 |
| |
|
|
Sava
|
 |
GO GO GO!
Mar 2001
time: 23:30
|
|
quote:
Published on Thursday, September 4, 2003 by CommonDreams.org
The Collapse of the Middle Class
by Representative Bernie Sanders (VT)
The corporate media doesn't talk about it much, but the United States is rapidly on its way to becoming three separate nations.
First, there are a small number of incredibly wealthy people who own and control more and more of our country. Second, there is a shrinking middle class in which ordinary people are, in most instances, working longer hours for lower wages and benefits. Third, an increasing number of Americans are living in abject poverty - going hungry and sleeping out on the streets.
There has always been a wealthy elite in this country, and there has always been a gap between the rich and the poor. But the disparities in wealth and income that currently exist in this country have not been seen in over a hundred years. Today, the richest one percent own more wealth than the bottom ninety-five percent, and the CEOs of large corporations earn more than 500 times what their average employees make. The nation's 13,000 wealthiest families, 1/100th of one percent of the population, receive almost as much income as the poorest 20 million families in America.
While the rich get richer and receive huge tax breaks from the White House, the middle class is struggling to keep its head above water. The unemployment rate rose to a nine-year high of 6.4 percent in June, 2003. There are now 9.4 million unemployed, up more than 3 million since just before Bush became President. Since March, 2001, we have lost over 2.7 million jobs in the private sector, including two million decent-paying manufacturing jobs - ten percent of our manufacturing sector. Frighteningly, the hemorrhaging of decent paying jobs is now moving into the white-collar sector. Forrester Research Inc. predicts that at least 3.3 million information technology jobs will be lost to low-wage countries by 2015 with the expansion of digitization, the internet and high-speed data networks.
But understanding the pain and anxiety of the middle class requires going beyond the unemployment numbers. There are tens of millions of fully employed Americans who today earn, in inflation adjusted-dollars, less money than they received 30 years ago. In 1973, private-sector workers in the United States were paid on average $9.08 an hour. Today, in real wages, they are paid $8.33 per hour - more than 8 percent lower. Manufacturing jobs that once paid a living wage are now being done in China, Mexico and other low-wage countries as corporate America ships its plants abroad.
With Wal-Mart replacing General Motors as our largest employer, many workers in the service economy not only earn low wages but also receive minimal benefits. Further, as the cost of health insurance and prescription drugs soar, more and more employers are forcing workers to assume a greater percentage of their health care costs. It is not uncommon now that increases in health care costs surpass the wage increases that workers receive - leaving them even further behind. With the support of the Bush Administration many companies are also reducing the pensions they promised to their older workers - threatening the retirement security of millions of Americans.
One of the manifestations of the collapse of the middle class is the increased number of hours that Americans are now forced to work in order to pay the bills. Today, the average American employee works, by far, the longest hours of any worker in the industrialized world. And the situation is getting worse. According to statistics from the International Labor Organization the average American last year worked 1,978 hours, up from 1,942 hours in 1990 - an increase of almost a week of work. We are now putting more hours into our work than at any time since the 1920s. Sixty-five years after the formal establishment of the 40-hour work week under the Fair Labor Standards Act, almost 40% of Americans now work more than 50 hours a week.
And if the middle class is having it tough, what about the 33 million people in our society who are living in poverty, up 1.3 million in the past two years? What about the 11 million trying to make it on a pathetic minimum wage of $5.15 an hour? What about the 42 million who lack any health insurance? What about the 3.5 million people who will experience homelessness in this year, 1.3 million of them children? What about the elderly who can't afford the outrageously high cost of the prescription drugs they need? What about the veterans who are on VA waiting lists for their health care?
This country needs to radically rethink our national priorities. The middle class is the backbone of America and it cannot be allowed to disintegrate. We need to revitalize American democracy, and create a political climate where government makes decisions which reflect the needs of all the people, and not just wealthy campaign contributors. We need to see the middle class expand, not collapse.
http://www.commondreams.org/views03/0904-01.htm
|
What is happening to America? In terms of labor standards, we are regressing to the 19th Century, and the concentration of wealth is flowing upwards at an unbelievable rate. Although Republican policies are doing the most damage, the Clinton years weren't much different. How much worse will it get before things get better?
