Who Stole the American Dream?

Hi pot, how are you? Talking with kettle are you? Calling kettle black are you? I thought so.

naw we just stole your panties. for the rest of america we introduced a breath of fresh air that will be breathed for decades to come. we're just gettin started!

You have a better grasp on the complexities of the character of 21st century man than 99% of the partisan drones that permeate social media today.

It is the "Bread and Circuses" system to keep the plebe happy and under control - the Romans knew what they were doing, it still works today, especially in fascist-leaning countries.

yes we must learn from our history thing. It seems we humans have short memories when are flesh is well fed.

Ty..I think.

Being the grandson of Giovani Narduzzo, who was born in Palermo, Sicily
in November 1875...And enlisted in the Italian Navy to serve as a cook on
an early Dreadnought Battleship touring Rio de la Plata Argentina in his
ships cruises...A man whose leg was amputated at 21 clear up to the hip.
After the NYC doctor gave him whiskey and a bullet to bite because there
was no laudinum as anesthetic left, only an ax to sever his gangreened leg...
Yet worked all his adult life despite that handicap, and having to lug around
a primitive wood & antique plastic prosthetic leg. My grandfather was the
toughest yet kindest man I ever knew. He showed me what Italians realy are.
The ancient Roman civilization fell because they denounced equality and
instead embraced Slavery, and brutality. Whenever any culture of humans
becomes so sadisticly depraved and indifferent to human life, it is vanquished.

little yellow people? wow, a closet bigot. but with the way that obama has sunk the u.s. economy into the tank those same "little yellow people" own us.

How is it again that Obama sunk the economy?

Them there crickets have been chirping for a mighty long time! :)

by implementing obamacare against the will of most of the people and by continuing bailouts with out tax dollars. dont you watch the news?

Obama inherited this nightmare. The blame falls squarely on the shoulders of the Bush administration. I might not agree in the way Obama's handling it, but , lets call a spade a spade(NO bias intended). Bush created this mess. That guy, AND his cronies were idiots. This is what happens when we get a choice of two idiots to vote for. Some day America will wake up to the fact that there is only ONE political party in America. It's called the RepublicanDemocrat Party. The only difference is which way the money flows.

no doubt. that obama quagmire in afghanistan is really dragging down the economy. and are any wars really right? some are just more justified

you are partially correct. bush is partly to blame for the mess we're in, maybe half of it by creating tarp funds and bailouts. the tarp money spent during his admin has all been paid back. then obama came in and sunk us even deeper into debt by continuing tarp, his quagmire in afghanistan, and his multi trillion dollar health care debacle. so theres plenty of blame to go around. so if your friend jumps off a cliff do you follow him? basically the same thing.

No argument here. I'm not thrilled with having this healthcare thing shoved up my ass either.

im happy we can agree. im really not as bad as some try to make me out to be

Are you trying to make the point that because Russia has more poverty, that we are just fine in the United States?

The formula for poverty is the same all over. Too much controlled by too few.

yup. the rest of us have to work hard, get used to it

Sounds like your implying that I am lazy. I raised two kids as a single dad what have you done or given up in your perfect world. That's the toughest job a guy can do.

naw, i wasnt making accusations concerning your personal work ethics. self sacrifice to raise kids is the most admirable job on earth, especially as a single dad. problem is not too many folks are willing to walk up to the self sacrifice plate and kids suffer. thats a big part of why this country's in such a shit hole. for me? yeah i do plenty of sacrificing too. peace

That's because most folks do not really understand or are willing to accept what it means to be altruistic in a world of capitalist enterprising crap. How can we teach our kids to be good stewards of their money when our local state and Federal government practices deficit spending and can't even balance their own check books. How do you teach your kids the value of truth and honesty in a world that values separating a sucker from his money and produces CEO's and business men like Jeffrey S killings and Bernie Madoff.
To this day I think Skilling's acts should have been viewed more an act of treason than fraud.

all we can really do is try our best and hope and pray they turn out all right.

if not now, definitely when the 13 month extension runs out

i am part of the middle class and i'm doing fine. from my perspective the only thing i see holding anyone back is their own lack of motivation.

"A recession is when your neighbor is out of work. A depression is when you are out of work."

