Community | July 16, 2010 | 232 comments

22 Statistics That Prove The Middle Class Is Being Systematically Wiped Out Of Existence In America

source: http://www.businessinsider.com/22-statistics-that-prove-the-middle-class-is-being-systematic...

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ScottyT

http://www.businessinsider.com/22-statistics-that-prove-the-middle-cl...

Good article exploring what the United States, particularly the younger generations, are now facing. It is a topic that I believe is meritorious of serious discussion.

"Once upon a time, the United States had the largest and most prosperous middle class in the history of the world, but now that is changing at a blinding pace."

The statistics referenced in the article are as follows:

1. 83 percent of all U.S. stocks are in the hands of 1 percent of the people.

2. 61 percent of Americans "always or usually" live paycheck to paycheck, which was up from 49 percent in 2008 and 43 percent in 2007.

3. 66% of the income growth between 2001 and 2007 went to the top 1% of all Americans.

4. 36 percent of Americans say that they don't contribute anything to retirement savings.

5. A staggering 43 percent of Americans have less than $10,000 saved up for retirement.

6. 24% of American workers say that they have postponed their planned retirement age in the past year.

7. Over 1.4 million Americans filed for personal bankruptcy in 2009, which represented a 32 percent increase over 2008.

8. Only the top 5 percent of U.S. households have earned enough additional income to match the rise in housing costs since 1975.

9. For the first time in U.S. history, banks own a greater share of residential housing net worth in the United States than all individual Americans put together.

10. In 1950, the ratio of the average executive's paycheck to the average worker's paycheck was about 30 to 1. Since the year 2000, that ratio has exploded to between 300 to 500 to one.

11. As of 2007, the bottom 80 percent of American households held about 7% of the liquid financial assets.

12. The bottom 50 percent of income earners in the United States now collectively own less than 1 percent of the nation’s wealth.

13. Average Wall Street bonuses for 2009 were up 17 percent when compared with 2008.

14. In the United States, the average federal worker now earns 60% MORE than the average worker in the private sector.

15. The top 1% of U.S. households own nearly twice as much of America's corporate wealth as they did just 15 years ago.

16. In America today, the average time needed to find a job has risen to a record 35.2 weeks.

17. More than 40% of Americans who actually are employed are now working in service jobs, which are often very low paying.

18. For the first time in U.S. history, more than 40 million Americans are on food stamps, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture projects that number will go up to 43 million Americans in 2011.

19. This is what American workers now must compete against: in China a garment worker makes approximately 86 cents an hour and in Cambodia a garment worker makes approximately 22 cents an hour.

20. Despite the financial crisis, the number of millionaires in the United States rose a whopping 16 percent to 7.8 million in 2009.

21. Approximately 21 percent of all children in the United States are living below the poverty line in 2010 - the highest rate in 20 years.

22. The top 10% of Americans now earn around 50% of our national income.


http://www.businessinsider.com/22-statistics-that-prove-the-middle-class-is-bein...
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232 comments // 22 Statistics That Prove The Middle Class Is Being Systematically Wiped Out Of Existence In America

  • Vierotchka
  • MotherForTruth
  • NickerBocker09
    • +5
      NickerBocker09  

    • The statistic that says federal workers on average earn more than the private sector workers I think is being taken the wrong way. Because they earn more they are bad!? No. It shows that the federal government isnt as corrupt as the corporations. It means that they arent paying their workers shit salaries.

      I work in DC for the federal government and my parents both work for it. i can honestly say, despite the bureaucracy, despite the constant slamming of government as corrupt (note that it is the corporatist and the corporate media that says this), that the federal government is FAR less corrupt and unfair compared to the corporations, CEOs, and oil and bank politicians that put this country in the shit hole.

    • 2 years ago
  • hjhjhjhj
    • -6
      hjhjhjhj  
    • Image

    • Here's the outrage: the top 50% of earners pay 97+% of all federal taxes while the bottom 38% have no tax liability. The "poor" get to vote (representation) without commensurate taxation! Since they pay nothing them, these "poor" citizens have no incentive NOT to vote for entitlements and benefits. They consider themselves victims and will allow themselves to become wholly dependent upon the government.

      The rate of smoking is higher among those below the poverty line (32.9%) than those above it (22.2%). The poorest have the HIGHEST rates of obesity. Where else on Earth does poverty include eating enough to get fat on and smoking a pack a day?