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Soul Survivor
|
|
UChicago
May 2003
time: 05:30
|
|
quote:
Originally posted by Sava
Bush is only mentioned twice, and hardly the focus of the article. Did you actually read it or are you just leveying an ignorant, blanket dismissal? Care to debate any of the points? I thought not. |
oh no in general I agree with the article, but its primary purpose is anti-Bush
|
|
| |
|
|
|
yavoon
|
|
as we fall farther away from truer capiatalism and more towards oligopoly its obvious power/wealth will concentrate. the rate of large corporate mergers is rapid.
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Soul Survivor
|
|
UChicago
May 2003
time: 05:30
|
|
quote:
First, there are a small number of incredibly wealthy people who own and control more and more of our country. Second, there is a shrinking middle class in which ordinary people are, in most instances, working longer hours for lower wages and benefits. Third, an increasing number of Americans are living in abject poverty - going hungry and sleeping out on the streets. |
A little extreme, but the upper-middle class does have the largest tax burden.
quote:
There has always been a wealthy elite in this country, and there has always been a gap between the rich and the poor. But the disparities in wealth and income that currently exist in this country have not been seen in over a hundred years. Today, the richest one percent own more wealth than the bottom ninety-five percent, and the CEOs of large corporations earn more than 500 times what their average employees make. The nation's 13,000 wealthiest families, 1/100th of one percent of the population, receive almost as much income as the poorest 20 million families in America. |
This also has to do with population dynamics. Generally wealthier Americans have less children therefore there will be fewer of them. Right now the only reason the US population is growing is because of immigration. And in general poorer families have more children, particularly the one's looking to gain citizenship. So if you removed all first generation immigrants the numbers wouldn't be as drastic. If you look hard enough you can find the numbers to prove anything.
quote:
While the rich get richer and receive huge tax breaks from the White House, the middle class is struggling to keep its head above water. The unemployment rate rose to a nine-year high of 6.4 percent in June, 2003. There are now 9.4 million unemployed, up more than 3 million since just before Bush became President. Since March, 2001, we have lost over 2.7 million jobs in the private sector, including two million decent-paying manufacturing jobs - ten percent of our manufacturing sector. Frighteningly, the hemorrhaging of decent paying jobs is now moving into the white-collar sector. Forrester Research Inc. predicts that at least 3.3 million information technology jobs will be lost to low-wage countries by 2015 with the expansion of digitization, the internet and high-speed data networks. |
Unemployment isn't necessarily a bad thing. This paragraph is blatently anti-Bush. Yes corporations have been downsizin, but September 11th has had an impact on a large number of industries. Airlines fire people, cut back on orders, manufacturers suffer, their suppliers suffer etc. Whoever said the "trickle down" method doesn't work.
quote:
But understanding the pain and anxiety of the middle class requires going beyond the unemployment numbers. |
I just had to quote this seperately, this is where the article fully becomes political trash.
quote:
There are tens of millions of fully employed Americans who today earn, in inflation adjusted-dollars, less money than they received 30 years ago. In 1973, private-sector workers in the United States were paid on average $9.08 an hour. Today, in real wages, they are paid $8.33 per hour - more than 8 percent lower. Manufacturing jobs that once paid a living wage are now being done in China, Mexico and other low-wage countries as corporate America ships its plants abroad. |
Its no secret you need more of an education to get a job in the US, the money and means for people to get better jobs are available if they want to work for it.
quote:
With Wal-Mart replacing General Motors as our largest employer, many workers in the service economy not only earn low wages but also receive minimal benefits. Further, as the cost of health insurance and prescription drugs soar, more and more employers are forcing workers to assume a greater percentage of their health care costs. It is not uncommon now that increases in health care costs surpass the wage increases that workers receive - leaving them even further behind. With the support of the Bush Administration many companies are also reducing the pensions they promised to their older workers - threatening the retirement security of millions of Americans. |
Blame Hillary for the Health Care system, not Bush. Don't even get me started on this. People in poor health are living too long, thank you McDonalds.
quote:
One of the manifestations of the collapse of the middle class is the increased number of hours that Americans are now forced to work in order to pay the bills. Today, the average American employee works, by far, the longest hours of any worker in the industrialized world. And the situation is getting worse. According to statistics from the International Labor Organization the average American last year worked 1,978 hours, up from 1,942 hours in 1990 - an increase of almost a week of work. We are now putting more hours into our work than at any time since the 1920s. Sixty-five years after the formal establishment of the 40-hour work week under the Fair Labor Standards Act, almost 40% of Americans now work more than 50 hours a week. |
Again, numbers to prove anything. I know people who work 50 hours a week, but I'm sure a good number of those people have pretty well paying jobs.
