[snakeoil]

Goodbye American middle class: New report reveals that 62 percent of Americans earn $20 or less per hour. Household income stuck in neutral for a generation.

http://www.mybudget360.com/goodbye-amer ... old-wages/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[brandon]

81 million jobs that pay $20 or less. And home ownership is declining. Sounds right. Those folks cannot support a household properly and shouldn't own a home.

livable wages are being neglected for fast profits

Well, just have the Empire force employers to pay errbuddy a liveable $50 an hour wage. That would work right? ....Or, we can have the Empire confiscate the profits of business owners and handout cash or checks to errbuddy who wants their own home.

^^^That's my plan! You like?

[brandon]

Americans in the past were able to build up wealth in housing but that avenue is being closed off thanks to Wall Street and the Fed turning this market into another speculative vehicle.

Most people that I know who cannot afford or qualify for a mortgage also blame the government and banks for their lack of personal achievement and responsible financial decisions. Almost all of them have a shiny new car and the latest IPhone. I think we have all just witnessed what happens when irresponsible people are given a mortgage. Remember this is also the generation that thinks the drive thru window at McDonalds should be a career.

So let the herd be thinned.

[RealJustme]

Goodbye American middle class: New report reveals that 62 percent of Americans earn $20 or less per hour. Household income stuck in neutral for a generation.

Earnings have gone down for everyone but the rich under Obama, he can't bring the poor into the middle class so he's bringing the middle class into the poor ranks just like any other socialist leader. He calls it income equality.

[johnforbes]

It all goes back to Obama's vision of America.

Obama never had to work hard. He spent his teen years playing basketball and puffing pot.

Obama played the 1/2 black card to the max, getting affirmative action to college and everything else, including the presidency.

Obama has been president 5 years, but his SAT and LSAT scores remain secret.

His goal is to use affirmative action and federal socialism to hurt all non-minority successful people and to make millions more depend on federal handouts.

[Benny]

Capitalism rewards capital. There is a risk, but it is certainly no surprise that wealth accumulation concentrates with people who have the most. Not with the working people they manipulate for profit. That's what revolutions are for. The founders knew that.

The current American middle class is the weakest, dumbest group of uneducated, greedy, self absorbed slobs America has ever seen. They deserve what's coming.

[RealJustme]

The current American middle class is the weakest, dumbest group of uneducated, greedy, self absorbed slobs America has ever seen. They deserve what's coming.

See, I told you liberals are at war with the working middle class.

[Benny]

The majority of the American middle class is a house of cards. They are living and functioning in debt they should never have been given and can not and will not ever pay for. They and their bloodsucker creditors are responsible for the greatest harm to the American economy.

As you say JM, let that sink in.

[RealJustme]

The majority of the American middle class is a house of cards. They are living and functioning in debt they should never have been given and can not and will not ever pay for. They and their bloodsucker creditors are responsible for the greatest harm to the American economy.

Without the middle class occupy movement members wouldn't have any parent's basements to sleep in or Obamaphones to txt each other about the evils of the working class.

[johnforbes]

Benny, ponder this.

Half a century ago, investing was the province of the affluent.

401s, muni bond funds, money market funds, index funds, IRAs, Roth IRAs, low-ER no-load funds...these things did not exist.

Now one might have a good debate about whether defined benefit pension plans were better than defined contribution pension plans, but the fact remains that millions of ordinary Americans are now investors when they could not have been in the 1950s and 1960s.

[Benny]

but the fact remains that millions of ordinary Americans are now investors when they could not have been in the 1950s and 1960s.

And then we read posts like Snakeoil's that demonstrates that the middle class is shrinking, losing their homes and earning meager wages. My bet would be that those same over extended "middle class" folks are losing their ass to bloodsucker shell games with money they never had to begin with.

You know, being amateur investors and all.

You seem to be full of shit.

[RealJustme]

And then we read posts like Snakeoil's that demonstrates that the middle class is shrinking, losing their homes and earning meager wages. My bet would be that those same over extended "middle class" folks are losing their ass to bloodsucker shell games with money they never had to begin with.

Brings Obamacare to mind, in fact everything Obama has done. The mindless occupy wallstreet tools should be on the steps of the White House but they burned themselves out and now are in their parents' basements wondering why it stinks so bad.

[snakeoil]

I mentioned a while ago that I use this board as recreation not fact or education. reading the posts to this thread proves that statement.

1. The middle class has been declining since the mid-seventies. Justme-I dont' think Obama was elected in the seventies so he could not be responsible for ALL of the decline.

2. This thread is a perfect chance to discuss what is happening to our American way of life. Instead, it is used to bash Obama while his administration has had little to do with this problem.

3. The loss of American manufacturing jobs appears to be the main culprit here but the members have missed that point and have chosen to advance their own political agenda.

4. I feel Clinton started our decline with the NAFTA Agreement. This started the jobs leaving America. Subsequent trade agreements have escalated the loss of jobs.

5. The members posting replies have missed the part of the article that mentioned the $20 dollar figure. $20 might just be a fair wage for the jobs available now as the skilled manufacturing jobs are gone and only semi-skilled jobs are the norm..

6. I feel that one of the main reasons for the decline of America is that we have the best government that money can buy. Think about it-is there any current politician that you would trust to run the country alone? Is there any politician that you feel is the perfect representative of the people?

[RealJustme]

1. The middle class has been declining since the mid-seventies. Justme-I dont' think Obama was elected in the seventies so he could not be responsible for ALL of the decline.

I agree but he's done more damage to the middle class than any recent President and he still has over two years to do more damages. Our current economy is much, much worse than it appears, Obama has been pumping borrowed money at an unheard of pace, that pumping can't continue, all Obama is concerned about is making it through his Presidency, let the next President worry about all the bills and the financial bubble that will burst. Got gold?

