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  1. #46
    -retired ISH HOFer- -playmaker-'s Avatar
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    Default Re: Very disturbing charts on the wealth imbalance in USA

    the only real point I was trying to make is that those charts make us seem well off...most of us anyway...10% make over $160k???...that's a lot of money

    half of us make $80k or more????...f*ck!!!

    I am not saying it is good that owners make a kagillion times more than the workers...



    MEXICO is unhealthy...no the US (in general)

  2. #47
    The Paterfamilias RedBlackAttack's Avatar
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    Default Re: Very disturbing charts on the wealth imbalance in USA

    Quote Originally Posted by -playmaker-
    I know Detriot and Cleveland and others are suffering a bit, but we are on the rebound from this recession...the stock market is healthy...

    Florida and Cali are having housing issues...I am aware...

    we are probably both on polar opposites of the spectrum...you being hit harder than the average, and me being hit less than the average...
    And, what happens when the economy does rebound? Will CEOs kick it up to 1,000x what the average earner makes?

    The point of this thread isn't how badly people in Cleveland are struggling. It is the re-distribution of wealth that has occurred in the last 50 years and the death of a healthy middle class.

    Simply put, you can't have CEOs taking that big of a piece of the pie and still support a strong workforce with livable wages. It is literally impossible.

    You can't expect the bottom 50% of the population to live on 1% of the nation's wealth and expect a strong middle class.

  3. #48
    -retired ISH HOFer- -playmaker-'s Avatar
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    Default Re: Very disturbing charts on the wealth imbalance in USA

    Quote Originally Posted by RedBlackAttack
    And, what happens when the economy does rebound? Will CEOs kick it up to 1,000x what the average earner makes?

    The point of this thread isn't how badly people in Cleveland are struggling. It is the re-distribution of wealth that has occurred in the last 50 years and the death of a healthy middle class.

    Simply put, you can't have CEOs taking that big of a piece of the pie and still support a strong workforce with livable wages. It is literally impossible.

    You can't expect the bottom 50% of the population to live on 1% of the nation's wealth and expect a strong middle class.
    okay I am not saying that the CEOs making that much more is good...but do you honestly think we don't have a strong middle class?

    I don't...

  4. #49
    The Renaissance man bladefd's Avatar
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    Default Re: Very disturbing charts on the wealth imbalance in USA

    Quote Originally Posted by Jasper
    I've been on this planet longer than most of you.
    Voted and supported the poor and middle class , and wish a balance would be struck for the betterment of human life in America for all.

    Not to bash the OP - fact is that those elite wealthy are in fact all Republicans.

    After this last election I will never vote again.
    This is sad , because I was quite proud of our country , where my grandfather came from , where my father and step father fought in WWII for our freedom and was lucky enought when the first 18 year olds were able to vote , I did and voted for a president.

    Now I succumb to the realization that it is not only our goverment that is fcuked up , but the people that vote for the people that represent them.
    remember the majority vote is the ruling body.
    ---------
    Look at my state , those same voters that wanted change are now in Madison by the thousands protesting their rights... WHAT A FCUKING JOKE.
    I do agree with you that a large number of the elite wealthy are republicans in this country. I could have probably put that in someplace in OP, but I just wanted to keep my opinion out of the OP as much as possible without starting the thread outright bashing people.

    As for the voting aspect that you mentioned, I think it all boils down to what people watch or read throughout their daily life that determines what they do when they go to vote. There is a saying that says something like "a few control the minds of many."

    Basically that is how successful propaganda works. What information a few guys put out will determine who wins the election when the time comes. It is a definitely disturbing how quickly a FEW guys are able to incite everyone that is listening/watching/reading them just based on the wording and tone that they use.

    I remember reading there being a study on this in psychology before when we were talking about propaganda some time back. I'm sure a simple google search on propaganda would bring tons of results on that specific study (the one that I am thinking of was done early in the decade, I'm sure there were other new studies since and studies on propaganda from before that).

