[vision-master]

Ha, you haven't met me yet have you..... lol

Think of the movie 'Clearcut' my friend.

[pup55]

Well, it is quite true that the inflation adjusted income for the bottom 3 pentiles of the US economy has gone down since 1971, the year we hit PO. So, there has been an underlying draining of the economy for two generations, and it is continuing at a rate of 3-5% of GDP depending on how you do the calculation, and add another 4% of gdp for the military to defend our oil supply chain.

There are plenty of underlying structural problems, the big one of which is that because of globalization, low wage workers in other crazy lands, who do not have the same cost of living issues that we do are doing the formerly US middle class jobs, and even some slightly higher level jobs such as writing software code and certain engineering functions.

http://www.thechinaexpat.com/factory-wo ... ough-life/

In their crazy countries they can work for $4 per day because they have subsidized housing, food and medical.... surely we would not subsidize medical in this country...nor any of this other stuff, right? That would be socialism.

It is also quite true that in the US the Depression generation did find ways to cope with this type of situation. They worked, lived below their means, deferred consumption (that is, saved) and passed up on the Red Lobster... or any lobster.

Maybe it comes down to what your expectations are. There are a certain group of people right now who can live cheaply in the US, work like dogs, get a roommate or two, and accumulate a little bit of savings for a rainy day. I guess nothing is guaranteed. When the conditions get to be such that nobody can do it, then we really do have a problem.

[Pretorian]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('ian807', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Pretorian', 'A')t what age did you obtain your degrees, and what kind of a job you had in mind while doing so, if you don't mind me asking? What kind of skills have you obtained that could be worth something to your employer? I know, you passed the exams, I get it. What can you do?

[beamofthewave]

Isnt shredding for the 1%, they get in trouble from bad decisions and all taxpayers get to bail them out, 8 trillion went out in one evening from the federal reserve to recap European banks. Makes me sick, maybe if the gov stopped bailing out the 1% I would listen to those who complain about hard times falling on my fellow citizens. No hard times for the 1%, the rest of us are just livestock to be milked by them.

[EnergyUnlimited]

So do they really consider take home earnings of $ 25000 per year to be a "poverty line"?
As long as one don't have debt, these are pretty decent money to live on.

Certainly there is no way enough of poverty between those "poor".
There are actually quite rich "poor" peoples living in America
Plenty of room for austerity still...

In my books:

1. Poor enough to be considered "poor" comes at $ 5000 per year (or $ 10 000 for couple with 2 kids).

2. Global standard "poor" comes at < $ 1000 per year (these are poor peoples often shown in TV and we have about 2-3 billions of these worldwide).

So Americans getting $ 25 000 per year are really rich peoples.
They should be very happy to be so rich and certainly not grumble about poverty.
They should party and enjoy while Empire lasts, it can only get worst in the future.

[Pretorian]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('beamofthewave', 'I')snt shredding for the 1%, they get in trouble from bad decisions and all taxpayers get to bail them out, 8 trillion went out in one evening from the federal reserve to recap European banks.

[vision-master]

What is producing of value?

[Cog]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('vision-master', 'Y')ou can see the attitude right here on this 4um. Every man for himself.

[vision-master]

The path to Love

Worry for others

Pray for everyone

Give your blessings to one and all

Listen to those who YOU have cast away

Watch over those in need

Forgive your transgressors

Work towards a brighter future


vm

[Duende]

AgentR11 wrote:
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', '.')..expect medicaid to get really clamped down on in a way that makes current tightening look very gentle; expect SS to be means tested vs assets and income, expect medicare premiums strongly to rise for any service that could be seen as optional.

[vision-master]

It may impact those under age 55?

[ColossalContrarian]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Pretorian', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Unconventional Ideas', 'S')peaking of education as the key to avoid poverty, let me tell you about myself.

I have an MBA, an MA from Purdue University, am a former Air Force officer, owned a successful carpet cleaning business for 18 years, and am now at the age of 49, a janitor working for $10 an hour.

That is one of the reasons I'm an activist with the Occupy Movement.

Perhaps there are others like me????

Now's the time for all of us to come out of the closet.

[Pretorian]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('vision-master', '[')i]The path to Love

Worry for others

Pray for everyone

Give your blessings to one and all

Listen to those who YOU have cast away

Watch over those in need

Forgive your transgressors

Work towards a brighter future


vm

[vision-master]

an give free money to me. lol

[The Practician]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('vision-master', 'Y')ou can see the attitude right here on this 4um. Every man for himself.

[AgentR11]

fwiw, my scorn is almost solely aimed at MBA toters thinking they have an anointed right to a good job.

Of all educated members of society, presuming they were actually taught and mastered business management, accounting, and economics material, a toter of an MBA should have no trouble understanding what is going on, and how to make a decent living (if not opulent) during this period. I have plenty of sympathy for the high school grad, or holder of soft/art degree who is overwhelmed and confused by the unimaginably huge, systemic reset that is underway right now. I can't do much to help them, and only have the weakest of advice to offer in that they should find a way to live small and seek contentedness outside of financial reward.

But an MBA ????
H*** no. Sink or Soar.
Wheat from the chaff my good man.

[vtsnowedin]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('AgentR11', 'F')irst note, did anyone do a double take at the overall price of the home those guys chose to purchase? I would never say that they don't have the right to make such a decision, but *dang*, I can't imagine being comfortable with that sized mortgage on the kind of income they are drawing.

.

[Outcast_Searcher]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Cog', '@')Unconventional

Since you had all these successes, how much money did you save up while you were on the gravy train? Sounds like you spent every bit of it and are now you want someone to bail you out of your unpleasant situation.

[gollum]

Unless it's a field like engineering high level degrees are very over rated. I think going forward "tradesmen" will do well along with people who have degrees that lead directly to a job (nurses, police, machinists, maybe teachers). Vague degrees with a lot of letters behind your name won't be all that important, and honestly maybe they shouldn't be. How much real good have MBA day traders and quality improvement experts really done for the country?

[AgentR11]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('vtsnowedin', 'I') don't know about that. If they have a five percent mortgage, fixed rate, their payments would by about a thousand a month plus another three hundred or so for property taxes. I doubt you can rent anything decent in that area for that, large enough to house a family of four.