quote:
And if the middle class is having it tough, what about the 33 million people in our society who are living in poverty, up 1.3 million in the past two years? |
I'm sure those 33 million people live better than 90% of people in Somalia.
quote:
What about the 11 million trying to make it on a pathetic minimum wage of $5.15 an hour? |
Bad luck, poor decisions, some people will never live a better life than this - that's life. Raising the min wage to $6 or whatever won't change that.
quote:
What about the 42 million who lack any health insurance? |
I don't have health insurance.
quote:
What about the 3.5 million people who will experience homelessness in this year, 1.3 million of them children? |
"Won't someone please think of the children!" This is more of a problem in society, people who have children they don't want, aren't ready to have or simply don't care for. People should have to pass a competency test before having a child, or voting, or walking into a fast food restaurant, or smoking for 25 years and demanding treatment for lung cancer because they can't afford it.
quote:
What about the elderly who can't afford the outrageously high cost of the prescription drugs they need? |
So the government has to pay for everything now?
quote:
What about the veterans who are on VA waiting lists for their health care? |
I sympathize much more with veterans, they fought for their country, they should get better treatment.
quote:
This country needs to radically rethink our national priorities. The middle class is the backbone of America and it cannot be allowed to disintegrate. We need to revitalize American democracy, and create a political climate where government makes decisions which reflect the needs of all the people, and not just wealthy campaign contributors. We need to see the middle class expand, not collapse. |
In the words of a 1950's anti-communist propaganda video.... "If you don't like it, you can just geeeeeet out."
Last edited by Soul Survivor on 05-09-2003 at 22:56
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
|
mrmitchell
|
|
You know, I force neocons to do it, so in the interest of fairness, Sava:
Summary?
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
|
Kuciwalker
|
 |
of Schmooism
Feb 2001
time: 00:30
|
|
quote:
Originally posted by Haupt. Dietrich
Everyday when I leave the safety of my home I see more and more rich people in my travels.
I see more and more people driving BMW's, Mercedes, etc. wearing Rolex's and really living the good life.
Then I turn on the news and listen to how some CEO embezzled millions while he laid off the average Joe who could barely support his wife and kids.
I definately see the gap growing between the very rich and very poor everyday here in the USA. And the rich people act so spoiled and arrogant. You know I never used to believe in KOMUNISMA but I can honestly see what Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels were talking about now.
Let's take away the wealth from the evil rich people and redestribute it to the nation. No one person should have a billion dollars and still have the gaul to want more. |
First, it's "gall". "Gaul" refers to a race of people that used to live in France (all I know about them). 
Anyway, those are some of the stupidest, most inane ideas I've ever heard (and I have two little brothers - twins  ). Why am I obligated to give money I earned to someone else because they need it more? I recieve money in return for a commodity - my labor. If my labor is more valuable, then I will recieve more money. The value of my labor varies based on the same rules as any other commodity - supply and demand. Now, as I am recieving money for my labor, why should I then have to provide this money to someone with greater need for it than I? This essentially means that I am a slave to the needs of others. My labor, the ONLY commodity that is innate to me, has now been stolen by others. "From each according to his ability; to each according to his need." This is nothing more than being a slave to the needs and wants of others. Why does someone "deserve" something simply because they need it? I might as well not work, for then my need would be greater, and I would recieve more.
quote:
Originally posted by Anun Ik Oba
quote:
Unemployment isn't necessarily a bad thing. |
I love how people's lives are tossed about as so many numbers to be crunched. |
This just shows how ignorant you are. Zero unemployment would be DISASTROUS for the economy. Without a sufficiently large pool of unhired labor, hiring new people become extremely difficult and expansion becomes impossible. It is healthy for the economy to have unemployed workers.
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Lord Merciless
|
|
Revolution? I thought we already buried most of you, apart from NK and a couple lunatics in Canada.
|
|
| |
All times are GMT. The time now is 05:30.
Apolyton Time is 00:30. |
top of page
|
| archivepost |
|
Forum Rules:
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
|
HTML code is ON
vB code is ON
Smilies are ON
[IMG] code is ON
|
|
|
|
|
|
05-09-2003 21:50
Soul Survivor... Equal Success Sucks and is for Commies
Attachment: 
to Japher for his lack of compassion. 
HISTORY IS NOT ON YOUR SIDE! WE WILL BURY YOU! 
|
|
