55 but I retired shortly after I turned 53.
You bought into a lie. I’m just telling you the truth as I see it. Some of my friends got 1 million + loans during COVID for their businesses. No poor person got anywhere near that.
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