      With Obamacare taxPAYERS will have to pay for these poor health choices of the "poor." The "poor" will get unlimited cracks at Social Security Disability Income because it will cost them NOTHING to see a doctor, again and again. You watch, the government will create government jobs to help people file claims against it. "Hey, Doc, I'm too depressed to work because I have no job. I need you to fill out this form so I can get my Social Security." (If the doctor declines, they'll just go see another, and another, and another until one caves.) With enough determination at not working, they'll eventually get a monthly government check and promptly become dependent upon it for the rest of their non-working lives.

      Lifestyle diseases account for 60% of all deaths. Treating those diseases (diabetes, motorized wheelchairs, knee replacements, cardiac stent placements, angiographies, stroke rehabilitation, nursing home care, etc, etc, etc) will break our "collective" bank.

      There are too many people riding the wagon rather than pulling it as it is.

      Let me ask you: Has a poor man ever "given" you a job?

      http://www.factcheck.org/askfactcheck/do_40_percent_of_americans_pay_no.html

    • 2 years ago
  • ampersand
    • +4
      ampersand  
    • hjhjhjhj:

      Ah, the wind from the 18th Century, it's so.. bracing...
      Haven't heard the argument that only the landed gentry get to vote in a long, long time.

      But hey, given hjhjhjhj's point about how fat and useless the poor are, why stop at just disenfranchisement? They are clearly just fatty surplus--let's EAT 'EM!

      (J. Swift was just too modest in his modest proposal--welcome to the future, Dr. Swift...)

    • 2 years ago
  • hjhjhjhj
    • -3
      hjhjhjhj  
    • ampersand:

      Hehehe...i'd eat the poor, but as you pointed out, they're too high in fat!

      And I never called the poor useless, you did. I want the poor to be MORE useful. Holding a hand out to take someone else's rightfully earned money doesn't make one useful. It's counterproductive, and it disincentivizes those who produce.

      I'm not advocating disenfranchisement. The point I made is that it's the rich who are taxed more than the poor yet their vote is disproportionately small. 40% is quite near the 50% tipping point whereby the poor can just vote the country into debt oblivion. And believe me, they will. What do they care? They aren't the ones paying for it.

      I'm for empowering the poor. They should become independent from, not dependent upon, the government. That means going to work, paying for what they enjoy in taxes, and voting with their conscience in the best interest of their entire country.

      As for the 18th century, I guess the best ideas are the most enduring.

    • 2 years ago
  • remanns
    • +1
      remanns  
    • hjhjhjhj:

      I can accept social Darwinist arguments like that,.....but only if those in power and of means realize,....and vocalize,....that they owe me nothing, I owe them nothing,...( nor does anyone else ),.....and of course that "right to bear arms bit needs to be taken VERY seriously. A simplified world view really,....sort of streamlines the previous moral ambiguities. Not a safe world,.....or kind,.......but then, when you look at the state of things now, well, what the fuck.

      To arms, fellow monkeys,....to arms.

    • 2 years ago
  • ampersand
  • remanns
  • jubal
  • nursediesel
  • randallr01
  • nursediesel
    • 0
      nursediesel  
    • randallr01:

      Our Federal government employs 2.0 million civilian employees, and that doesn't include our Postal employees. There are 15 different cabinets in our federal government. The legislative is Congress and the house of representatives. Then the Judicial branch: the Supreme court, then the three other federal courts....then the Executive branch(the federal 2008 statistics says) it employs 97% of the federal civilian employees. That includes the President and office, the 15 executive Cabinet Departments and 70 independent agencies with defined duties.
      For instance can your tell me what is the department of the Interior? They employ 67,000 people.
      Homeland Security 171,000, Energy 15,000, Health & Human services 64,000, Agriculture 82,000, Treasury 88,000, Transportation 55,000, Independent agencies 180,000. I haven't even begun to scratch the surface and that isn't the Post Office or the Military. go tohttp://www.bls.gov/oco/cg/cgs041.htm

    • 2 years ago
  • SB420
    • 0
      SB420  

    • The middle class was bound to dissipate at some point. We've been leading an unsustainable way of life, that caters to the upper class while perpetuating the lower one, for the past few generations. What pisses me off is that we're still TRYING in vain to keep things the same.

