Trip to feed store leads to political arguement!

[cubbysan]

Oh, it isn’t a case of “corporate greed”. The greed part comes from investors who expect an ever increasing profit on their investments. Those greedy investors are mostly those of us who rely on a company pension, or invest in mutual stocks. A company’s CEO will do anything he or she can to meet those demands. I suspect you would do the same if you were in their position – that is, if you wanted to keep your job.
We live in a time of our history where our economy is global. A huge disparity between living standards exists between countries. It seems to me that we are experiencing an equalizing process. We happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time; so it is up to us to make some adjustments – like redefining things like wealth and living standards, and the quality of living. We are in need of a new cultural paradigm.

This is one of the many reasons I have gotten my ducks and chickens. I want to go back to basics and teach my children about going back to basics too.

It is a sad world out there, and even sadder when a company is making very excellent profits, but considered by the investors and analysts to be a loser.

 

[bakerjw]

One thing to add is the H1B visa process. Many companies will interview a handful of US citizens and then file for an H1B visa applicant stating that they couldn't find any qualified Americans to fill the spot. They do interview good American applicants but they know that someone from India or Pakistan will work for 1/2 or less of what the American would accept. It happens every day.

 

[rebelcowboysnb]

There is a mute button on that remote. I use it all the time.

NAFTA was a Bill Clinton production. It just regulates trade between those NAFTA countries, Canada, Mexico and the US. Remember George W. Bush came into office January 20th, 2001. NAFTA went into effect January 1st, 1994.

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

Trade with China has nothing to do with NAFTA.

When I returned to the US in 1966, US Customs confiscated my flip flop and thermos jug because they were made in Red China. At that time nothing made there could legally be imported to the US. Of course the US was buying a lot of stuff marked made in Hong Kong. But in reality, nothing is really make in Hong Kong, it is only marked that way and shipped out of there.

The problem started when Bill Clinton gave most favored nation status to China. That opened the doors. http://www.southerncenter.org/EA_Lesson2_Activity1_handout2-1_p59.pdf

I guess I was wrong about who signed NAFTA. Not that I really care, what matters is that it was signed along with other free trade agreements. Free trade sounds great on paper but in reality it gives companies a tax break that makes it profitable to outsource production to 2nd and 3ed world countries. I am usually a big fan of small government but not with trade. High import tax on manufactured goods makes it more profitable to build factories in country. Low or no import tax makes it profitable to only have one factory somewhere in the 3ed world. Ross Perot warned that outsourcing would be the effect of free trade but here we are years later with people shocked about there jobs going elsewhere...


I dont care who owns what company ether. If dodge wants to sell to Egypt, they should build a factory in Egypt(which they have). An if VW wants to sell to the US, they should build a factory in the US(which they also have). Any company that does not do that should be taxed heavily for it with import taxes.

 

[chickened]

Well it finally got to where some people cant blame everything on Bush so now it's Romney. Even Sandy is Romneys fault.

had to start sooner or later... what is wrong with just saying **** happens?

 

[punk-a-doodle]

Actually, I'd say the disgrace is in conceptualizing fellow humans in such simplistic and demeaning terms.

 

[bakerjw]

I have to chime in here. I make very good money for what I do and somehow have managed to become 100% debt free before the age of 50. How did that happen? HARD WORK.

It all started back in the late 80's when I got hired by a high tech firm working in the cleaning room. Electronic assemblies would be received in for repair and I would clean the prior to them going to the technicians for repair. While in that job, I was the head of a family of 4 making $5.50 an hour. I thought to myself, "I would like to be one of those technicians. Their work is pretty cool." So I started going to college with a full load of classes. That is working 40+ hours a week at work, taking a minimum of 12 hours at the local community college, and being the head of a household of 4. Those were long hours and it was a lot of hard work. I got an associates degree and continued learning from there. I am now a system test engineer for the worlds largest system automation companies. Larger than GE. And it is because I invested in myself.