    I truly wish we had better media in this country. People like Glenn Beck, Bill O'Reilly, etc intentionally make it seem like the middle-class is glorious and they have more power than the other groups of people in this country. Guys like those incite hatred against the other groups of people in this country that are making much less than they are to protect their own huge salaries.

    Doesn't Bill O'Reilly proudly say that he considers himself a middle-class member? I know he said that a couple times (on youtube videos, google it up). The truth is that he makes a few millions per year.

    And most of the FOX watchers believe him when he says he is middle-class. I asked a conservative friend of mine how much he thinks O'Reilly makes every year - he told me $250,000. I told him that O'Reilly actually makes over 10 million every year, and I said right away that I have proof of it (in case if he interrupts me to ask for proof). INSTANTLY he starts to talk about how much money O'Reilly gives away to help out the poor. It was almost automatic as if he had to defend O'Reilly for some reason. It was so quick that I almost felt like it was a defense mechanism.

  5. #50
    Local High School Star crosso√er's Avatar
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    Default Re: Very disturbing charts on the wealth imbalance in USA

    Quote Originally Posted by RedBlackAttack
    And, what happens when the economy does rebound? Will CEOs kick it up to 1,000x what the average earner makes?

    The point of this thread isn't how badly people in Cleveland are struggling. It is the re-distribution of wealth that has occurred in the last 50 years and the death of a healthy middle class.

    Simply put, you can't have CEOs taking that big of a piece of the pie and still support a strong workforce with livable wages. It is literally impossible.

    You can't expect the bottom 50% of the population to live on 1% of the nation's wealth and expect a strong middle class.
    Dude it's the evolution of technology. Today it's all about knowledge-based economy; people go to school not for craftsmanship anymore but for knowledge-based jobs like Accounting, Law & Medicine. Machines are taking over...

    Labor is diminishing; it's the evolution in technology that is killing the middle-class from opportunities to make money. A CEO makes this much because he's responsible for running billion dollar companies and maximizing stakeholder value; that in turn gives back to the community through huge tax payouts.

  6. #51
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    Default Re: Very disturbing charts on the wealth imbalance in USA

    Quote Originally Posted by -playmaker-
    hmm...well I didn't mean to hurt your feelings, not sure why it would really, but this country is spoiled...no question about it...

    everyone is at the mall with an iphone shoved up thier ass facebooking each other while in line at Starbucks...yet I am supposed to beleive we have no middle class?....naw, we are fine.....for now anyway
    You are so fu[COLOR="Black"]k[/COLOR]'n clueless it's not even laughable anymore; it's transitioned into sad.

  7. #52
    Local High School Star crosso√er's Avatar
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    Default Re: Very disturbing charts on the wealth imbalance in USA

    Quote Originally Posted by -playmaker-
    okay I am not saying that the CEOs making that much more is good...but do you honestly think we don't have a strong middle class?

    I don't...
    It's all based on experience as well; some people have had bad experiences with finding work or perhaps live in a city like (Cleveland) that is an absolute shit hole (no offense) and they're forced to over-exaggerate.

    And then there are people like you who are on a different end of the spectrum; presumably.

  8. #53
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    Default Re: Very disturbing charts on the wealth imbalance in USA

    Quote Originally Posted by crosso√er
    Dude it's the evolution of technology. Today it's all about knowledge-based economy; people go to school not for craftsmanship anymore but for knowledge-based jobs like Accounting, Law & Medicine. Machines are taking over...

    Labor is diminishing; it's the evolution in technology that is killing the middle-class from opportunities to make money. A CEO makes this much because he's responsible for running billion dollar companies and maximizing stakeholder value; that in turn gives back to the community through huge tax payouts.
    That has a lot to do with it as well. More jobs are going to those that are innovative and can combine their right and left brain.

  9. #54
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    Default Re: Very disturbing charts on the wealth imbalance in USA

    Cheap credit masks how poor people really are. If credit were eliminated tomorrow, and people had to pay off their debt, there would be a revolution.