    • 2 years ago
  • nursediesel
  • nursediesel
  • miles_ahead
    • +5
      miles_ahead  

    • War sucks the life from a nation, making the rich richer and the poor poorer. It's the same old story. So long as the rich are able to convince us that life is about oil, weapons, drugs and war, this country will continue to decline. A strong middle class is essential to freedom and democracy. We have 40% of the USA now whose vision of freedom is stuffing their face on the couch while cursing at the TV.

    • 2 years ago
  • 2helenahandbasket
    • 0
      2helenahandbasket  

    • Statistics show that there are far MORE wealthy people than ever before. That to me means that there are lots of folks moving on UP just like George Jefferson, beyond the middle class. We're not happy for them? We're not going to congratulate them for their success? Or are we just going to continue to be jealous because someone was smarter or recognized an opportunity or took a chance we didn't or had better luck than we did and now they're on easy street?

      As to the poor, when they consider a family of four who makes $50,000 "poor" then I begin to question the word "poor". Where I come from, a family of four can live a pretty nice middle class life on $50,000, yet some of the pollsters of today call $50,000 poverty wages. Maybe middle class folks are shrinking because many of the ones we use to call middle class are now considered poor.

      So, we have middle class who have moved up to wealthy and middle class who have moved down to "poor". That doesn't leave many, does it?

    • 2 years ago
  • thedirtman
  • Saladin
    • +6
      Saladin  
    • 2helenahandbasket:

      You assume that wealth is based on merit and that we all could be wealthy if we wanted to.

      Whenever someone takes an amount of money in income, that money is no longer available for the general economy.

      When a professional baseball player gets paid 34 million dollars, that's literally hundreds of teachers, police men or nurses that could have worked on that salary. You tell me, is that something I should be happy about?

      And that money is gone! Money is a SUPPLY and it has demand. Every billionaire is actually a drain on the U.S. economy if they aren't actively spending their profits to employ or provide infrastructure for others.

      This isn't my opinion, that's how capitalism WORKS. It's a game of musical chairs, if we make room for one more person in the rich circle, that's 300 people in the poor area who aren't going to get chairs anymore.

      Look at that stat, the top 10% own 50% of the nation's income. That means the remaining NINETY percent have to fight over the remaining fifty. Why in the fuck am I supposed to think that's a good thing, are you insane? Since when is individual wealth more important than collective well-being?

      And 50,000 in a family of four. Do the math. That's 25,000 per parent before taxes, which probably cut it by 33% at least. So take 16,000 off of that. we have 36,000. Raise two kids on 36,000, plus rent, food, utilities, school and you better fucking pray you have no medical expenses and you'll see where that money goes really fucking fast. That's 3,000 a month for all that.

      And 25,000 is ABOVE the poverty line, well above it, plenty of people live on a hell of a lot less than that and work two jobs just to get it.

    • 2 years ago
  • RaceBannon
  • remanns
  • hjhjhjhj
    • 0
      hjhjhjhj  
    • Saladin:

      When you guess that your hypothetical family of four with two children making $50000 are paying at least 33% in taxes, it makes you look pretty ignorant, as if you've never paid taxes before.

      The federal tax rate for married filing jointly for a couple making $50000 is just 15%. You've got to take at least a standard deduction of $11400, leaving just $38600, and those two children you mentioned are called two extra "exemptions" (making 4 total exemptions after you count the parents), that takes off another $14600 from the taxable amount, which is now just $24000. So 15% of $24000 is $3600. That family of 4 paid just $3600 for all their federal benefits (minus Medicare/SS). That's a swimmingly good deal!

      By the way, I 'did the math' for your $36000. Ya might need to go back to school.

    • 2 years ago
  • hjhjhjhj
  • jubal
  • onemalefla
  • remanns
  • unimatrix0
  • Vierotchka
    • +3
      Vierotchka  
    • LIBERALCONJOB:

      Sorry to burst your bubble of ignorance - most of my friends smoked dope during high school and college, and now are highly successful surgeons, lawyers, industrialists, editors, etc., and have top-earning jobs.

    • 2 years ago
  • Saladin
  • jubal
  • randallr01
  • randallr01
  • remanns
  • freecrack
  • onemalefla
  • remanns
  • freecrack
  • ScottyT
    • +2
      ScottyT  

    • If you have ten or so minutes to kill, then I suggest that you watch this short clip regarding money and banking practices. It's a very abbreviated explanation (yet surprisingly accurate) of how the Federal Reserve system works and how banks, through the practice of fractional reserve banking, have managed to achieve such a large transfer of wealth.