I guess you will never see anything wrong until you are personally affected. What an insular view of the economy. You don't have the capacity to look at things objectively. Look into Cognitive Dissonance and then come back.

right im fine so everyone else must be fucking lazy whiners?

i have been affected. i lost a great job almost two years ago. i now bust my ass working 1 full time and two part time. sure i could spend two years laying on my ass collecting unemployment and watching oprah. but i choose to contribute instead of leech off of. believe me the thought of two years of bein a lazy slouch is inviting, but it would crush my spirit and my soul, a couple of things many folks have lost.

naw just the stoners

Good for you. I guess since you have a job then everyone else is a lazy ass. Considering that there are 5 people looking for every 1 job available. That Unemployment is at an actual rate of close to 20% that productivity has increased steadily at a 2% per quarter clip, even though the the workforce is diminished and demand is flat. Meaning that there will be no near term hiring, why would there be if productivity is increasing with a smaller workforce? But what do I know, since I have a job...those things must just be liberal conspiracies by lazy, good for nothing bastards.

Did you look into cognitive dissonance?

You one person. If you are using yourself as a benchmark I am afraid you will be disappointed.

You have everything but the vision. Individual responsibility is great for the individual but you're missing out on what is done everyday as a community. Try working with inspired people for awhile that only need an education and a path to success and you'll see what I mean.

I can see that one of your jobs is ditching everyone here on current. you do know that your boss isn't planning to take you with them.

That is very hard to believe, considering the vast amount of time you spend posting on Current - unless, of course, you are a paid sock-puppet for the evildoers.

no i cant blame all of the unemployed for being lazy bastards but i would venture a guess that it comes close to half. there are jobs available if one wants to lower their sights and standards a bit. and if you want to pin the blame on anyone instead of whining here send an email to the main culprit, your president!

Did you even read my response?

my main job has me at a computer most of the day and with my talents i can both do whats expected of me and post and comment here. and no im not paid to be here, i just show up for the food and sex

you have no idea what i do or do not do. i give plenty of my time to the whole. i do not believe in sharing what i give to whom or how much. people who wear their social accomplishments on their sleeve negate the charitable contribution. in my opinion it loses the value of the act by making the big announcement. there is more value in an act of kindness and charity when it is just between the giver and god

I can see why you thought I was referring to charity. Never mind that. I was referring to specialists in the workplace.

naw, just the worthless ones who refuse to work and be productive

what, like special ed's?

That's actually not true.... There is a ton of evidence to suggest that jobs AREN'T available and no evidence whatsoever that nearly half (HALF? are you Kidding me?) of the people who are unemployed or under employed are "lazy"... which itself isn't saying anything at all. You have this mentality without any evidence,,, just blind faith despite evidence to the contrary. That's called a delusion. You aren't dumb if you have blind faith... you are something much worse.

You say that if more people tried to find a job, then more people wouldn't be out of a job...

Question:

If every job opening for the same society had 9 applicants rather than 5, how would that produce more jobs?

no, many didnt start out lazy but became complacent. all that free money can tarnish and corrupt just about anyone. they could try mcdonalds or newpaper delivery, doesnt pay all that well but its honest work anyway.

Umm...I can't think of a SINGLE person I know who is getting Unemployment who doesn't at LEAST work part time also. Unemployment insurance is not enough to cover all the bills most of these recipients have. MAYBE, if they are lucky, it will pay rent/mortgage. But there is still the Car, Utilities, Food, etc. So, they actually WORK..the unemployment is just a supplemental aid. I am not sure you understand the way this INSURANCE works.

You didn't answer my question.

What I'm also asking for is evidence that the unemployed are unemployed because they are lazy. Got anything for me?

(btw, it's hard to get a job when you are overqualified in a market where any employer can hire someone with nearly perfect credentials for the specific opening)

I also find it interesting that you believe free money tarnishes and corrupts anyone, but also advocate huge tax cuts for rich people...

i dont think micky d's is all that picky. and do you think folks are going to admit that they are lazy? i will though, i am lazy but i also have dignity and pride and would rather work 4 or 5 jobs if i had to as opposed to collecting welfare or unemployment.

glad to hear that you hang with the better half. its the bad seeds i'm concerned about

So laziness has nothing to do with whether or not you work during a recession?

You aren't making much sense...

