Galt's Gulch
13

The poor vs. the rich in the USA

Posted by dbhalling 9 years, 3 months ago to Economics
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Yes capitalism makes the poor poorer
SOURCE URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkebmhTQN-4

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    Posted by richrobinson 9 years, 3 months ago
    An interesting thought. What if Obama told the recipients of a government hand out to thank ONE taxpayer for what they have. I can imagine what the reaction would be.
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    • Posted by cowboynuclear 9 years, 3 months ago
      Definitely. I could see it akin to either the "Thank You" letters that 4H students have to pen before receiving their auction money (which are quite good, because the kids are thankful and are receiving money on something they did to earn it (although way overboard vs the work generally)) on the good side, to "thanks for not sucking like a typical capalist pig" on the other. :-)
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  • Posted by $ MichaelAarethun 9 years, 3 months ago
    I used to be on track for middle class on the economic scale. Then along came the Clinton- Bush-Obama years. I found my carefully planned for retirement with a big fudge factor or inflation and unplanned occurrences disappear. Social Security I'd always NOT considered in the mix. I used to call it fun money.

    Then in the last eight years I went back to work and finished at age 65 in an effort to increase social security. It worked. It is now 50% of my retirement income.

    But I found myself in the upper lower economic class with no cushion. It had all gone to inflation and devaluation and in the case of my main retirement and benefits (military) a form of debt repudiation. No part of retirement benefits and pay has not been cut or denied.

    What to do? Move south where I rejoined the middle class economically speaking.

    Since doing so the exchange rate has gone from 12.1 to 16.5 pesos per US Dollar or a thirty plus percent increase in buying power which nicely offset the loss in buying power thanks to the aforementioned administrations.

    I also noted that the intentional mismanagement of the economy did not result in that buying power loss being added into the COLA.

    Whatever your plans were and no matter how much of a cushion with this batch in charge don't double or triple consider quadrupling your retirement.

    There is an affordable and a safe haven to the south if you are not i the immediate (50 miles) of the border.

    Or get a job at WalMart.

    The poor got richer but the price was paid for by the middle class. Also I never met a millionaire who didn't provide jobs. Except perhaps Comrade Pelosillyni.

    Extra tips. Do NOT bank at BankAmerica. Do not vote Republican or Democrat. Unless you are in the bottom half or the top 1%.



    Safe...by a hair of my chinny chin chin.
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    • Posted by dbhalling 9 years, 3 months ago
      What happened in 2008 was not capitalism. And Clinton, Bush, and Obama did not support capitalism. So don't blame capitalism for the shit that happened in the US economy.

      We also made the same decision as you, but it was not because of capitalism, it was because a lack of capitalism.
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      • Posted by $ MichaelAarethun 9 years, 3 months ago
        I was fairly sure I didn't mention capitalism or worse the oxymoron unfettered capitalism and if it somehow seemed that way the opposite - as you stated - is correct.

        2008 was an easily forecast example of just the opposite and might be properly termed unfettered government in collusion with some other elementsl

        On the other hand that dotted lines are getting a bit confusing

        Either way I wanted to ensure it was cleared that up should it be read that way.

        2008 was a much enlarged recreation of 1974 (gas crisis.) There was nothing unintentional about it.
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  • Posted by $ WilliamShipley 9 years, 3 months ago
    I've long thought, and commented, that the incredible rise in standards of living for the poor in America is the reason that so much hype is given to income inequality. You can't complain about the conditions of the poor if they are well off.

    And you have to complain about something if you want people to give you power to fix it.
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    • Posted by coaldigger 9 years, 3 months ago
      Very true. I would add that WE THE PEOPLE buy into this by voting for professional politicians. Why don't we vote for bankers, engineers, teachers, farmers and producers of goods and services and not the excess supply of lawyers created by draft dodging during the Vietnam war?
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  • Posted by $ MichaelAarethun 9 years, 3 months ago
    Helluva an idea. I'm all for excluding professional politicians in general and lawyers specifically. The business of the nation is too important to leave those with a track record of failure. Getting decent people involved is a very smart move.

    Start at the bottom and apply to all levels by automatically not voting for Republicans and Democrats. If they were worthy candidates they wouldn't be card carrying members of the Government Party.
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    • Posted by cowboynuclear 9 years, 3 months ago
      I've often wondered about representation similar to jury duty, but hopefully without the stigma or tendency for picking soap watchers. Pick 10 people randomly out of whatever group is being represented and they go through "primary" (cut to 3-5) and "general" (final choice) process.
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      • Posted by $ MichaelAarethun 9 years, 3 months ago
        I still think of jury duty as one of the ways to vote.

        1. Regular Ballots Vote for, against or not at all and not only adding none of the above

        2. Voting for or against a law (jury duty) Using the Heidi Fleiss trials. No on the charge of income tax evasion because it is. No on the criminal charge as if is not a victimless crime how come the perp walked and the victem was convicted?

        3. Voting for or against a potential conflict by enlisting or not enlisting (partially available to men only) until the draft is activated)

        4. part of #1 the recall and initiative for the non slave states that have that ability.
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        5. With an end user consumption tax instead of an income tax voting by spending or not spending but that would require government to live within it's means. Fat chance.

        But One through four are all ways of voting.
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  • Posted by johnpe1 9 years, 3 months ago
    Thank You, Dale, for posting this! . if we just had capitalism,
    the poor would be getting richer at a rate Way Beyond
    that which is already happening now. . If They Only Knew. -- j
    .
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  • Posted by gaiagal 9 years, 3 months ago
    It is sad to me that people, I know rather well, do not display gratitude toward the unseen and unknown who are helping them. They have, however, expressed, strongly, that those who are "more fortunate" have a duty to help those with less - regardless of why others may have less. It also is interesting that those being helped appear to believe the state of others being "more fortunate" is dependent on luck rather than the consequences of decision making. I guess they are being fair in that respect since the people I know who are "down in their luck" don't ever attribute their own state of affairs to be a result of the consequences of their own decision making.
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    • Posted by RevJay4 9 years, 3 months ago
      Absolutely agree. Choices made early in life can certainly result in a person's present situation. Its all about choices.
      "More fortunate" or "luck" have nothing to do with it. That is just an excuse used by some to remove their responsibility for where they are in life. And, I do not feel a duty to help them at all.
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      • Posted by gaiagal 9 years, 3 months ago
        Same. A very unpopular stance in a family of poor decision makers...but I learned that helping encourages the continuation of bad decisions and the helper is often punished by the one being helped for having helped. An odd phenomenon that I have seen occur too many times to think that there is no relationship.
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        • Posted by RevJay4 9 years, 2 months ago
          This a common result of helping others, not every time, but enough to show a causal relationship.
          In a job I had at one time, I dealt with welfare folks and the phenomenon was almost always present when they talked about their benefits. Glad to leave that job.
          Did it with relatives with the same result. Don't do that anymore, either.
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  • Posted by ObjectiveAnalyst 9 years, 3 months ago
    Hello dbhalling,
    Thank you for presenting this video.
    There is no gratitude or perspective.. only endless envy and those that profit politically by its exploitation.
    Regards,
    O.A.
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  • Posted by term2 9 years, 3 months ago
    In with straight shooting trump. Out with self-serving and evasive Hillary and Obama If trump would just tell us how it is, I would give him 4 yrs as president. Out with pelosi and Reid. One term for everyone.
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