      There will be no real change until people begin to honestly examine the real systems of control over this country.

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_YxNG3nUUk

    • 2 years ago
  • kennymotown
    • +5
      kennymotown  

    • One of my favorite stats is that every dollar that is given in a tax cut creates .34 dollars in economic stimulus were as a every dollar given for unemployment creates 1.67 dollars in economic stimulus. Americans have been brained washed for decades and the rich know it and are laughing all the way to the bank. When the shit really hits the fan, all the Bonnie and Clyde's this generation has, knows exactly who has the money.

    • 2 years ago
  • remanns
  • artemis6
  • UtopianSky
    • +5
      UtopianSky  

    • And what makes it even worse:

      The rich use the Republican party and FOX news to convince the poor that the rich need to get even richer, and the poor need to be even poorer.

    • 2 years ago
  • LIBERALCONJOB
  • UtopianSky
    • +5
      UtopianSky  
    • LIBERALCONJOB:

      You think people were Idiots for voting for Obama?
      So based on your deep insight, who SHOULD people have voted for?
      The little old man who was Bush's dittohead and his Bible-thumper Yukon Barbie?
      Was that the SMART choice?

      The Democratic party are the lesser of two evils- and considering how evil the Republicans are, that makes them close to angelic.

      If after all the crap that the Republicans have done you are actually calling people idiots for voting for Obama, you are exactly the kind of brainwashed moron I was talking about.

      You keep trashing Obama because the Republicans TELL you to trash Obama- and they do it because they want their POWER back, and they know that controlling puppets like you is the way to do it.

      For people who actually paid attention to the previous eight years, Obama was the ONLY choice- and considering the circumstances, he has done a damn good job.

    • 2 years ago
  • jubal
  • vcjfacebook
    • +3
      vcjfacebook  

    • The two most damning facts: 12) The bottom 50 percent of income earners in the United States now collectively own less than 1 percent of the nation’s wealth, while 22) the top 10% of Americans now earn around 50% of our national income. Maybe when we're all living five families to a single house, Americans will finally awaken from our stupor. Then again, it will happen then only because we have to go to the bathroom.

    • 2 years ago
  • hjhjhjhj
    • 0
      hjhjhjhj  
    • vcjfacebook:

      They tried putting 5 families in one house. It's called communism. The Bolsheviks got there after 'waking from their stupor' and revolting. It was only later that they realized what a terrible mistake they had made. Go rent "Doctor Zhivago." The good Doctor has what used to be his house taken over by several families, and he is basically forced to leave it. It's a good movie and might open your eyes to the dangers of collectivism.

    • 2 years ago
  • freecrack
  • RaceBannon
    • +6
      RaceBannon  

    • Articles like this are usually breeding grounds for those "freedom isolationist" types to throw around their insane rhetoric of individualism or personal freedom usually something that sounds nice but doesn't make any f-ing sense to anyone who studied anthropology. I'll use this post to rant on about our collective nature and how must use it for the benefit of the species rather than selling crap to each-other.
      In truth the fact that many americans "bought" into the american dream is almost proof alone that there are no such things as individuals in the human race. It is of no other possibility that a group of animals with email accounts and mortgages would make a collectively foolish discussion without being moved by group behavior. The same way we have enclaves of organized religions despite its difference most of the major ones inherently mirror each other in substance if not for pure allegory alone. We must recognize that society is very much about "we" and that nothing happens independent of each person. Every action creates a ripple effect that not only affects our contemporaries but all generations beyond our own lifetimes. For example we have influenza, measles, mumps all because thousands of years ago a bunch human beings started living next to their food in order to create an agrarian based society. As you can see none of us lived in the stone and likely none of us farm however we are affected by the actions of people we never met. The same can be applied to all other aspects of our modern life proving even more our delicate interconnection each other. In face of saving time its better I leave it at that for now.

      One further note: During my studies I remember a great response by an instructor to a student who tried to declare anthropology a cabal of liberals who want to destroy capitalism with the idea of collectivism in regards to the likely egalitarian communal society of our hunter gatherer ancestors. He said "If man is such a lone individual then why doesn't each one of us have our own store that caters to our our individual unique self". Needless to say that was the checkmate moment for our professor...