I don't think it's a good use of the public's talents for attorneys and CFO's to be serving burgers.

and i dont think its worth the public tax coffers to be supporting folks who are unwilling to lower their sights a bit and work through the recession doing whatever is available. dont get me wrong, i'm in total support of unemployment and social benefits for the truly needy. its just that there is a perpetual group of able bodied leeches who make a living from not making one.

I would say we agree more than we disagree with that notion.

I don't think anyone thinks it's ok to leech off of the system when you are able to contribute. However, I think we disagree on the scale of the problem. You think the proportion of people taking advantage is on the order of nearly half.

I think it's a much smaller percentage.

I'd be for increased scrutiny and policing of these public benefits... which would require an increase in the size of government and reduce the amount of aid delivered per dollar contributed to the program. There is a balance.

My point is this.

These systems aren't as susceptible to fraud as most people think.

It's not easy to get unemployment benefits, nor can you get them without having been let go. You can't get welfare unless you prove you are improving your situation. Further, people who are homeless are usually more mentally unstable than lazy.

If you are afraid that people are abusing the system, do some research, and figure out if they actually are, before you advocate for it.

http://www.welfareinfo.org/

Government organizations more often than not are more efficient at delivering aid than non profits are. Medicare operates with 3% of every dollar going to overheads.... if you are a nonprofit, 12% is considered really good.

I'm just saying that it isn't as simple as everyone pretends it is. Hell, there are some forms of corporate welfare that I support.

I REALY think that to access the benefits of the system. You have to pay into the system. No input. No output. That would stop a whole lotta' people from coming here and freeloading. Too many fleas on the dog and they're gonna' suck it dry.

agreed, we have too many american born free loaders let alone supporting the rest of the world. unless one has a disability of some sort that prevents them from working and putting in, then all able bodies should do their share.

Focusing the publics attention on spectator sports and not on what the complex is doing to the people, is a strategy. People are loosing jobs and housing and having a hard time feeding and providing for those they love, so why don't we all buy some sports attire and spend 30 more bucks to go see an event that can never put food food in my refrigerator but will take food out.
These days keeping food in the fridge is one of my top priorities.
Consumerism is not what people should be focusing on these days. Politicians are like magicians they show you what their right hand is doing but it is the left hand has the knife sticking the public in the back.

THATS IT! lazy socialist assholes are takin our jerbs!
DEY TOOK OUWER JORBS!
mexicans took our JERRRRRRRRRRBBBS.

(thats what you sound like to all of us)

didnt realize you were such a hateful bigoted racist darvy

so quit dreaming and get off your ass

OK

Your so smart thanks for your useful advice. how bout you suck a cock

is that an offer and does it pay well?

It's like you don't know us but pretend to because your an idiot who likes to project onto people...

Oh wait, it isn't like that, it is that.

hmmm, always voted down by the history revisionists, but thanks i appreciate your honesty!

Bar Stool Economics
Suppose that every day, ten men go out for beer and the bill for all ten
comes to $100 and If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes, it would
go something like this:
The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing.
The fifth would pay $1.
The sixth would pay $3.
The seventh would pay $7.
The eighth would pay $12.
The ninth would pay $18.
The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59.
So, that's what they decided to do.
The ten men drank in the bar every day and seemed quite happy with the
arrangement, until one day, the owner threw them a curve. "Since you are all
such good customers," he said, "I'm going to reduce the cost of your daily
beer by $20." so drinks for the ten now cost just $80.
The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes so the
first four men were unaffected...They would still drink for free...But what
about the other six men - the paying customers? How could they divide the
$20 windfall so that everyone would get his 'fair share?'...They realized
that $20 divided by six is $3.33...But if they subtracted that from
everybody's share, then the fifth man and the sixth man would each end up
being paid to drink his beer..So, the bar owner suggested that it would be
fair to reduce each man's bill by roughly the same amount, and he proceeded
to work out the amounts each should pay.
And so:
The fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing (100% savings).
The sixth now paid $2 instead of $3 (33%savings).
The seventh now pay $5 instead of $7 (28%savings).
The eighth now paid $9 instead of $12 (25% savings).
The ninth now paid $14 instead of $18 (22% savings).
The tenth now paid $49 instead of $59 (16% savings).
Each of the six was better off than before...And the first four continued to
drink for free...But once outside the restaurant, the men began to compare
their savings.
"I only got a dollar out of the $20,"declared the sixth man. He pointed to
the tenth man," but he got $10!" "Yeah, that's right," exclaimed the fifth
man. "I only saved a dollar, too. It's unfair that he got ten times more
than I!" "That's true!!" shouted the seventh man. "Why should he get $10
back when I got only two? The wealthy get all the breaks!"
"Wait a minute,"yelled the first four men in unison. "We didn't get
anything at all. The system exploits the poor!"
The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up.
The next night the tenth man didn't show up for drinks, so the nine sat down
and had beers without him. But when it came time to pay the bill, they
discovered something important. They didn't have enough money between all of
them for even half of the bill!
And that, ladies and gentlemen, journalists and college professors, is how
our tax system works. The people who pay the highest taxes get the most
benefit from a tax reduction. Tax them too much, attack them for being
wealthy, and they just may not show up anymore. In fact, they might start
drinking overseas where the atmosphere is somewhat friendlier.
David R. Kamerschen, PhD.D.
Professor of Economics
University of Georgia