[snakeoil]

Justme you're incorrigible. What are you going to do when Hillary becomes Madam President? (LOL)

[RealJustme]

Justme you're incorrigible. What are you going to do when Hillary becomes Madam President? (LOL)

As much as I dislike the lying greedy bitch, I don't believe she hates America as Obama does. Her damages will be through incompetence not intent.

[Benny]

He's not crazy Snake, and you are correct that we have lost ground, or stagnated. We have also gained ground. As I have said before capitalism rewards capital. In other words, when the gettin' is good for them, it's good for us. What's bad for us is when they, through "our" elected officials deregulate everything and ship every decent job that we have fought for to a third world shit hole in the name of profit and run a global Ponzi scheme with their billions.

Now that they've blown and busted every bubble they could, (credit, home equity, real estate, stimulus, QE, etc.) the real correction is going to take place. It's that simple man. We'll all keep struggling. But there is no grand solution. If you have one post it. Or point to it.

Fuck every single one of them where they breathe.

[RealJustme]

Now that they've blown and busted every bubble they could,

The largest bubble of all time hasn't been busted yet and when it does...chaos.

https://www.google.com/search?q=debt+bu ... B276%3B300" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[johnforbes]

It is simply factual to say that, half a century ago, investing was the province of the affluent.

401s, muni bond funds, money market funds, index funds, IRAs, Roth IRAs, low-ER no-load funds...these things did not exist.

Investing has been tremendously democratized.

[sillydaddy]

The middle class has been declining since the mid-seventies. Justme-I dont' think Obama was elected in the seventies so he could not be responsible for ALL of the decline. ~~ snake

Obama is to blame for the continued decline. We are fast becoming a nation of waiters and custodians. Obama conned his way into the Presidency with promises of job creation and economic growth. Only promise he kept is that things got worse. When his Presidency ends America will have wasted another 8 years with no solution.

[snakeoil]

A question. I wonder how many out there feel as I do, that the USA that existed in the 60's, 70's, 80's is gone forever and that we must adapt to the new reality until we come to our national sensibilites. We must grow more of our own food, rely less on credit cards, keep our cars longer, reuse-recycle-make do, concentrate more on local problems and economies and live locally, barter and work in the underground economy, create mini-nations in our neighborhoods-counties-states, watch out for and help others more than we do now.

[RealJustme]

A question. I wonder how many out there feel as I do, that the USA that existed in the 60's, 70's, 80's is gone forever and that we must adapt to the new reality until we come to our national sensibilites.

Yep, the bigger the Government the more the people have to be prepared to rely upon ourselves. If you care to notice the larger the Government the larger the elite class.

Our current Government is all about gaining more power and control of the little people so the elite are not disturbed.

[snakeoil]

Justme. Big government, while undesirable, is not the total problem. Just look at SS. It used to be a retirement plan for the masses. Then it was expanded to cover disabled, children, etc. Prisoners can even get SS. (I once saw the amount of money sent to prisoners and it was astonding.) We should use the sunset priciple on money bills more often, ei. Set a time in the future for the bill to die. It seems that any benefit legislation takes on a life of its own and grows and grows.

[johnforbes]

Yes, SS has grown tremendously from its original mandate.

Widows were added, then kids, and disability, and for a long time SSA was administering pneumoconiosis (black lung) cases before those were shifted to Dept of Labor.

America, the country which was great in the 1950s and 1960s, is totally gone.

Today, the military is headed down to pre-WW II size.

There are 48 million on food stamps, 11 million on SS disability, 12.7 percent U-6 unemployment, 12 million illegal immigrants, and nobody -- Left, Right, or Center -- still says or believes America is the great country it once was.

[snakeoil]

John, our military can use some trimming. The Air Force is now testing a new unmanned drone that costs $30 million each. $30 million? Really? How many are they going to order? We are building hundreds of tanks and shipping them to the desert for storage because Congress wants to keep the jobs flowing. ($4 to $7 million apiece.) The Air Force is taking delivery of the C-27J and immediately shipping them to the desert for storage. (http://www.military.com/daily-news/2013 ... d.htmlhttp" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;) The Air Force didn't want the expensive C-27J ($29 million) because the C-130 will do the same job cheaper. The old Global Hawk drone has been stopped from being mothballed by Congress because they want to keep the jobs. This is just the tip of the iceberg.

[RealJustme]

The military is used as a milk cow by politicians to reward those they owe for keeping them in office. Numerous times military brass has said they don't need, nor want certain expensive pieces of equipment that they are forced to take. They are also forced to keep certain military posts open even though the military brass says they're not needed. The real problem is our politicians are owned by the elite class who keep peons in their place. The larger the Government, the larger the elite class and smaller the middle class.

[snakeoil]

This sums it up great.

McWages for the McAmerica job recovery: The scorecard – 3.6 million higher-wage jobs lost due to recession with only 2.6 million added back. 2 million lower-wage jobs lost during recession but 3.8 million added since the recovery.

http://www.mybudget360.com/mcwage-low-w ... -low-wage/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[RealJustme]

Obama has kept part of his promise...level the playfield concerning wages. He's brought the middle class down closer to the working poor.

[johnforbes]

The military could use some wise trimming, not just trimming.

There's a ton of staff bloat in the Pentagon, and getting rid of the A-10 is absurd.

There are many decisions, such as changing from the 45 or trading out the M-14, which were very dubious in terms of cost, power, and reliability.

For winter hiking and camping, I wear ECWS apparel which remains perfectly functional.

All that aside, reducing the military to pre-WW II levels is preposterous.

Churchill and JFK wrote books on England sleeping in terms of military preparation and all it cost them in WW II.