    • 2 years ago
  • Dagum
    • +1
      Dagum  
    • RaceBannon:

      "If man is such a lone individual then why doesn't each one of us have our own store that caters to our our individual unique self."

      Add in the economic analysis to it...

    • 2 years ago
  • Blkwdw
  • JanforGore
    • +6
      JanforGore  

    • President Dwight EIsenhower speaking of humanity hanging from a cross of iron.... and we still are. This was when Republicans were REAL Republicans and not the fake cartoon caracature "tea party" carnival entertainers for the camera you have today that have disgraced what it means to be a Republican. Sarah Palin? Michele Bachman? Sean Hannity? Rush Limbaugh? GEORGE BUSH? Dwight Eisenhower would more than likely tell them the same thing, or chase them out of his party! How dare they think they represent the true needs and hardships of everyday Americans. We once had Republicans who did. How shameful what has happened to the "Grand Old Party" and shame on those Republicans today who have forgotten their roots. I may not have much good to say about many Democrats today either, but I can at least point out some who still hold fast to the democratic principles that lift people up instead of tearing them down. When war is no more then shall we truly be prosperous and free. We owe it to our children to make that a goal of ours, but it appears those in government on all sides need a refresher course from the past to make them understand the true cost of their selfish actions. In war everyone is a casualty in one way or another.

    • 2 years ago
  • ampersand
    • +1
      ampersand  
    • JanforGore:

      The truth from a man who really knew the threat and killing burden of a war-based society, and warned America about it. Thank you Jan, for finding this video.
      I pray that we have the sense and ability to begin to dismantle the parasite of the enormous toxic war machine that is killing us and doing so much damage throughout the world.
      There is no one here, no matter where they are in America, who doesn't live next to a massive military installation of some kind.
      A million jobs could be created overnight by working to remove the toxic damage done by those bases. Imagine those vast tracts of land in the cities and in the broad fields of the country turned into productive gardens, desperately needed housing, and good schools and centers of health care for our children and parents.
      It could happen if we have the vision and the will, and it must happen, if we are not to implode as a country just as the Soviet Union did, from the very same insanity.

    • 2 years ago
  • JanforGore
  • Dabo614
    • +4
      Dabo614  

    • ". For the first time in U.S. history, banks own a greater share of residential housing net worth in the United States than all individual Americans put together."

      Hmm, seen that coming, wont be long before any of us wind up not owning anything.

      "Average Wall Street bonuses for 2009 were up 17 percent when compared with 2008."

      So much for obama fixing wall street. Told you people our presidents are just puppets. But please stay asleep and keep arguing over whos fault it is, when it is your faults for buying into the BS lies both these parties sell you every 4 years.

      "Despite the financial crisis, the number of millionaires in the United States rose a whopping 16 percent to 7.8 million in 2009."

      Well imagine that, who would of guessed that there are people who benefit from finacial crisis? Just like the great depression, this whole economic crash was engineered and now the power grab is happening, in the meantime you have our leaders claiming they are fixing this, that the economy is getting better, and that they wont allow wall street to keep doing what they are doing, but the numbers dont lie, the economy is getting worse, wall street is getting richer, the rest of america is getting dumber and poorer and losing their private property, but dont worry there are titty bars, and dancing with the stars to eleviate your pain and keep your mind off things.

    • 2 years ago
  • jubal
  • EmperorThan
  • blackheartman
  • ScottyT
  • freecrack
  • ScottyT
  • jubal
  • iamaman
  • iamaman
  • iamaman
  • iamaman
  • iamaman
  • Atalanda_Cameron
  • jubal
  • stubones
    • +6
      stubones  

    • The super wealthy need to be taxed out of existence. They have systamatically and constructivly manipulated all of the wealth of this once great Nation from the working man through Government deregulationn which led to Banking and wall street scams on everything from food to housing. It should be A crime to be A Billionaire. Who has the right to own this much?