This is an analogy that only works in a Vaccuum. Those top people pay for the Beer and the bottom 4 do not, because the money the top people have was not earned, the money was created by the labor of the bottom people.

Labor creates all wealth, Investments create absolutely nothing. So let's not get into the inequity of this tax system since those top people actually did not EARN any of their money.

inhttp://onCurrent.com

I can't honestly say I read all of that story you presented to us. You realy
should put it into paragraphs-even as blocks-to make it easier for people
to read. But I did read enough to get a gut instinct of where all that was
heading. Very plausible. And that's why I'm still here on Current.com. Not
only because once I week I go back 200 pages to fish out something to
Email blog & Bookmark that I might have missed...But because bright
folks as yourself are still motivated to contribute realistic ideas to the
discussion here.Thank you.

UAW reference was a joke right?

*julian assange

okay here is a little test..sit up and look right in front of you..look at that computer your banging on with that ranting..WHAT BRAND IS IT?? you gave that corporation money..

(im in a library..rant a typical squirmy socialist) okay

stand in front of the mirror..what brand of clothing are you wearing?? you gave that corporation money...

you really thing what you have is wrong..carve yourself a weapon (you dont want to give evil Remington your money now do you) and join kennymotown in his mother's basement and pretend you guys are really going to have a revolution..

sober up so next time you would not have to vote for an idiot because HOLLYWOOD told you so..

tell kennymotown that his stimulus package is about to end (honestly every time unemployment benefits is about to get cut is on the news, you hear that hard working revolutionary crying about a revolution LOL thats his job i guess)

whats it pay?

youre right, and hopefully we'll vote the rest of those leftylibs out in 2012

Yes, and Neo Conservatives would certainly be better for this country because they believe in true fiscal responsibility and personal values. Ha! Riiiight. I'm not defending all liberals, but for you to place the blame entirely on one political ideology is disingenuous and lame.

neither party has an honest ethical leader. can you name me one?

No I cannot confidently suggest an ethical leader from any party. However, you keep asserting that liberals need to be taken out of office, as if replacing them with the so-called conservatives would be any better. Your being divisive, which helps no one in the end. I can say that there are senators that I do have hope for on all sides; such as Dennis Kucinich, Anthony Wiener, and Ron Paul. Other then a few others, I no longer wish to follow the wild goose chase of politics as closely as I have before. Its a charade. The structure of many industrialized countries are outdated and have rendered themselves obsolete. Suggest the ailments of a nation belongs to one side of the political spectrum is, like i said, lame. It simply adds to the ruckus. Consider mature and rational arguments that produce substantial criticism, rather then this name-calling and cheap tricks of bickering. I understand this is the internet and people feel as though it doesn't need to be taken so seriously, plus there is the instant gratification of being a jerk to someone anonymously. But, if you're having consistent exchanges with the same persons, it would be logical to consider approaching them with productive discussions, and not the obvious typical B.S.

its difficult to avoid those pitfalls when dealing with the typical close minded leftylibs that comment here, but i apologize if youve fallen into my cross hairs. that is why the tea party was formed. folks tired of the sos from both party's. we just happen to have more conservative principles than those generally found on the left.