I have a friend who is poor. He dropped out of high school and has worked odd jobs to scrape by for many years. We used to hang out a lot. I urged him for years to go get his GED. I even offered to pay any fees and for books that he needed. He never took me up on it. He opted to remain poor rather than work toward improving his lot in life.

I have another high school friend who was a real pot head. He never did anything with himself after high school. When my son was going to college, his grades were exceptional and he became a member of an honor fraternity. We went to the ceremony and I'll be darned, but my friend John was there. Here was one of the biggest stoners from high school getting into a society of people with good collegiate grade point averages. He worked to get turned around.

Then there is my sister in law. She recently lost here temporary job at a local high tech firm for attendance reasons. All she could do was complain because they never made her a permanent employee. Beer and pot are too important to some people I suppose. I can pretty much guarantee that if she'd had started taking some basic electronics classes at the local tech college, they'd have probably brought her on permanent.

My wife's cousins are also poor. Alcohol and drugs are more important to them than working to get ahead in life. They purposely try to limit how much money they earn so as to get earned income credits. They are leeches on society.

There is a local Chinese restaurant that I frequent. The young couple who run it are there from 10:00AM to 11:00 PM every day of the week. They don't dress in fancy clothes or have an expensive car and house. They work hard and save their money.

Working your way out of poverty isn't impossible. It is hard but not impossible. It takes work and dedication, but there are so many opportunities out there that are passed up because it is easier to remain in your place in life and expect more from those who have worked to become successful. I have sympathy for anyone who is poor and I WILL provide a hand up to those that will accept it and use it, but I see few willing to put forth the effort.

 

[hemet dennis]

There has been however a lot of generalizations characterizing poor people as: alcoholics, drug users, system abusers, lazy, unambitious and not trying hard enough.... Of course, that's okay because it is so obviously true because a few people that the individuals have met are poor and some of these things, very scientific, not anecdotal at all..... No way we should look at bodies of scientific research into poverty and it's causes, even though they are documented, complex and multifaceted. let's just stick to maligning poor people in general, easier for people who just want to live in a black and white world.... (AKA: Fantasyland)

Anyone that says all rich people are greedy or all poor people are lazy is stupid. And anyone that says no rich people are greedy and no poor people are lazy is just as stupid.
But do you think there are people that should get welfare for life ? And I'm not talking about disabled as there's other programs for them.

 

[JadedPhoenix]

I'm poor and don't resent the wealthy. I resent the sense of entitlement that many of the wealthy have.

I have always been below the poverty level as well and I think that the main thing that folks of ALL classes should learn is how to live within their means. No I don't have a cell phone because I know that is an expense that I don't need. Instead of paying for HBO or CINEMAX I watch any movie or show I want on NETFLIX for $8 a month. Too many that I know that are not in any better financial circumstances than I am feel ENTITLED to having others pay for the things that they themselves can not afford. They insist on government issued cell phones, healthcare, and food stamps. My father worked three jobs when I was little to make sure that we stayed off of the government dime but now adays folks seem to be too willing to sign up for things that are being handed out simply because they are there. It's time for folks to get back to the basics and put aside things that (while are nice to have) are not neccessary. Stop using credit cards and pay in cash. If you want a new television, wait until you can buy it free and clear. Don't choose one that started off being priced $700 and end up paying over a grand by the time it is paid off after interest. Instead, save up and be satisfied with the $200 television. For dinner, know your budget and go meatless a night or two a week. We ALL need to live more simply right now. And don't begrudge others that have a bit more than you do. Some how I remember a commandment about that. "Thou shalt not covet".

 

[chickened]

I would love to live more like your great grandparents! We've been saving up to do just that, but man is it expensive to get land and a start. Farming hasn't seemed to have been in my family for a good long while, but I've always been curious as well what my grandparents would have thought about relying so heavily on corporate/gov food systems if they had grown up with chickens and food gardens. I wonder as well what effects we'd see if more people grew their own food again?

Thinner Americans...

 

[bakerjw]

The heck with this lesser of 2 evils thing. I'm going all out this year with a write in.



You have to be a fan of H.P Lovecraft to get the reference.