      Why should some screw huckster robber Barron like Rockefeller come along in an opportune, once in A lifetime moment in history and through his slimy attorneys and henchman gain A monopoly over every aspect of our lives since time memorial. When that thieving coniving vulture died his empire should have been divested into the common pool to lift up humanity. His progeny could have kept 5% of the holdings.. And this should go for all of these Dynastys.
      Why should our lives be totally manipulated and our earth plundered by all of the Rockefellers of the world. The true wealth of this Nation as far as Natural resources and means of production were mostly grabbed up in the first 150 years of the birth of this Nation. This wealth leads to control which is being refined into total control..
      All I am saying is that each generation should get their fair share and an even break in life and not one person in this country needs the amounts of money
      that deprive others of food, water, shelter, education and A fighting chance at the good life..
      The rich are saying "let them eat cake" and we all know who last lost their head over that attitude...History repeats itself so all of you greedy, parasitic people who have sold out on your humanity, beware...
      I have always felt this way...

    • 2 years ago
  • timetide
    • +3
      timetide  

    • My family has always lived by one rule: live inside your means. Well that and credit cards are the devil! We drive our cars to death (my mum is still rocking the 1996 minivan) and everybody in my family knows how to work on some part of it (i.e. my sister can do oil changes, I know how to fix transmissions and so on.) we trade our skills for supplies or other skills, like I fixed my neighbors car and she mowed our lawn and my brother takes care of her physically handicapped son on his days off and brings home plates of food for dinner. Through this we've managed to pull ourselves out of the lower class and are straddling the borderline of middle class. None of us own an I-anything and don't see a point to "upgrading".

      That being said not everyone has been lucky as us. But I think a major problem is that most people in the middle class don't think like this or are unwilling to do it. They get into credit card debt at a young age, go to rape your credit places like Cash Now! to get "advances" on their paychecks and make financial mistakes that are going to haunt them for the rest of their lives. That’s what I think is one of the core problems, people are willing to sell themselves into debt slavery to maintain their current level of comfortablity.

      the sad part is to get through my last couple of years of college I'm going to have to take out a student loan, and I'm debating if it’s worth it

    • 2 years ago
  • iamaman
  • Dabo614
    • +1
      Dabo614  
    • timetide:

      good comment, you are correct the sheep just keep borrowing riches to live beyond their means because they are greedy. Nobody wants to "work" and save money they want to borrow money at interest to show off their borrowed riches.

      If you are foolish enough to rack up a college loan debt than you deserve what you get, seeing as how you are already intelligent enough to see this for what it is. Therefore you are only screwing yourself.

    • 2 years ago
  • Denise_Lund_Romano
    • +1
      Denise_Lund_Romano  
    • timetide:

      "Live inside your means" should be the golden rule for everyone! Unfortunately, many young people don't grow up learning that. My husband and I are fortunate enough to provide a very nice life for our daughters, but there is a lot of "NO" that is said to them when it comes to buying things. Our kids live in a world of 'instant gratification' which can be really tough for parents to deal with, however, last time I checked, that was our job.

      I want to touch on one thing you mentioned. The middle class are not the ones going to the Cash Advance places the majority of the time. They are going more often than ever before thanks to our economy, but those places are still serving those with lower income, predominantly. And honestly, the 'paper' figure that separates middle class from upper class really is a joke. My husband and I are NOT upper class my any means, yet on paper we appear to be. I truly believe that's part of the problem.

      I encourage you to finish college and take out the student loans to do so. Student loans are the simplest and offer the easiest payback of any loans available, I believe. Having a college degree is the best thing you can give yourself now. I know the argument can be made that someone without a degree but a ton of experience will be hired before someone with a degree and less experience, but those situations are very few and far between. Also, in planning for the future, keep in mind that things will not always be as they are now. The economy will turn around in time and having a college education will serve you very well. I wish you the best of luck in whatever course you chose to follow!

    • 2 years ago
  • Denise_Lund_Romano
  • ampersand
    • +2
      ampersand  
    • Denise_Lund_Romano:

      The advice you give, base on your experience, is good.
      There are some, in some areas of the country with good schools and good support systems, that can follow that advice.
      However, if the system they will serve remains unchanged they will emerge into the same servitude as millions today find themselves.

      More than most, I myself, am fairly well protected from the massive dislocations and personal emotional and financial damage that so many are going through now.
      That is largely due to luck on my part, but also to an very early fundamental rejection of most of the assumptions that working Americans take for granted.
      At this moment there are literally millions of Americans who have suddenly and painfully realized that they are losers in a huge game of musical chairs.

