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America is quickly becoming a third world country riddled with debt under Republican greedership.
Tell me about it!!! Just this I was about to split a cup of dry oats with my wife, only to find that Bush had sent covert operatives into my house overnight and I only had 3/4 of a cup of dry oats to split with her!!! And I barely had enough dysentery infested water to wash it down with!!!
Guys, WHEN will you see beyond Republican/Democrat? The parties are two prongs of the same fork. Look BEYOND the surface, please! BOTH parties are responsible for screwing over the American middle class. Both of them serve their corporate masters.
Multinational corporations OWN our government. Wake up and smell the reality!
Ozarks21, when I visited your home state of MO, I did feel I could live well, and comfortably. My two friends, married without children, are living the old fashioned, new fangled middle-class life. She is in school, a second degree; he is an academic, with a new book on the sports page; they have no children together, two cars, three dogs, two cats, a paid up condo duplex and enough to take two or more vacations each year.
But, I'm afeared that we have places in this here country, and I've been to many, where this is plum impossible--and I mean impossible.
While it is not as bleak as our friend from Tennessee paints, with that 3/4 cup of oats, folks are hurting, and for many different reasons, and in differing regions in this country.
But, is it one party's fault: No. Is it corporate American's fault; to some extent? Yes.
I'm no economist, and won't try to answer the fine points, but I know the cost of being on the road today, compared with being on the road, 15 years ago, is nearly 200% higher.
Location: Charlotte,NC, US, North America, Earth, Alpha Quadrant,Milky Way Galaxy
3,770 posts, read 7,545,926 times
Reputation: 2118
Quote:
Originally Posted by ontheroad
Ozarks21, when I visited your home state of MO, I did feel I could live well, and comfortably. My two friends, married without children, are living the old fashioned, new fangled middle-class life. She is in school, a second degree; he is an academic, with a new book on the sports page; they have no children together, two cars, three dogs, two cats, a paid up condo duplex and enough to take two or more vacations each year.
But, I'm afeared that we have places in this here country, and I've been to many, where this is plum impossible--and I mean impossible.
While it is not as bleak as our friend from Tennessee paints, with that 3/4 cup of oats, folks are hurting, and for many different reasons, and in differing regions in this country.
But, is it one party's fault: No. Is it corporate American's fault; to some extent? Yes.
I'm no economist, and won't try to answer the fine points, but I know the cost of being on the road today, compared with being on the road, 15 years ago, is nearly 200% higher.
I agree that compared to 15-20 years ago, it is harder, but I'm not ready to put the cuffs on corporate America. The economic landscape has changed, we are impacted (for better and for worse) by a global economy. The shift is 20 years in the making (manufacturing jobs, now white color information based jobs are outsourced).
This creates new opportunitys for those who can profit from it, but causes another group of people who relied on the old economy (pensions, no layoff policies, doing the same function for xx years, etc.) to be displaced. I can't see how it can be helped. We can't shutdown trade with the world, create laws that prohibit the outsourcing of job functions and plants overseas.
In my industry (the tech industry) we've had to deal with it big time over the last decade. You will be competing with engineers/techs in India/China/Russia, wherever. So the new tatic now is to understand your perceived value to industry X and continue to make yourself valuable to that industry. One will have several different jobs, and maybe a few different careers over their lifetime.
Look at old school airlines and how they are struggling with unions, pensions, etc., having to compete with upstarts that don't have to deal with it.
Yes, Miker2069, it is a conundrum, not an easy issue to digest and then rejurgitate.
Outsourcing, redefinition of job applicability, and no safeguards are wicked as we say here in NE.
But are we preparing the young people, and even those in the changing employment terrain what is possible and how to make more than that minimum wage or get that low paying first, or second job?
College costs about $20,000-$30,000 per annum x 4 = 80,000 to 120,000 for a BA or BS.
Does it pay for all the young people to go to college? Is there another way to educate and prepare ourselves for the future?
Location: Charlotte,NC, US, North America, Earth, Alpha Quadrant,Milky Way Galaxy
3,770 posts, read 7,545,926 times
Reputation: 2118
Quote:
Originally Posted by ontheroad
Yes, Miker2069, it is a conundrum, not an easy issue to digest and then rejurgitate.
Outsourcing, redefinition of job applicability, and no safeguards are wicked as we say here in NE.
But are we preparing the young people, and even those in the changing employment terrain what is possible and how to make more than that minimum wage or get that low paying first, or second job?
College costs about $20,000-$30,000 per annum x 4 = 80,000 to 120,000 for a BA or BS.
Does it pay for all the young people to go to college? Is there another way to educate and prepare ourselves for the future?
Actually it's wicked awesome (I lived in Woburn,MA before moving to NC)
I would answer absolutely not- public education for the most doesn't teach kids those skillsets. The "get a good education, get a good job, and you're fine..." doesn't work anymore- but you need an education to at least be at the end of the unemployment line .
college cost in SC, PA, and NY are about 10 to 15k per year, unless you want private and people arent ending their spending so they must not be having a prob with the middle class loss issues
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