  10. #55
    Deity ★ Persona Legend of Josh's Avatar
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    Default Re: Very disturbing charts on the wealth imbalance in USA

    Quote Originally Posted by -playmaker-
    I've been to almost every major city in this country...
    Having said that, it's quite sad you haven't really learned much from your experiences. I have no beef with you man. In certain facets, you're knowledgeable and quite intelligent at times, but in most you're purely clueless and incredibly small minded. I'm not trying to offend you; I just wish you'd realize going to your local mall and seeing people using iPhones doesn't equate to USA having an extravagant middle class.

  11. #56
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    Default Re: Very disturbing charts on the wealth imbalance in USA

    Quote Originally Posted by Legend of Josh
    You are so fu[COLOR="Black"]k[/COLOR]'n clueless it's not even laughable anymore; it's transitioned into sad.
    most of this country is spoiled...if you don't understand that then it is you that is clueless...

    poor you on your computer, being held down by the man...

    take a trip to Mexico...then $80k might seem like a lot to you...

  12. #57
    Local High School Star PHX_Phan's Avatar
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    Default Re: Very disturbing charts on the wealth imbalance in USA

    Quote Originally Posted by -playmaker-
    most of this country is spoiled...if you don't understand that then it is you that is clueless...

    poor you on your computer, being held down by the man...

    take a trip to Mexico...then $80k might seem like a lot to you...
    Borrowing doesn't make anybody spoiled.

  13. #58
    The Paterfamilias RedBlackAttack's Avatar
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    Default Re: Very disturbing charts on the wealth imbalance in USA

    Quote Originally Posted by crosso√er
    Dude it's the evolution of technology. Today it's all about knowledge-based economy; people go to school not for craftsmanship anymore but for knowledge-based jobs like Accounting, Law & Medicine. Machines are taking over...

    Labor is diminishing; it's the evolution in technology that is killing the middle-class from opportunities to make money. A CEO makes this much because he's responsible for running billion dollar companies and maximizing stakeholder value; that in turn gives back to the community through huge tax payouts.
    It isn't just that the economy is 'knowledge based' and the other kind of workers are no longer needed. Our country is still filled with companies that need things manufactured... Literally filled with them.

    The problem is that trade agreements in the last 30 years like NAFTA have completely killed the industrial base in this country and, while we do use a lot of 'stuff,' almost none of that stuff is produced here. That means that a CEO will move his entire workforce out of the country and to India or China because it is slightly more cost-efficient.

    The result of this is a greater bottom-line and a higher stock price, but that money only goes one place... To the top of the company. The few pennies that they do throw these workers in other countries do not even re-circulate in the US. The lack of tariffs and the existence of these trade agreements help one group of people... The super, super rich... The people at the top of these massive corporations.

    The jobs that unskilled workers used to be able to do and support a family are totally gone. That money that those employees used to bring home in America and re-circulate on things like house payments, furniture, car payments, etc. is gone, as well.

    It doesn't just impact the unskilled workers... College graduates might work in human resources or in PR departments for these big corporations, but they have literally cut back on everything now that there is no manufacturing taking place in this country anymore.

    I mean, why do you need a human resources department if your human resources are in India?

    The death of the middle class happened when the tariffs were thrown away, trade agreements signed and manufacturing fled so that CEOs could make 500x the average worker instead of 30x.
    Last edited by RedBlackAttack; 02-28-2011 at 10:05 PM.

  14. #59
    NBA Legend RoseCity07's Avatar
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    Default Re: Very disturbing charts on the wealth imbalance in USA

    Thank Bush and the republicans that have ruined this country. They are on the wrong side of every issue.

  15. #60
    -retired ISH HOFer- -playmaker-'s Avatar
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    Default Re: Very disturbing charts on the wealth imbalance in USA

    Quote Originally Posted by PHX_Phan
    Borrowing doesn't make anybody spoiled.
    where the money came from means nothing in terms of being spoiled...

    if you make $80k a year, and are still leaving out of yor means, it doesn't mean you aren't spoiled, it just means you aren't good with money...

    a 5 year old can be spoiled...

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