      Because this has been a structural problem decades long in the making, and purposefully obscured by ridiculous political pieties, and yes, even colluded in by the victims' own self-indulgent ignorance, it won't be cured overnight, or even, in the case of most, at all.

      I hope when your daughters choose their course of study they are as aware as possible of the structure of the system as it is, and equip themselves with the skills to survive and flourish, independent of that system.
      I imagine, from what you've written, they might have a good start in that.

    • 2 years ago
  • remanns
  • jubal
  • Armageddon_Now
  • flyingkick
  • keithponder
  • RaceBannon
  • keithponder
  • jubal
  • jubal
    • 0
      jubal  
    • Image

    • Withdraw complicity is the key...culture jamming is the key....and monkeywrenching is the key...its all sabotage, but keep those essential services moving, we don't want any people in hospitals getting their ventilators shut off...or people in iron lungs dieing...that will back fire on the movement.

      Look up culture jamming and monkeywrenching...you will understand what they mean

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_jamming

      http://culturejam.wordpress.com/

      The picture above of Nike is an example of culture jamming but there are actual actions that you can take to participate...read the article on Wiki

      http://affinityproject.org/practices/monkeywrenching.html

      Monkeywrenching has proven to be an effective means of protest and activism, not only shedding light on various political issues, but also providing a very active means of resistance through a list of tactics. Historically, this practice has a lengthy past which can be associated with the destruction of machines by the Luddites during the Industrial Revolution in Europe, the colonial rebels in the early United States and their part in the Boston Tea Party, the destruction of rail lines during the building of Continental railways in North America, as well as fence-cutting during the enclosure of lands in 19th century Canada and the U.S. This is by no means an exhaustive list, as the use of monkeywrenching tactics can be seen worldwide and in numerous historical and cultural contexts.

      In general monkeywrenching is a non-violent and “productive” form of property destruction as it often exposes a potent message and initiates an active response to oppressive groups and practices. The small-scale and relatively autonomous characteristic of this tactic can yield impressive results depending on the scope of the plans, publicity, as well as the scale or consequences of the engagement. As opposed to clunky large-scale protests or strategies brought on by grander political movements, groups, or parties, monkeywrenching revolves around affinity-based groups that are motivated by direct action.

    • 2 years ago
  • 2hellnwait
  • iamaman
  • Happy_Journey
  • James_Hendry
    • +2
      James_Hendry  

    • all of this is a result of the power vacuum following FDR, which gave military/industry too much power; allowing them to earn a lot of money and lose a lot of wars.

    • 2 years ago
  • James_Hendry
  • Pollo_Loco_
  • remanns
  • ReverandG
    • -6
      ReverandG  

    • This sounds like the entry of Socialism. Force the middle into poverty and submission, silence the educated and the lawyers, then seize the wealthy's bank accounts.
      In Cambodia during Pol Pot's rule if you had glasses you were deemed a threat and executed.
      I forsee a civil war coming if we don't save ourselves at the ballot box and kill NAFTA once and for all. Isolationism is the only thing that will stop this financial meltdown. Buy American products. Read the bar codes on things for country of origin. Google "Bar Code Origins", print them out and watch what you buy.

    • 2 years ago
  • James_Hendry
    • +5
      James_Hendry  
    • ReverandG:

      hahahaha. holy shit?? are you serious? oh my god. "it sounds like the entry to socialism," really, I had no idea Bush was a such a good socialist leader? Its funny, you refer to fascists as though they were socialist, maybe that is what we should glean from your blather.

    • 2 years ago
  • James_Hendry
  • ezrierin
    • +1
      ezrierin  
    • James_Hendry:

      If civil war comes, the Federal Government will largely if not completely dissolve. HOWEVER, WE DO NOT HAVE TO HAVE WAR TO HAVE A REVOLUTION! No one needs to die. Non-cooperation is the key. Then we can decide to stay together or wave goodbye to each other as friends and neighbors.

    • 2 years ago
  • ampersand
  • ReverandG
  • AngPops
    • 0
      AngPops  
    • ReverandG:

      Or we could stop the consumerism cycle so people will start putting money into savings. Or maybe stop outsourcing our jobs...
      I think your analogy to Cambodia is unnecessary.
      Also; A civil war, really?
      FEAR-MONGERING!!!! (also known as the ignorant trying to sway the ignorant)

    • 2 years ago
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