The American Middle Class Is No Longer the World’s Richest; Middle class Poorer than Canada's and Sh
62 replies, posted
[QUOTE=Rangergxi;44620204]Competing with the labor practices of India and China?[/QUOTE]
That's a really oversimpified way of putting it, but in a sense, yes. That coupled with the fact that we barely impose any restrictions on incoming trade and allow companies to manufacture products in other countries and ship them here is another big problem. You fix those problems and you'll have more companies being forced to create jobs here, which is more routes for money to flow through. I'm not saying trickle down, but more avenues for the money to take, and that's more money that reaches the lower/middle class....
[QUOTE=Antdawg;44619775]Yeah, fuck me. Fuck me because work only guarantees me 12 hours every week (I usually end up working 30, but I need a safety net) and I study full-time at uni, and because of the latter I receive means-tested rent assistance to help me with my $350 of costs per week.
Fuck those welfare recipients.[/QUOTE]
I hope they have a class in satire at your school.
[QUOTE=Used Car Salesman;44619001]Can we finally admit that capitalism is not the solution to anything and everything?[/QUOTE]
Ironically, Canada has moved further to the right as the US has moved to the left. There are many policies that Canada is actually much further right than the US.
Here are 2 examples:
- A lower natianal income tax rate for high earners (29% in Canada, up to 39% in the US) ([url]http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/tx/ndvdls/fq/txrts-eng.html[/url]) ([url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Income_tax_in_the_United_States#Marginal_tax_rates_since_2008[/url])
- A lower national corporate tax rate (0-15% in Canada, 15-35% in the US) ([url]http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/tx/bsnss/tpcs/crprtns/rts-eng.html[/url]) ([url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporate_tax_in_the_United_States[/url])
I own property but eat a lot of kraft dinner and pancakes does that make me Canadian middle class?
I blame the baby boomers.
It's okay guys, we'll be fine. We still have that $500-600 billion that we're spending on the DoD so them damn commies can't take us over and ruin this good thing we got goin' on!
[QUOTE=Used Car Salesman;44619001]Can we finally admit that capitalism is not the solution to anything and everything?[/QUOTE]
shut up commie scum
[QUOTE=Zero-Point;44620845]It's okay guys, we'll be fine. We still have that $500-600 billion that we're spending on the DoD so them damn commies can't take us over and ruin this good thing we got goin' on![/QUOTE]
Social welfare spending is greater than defense spwnding, as seen by recent events the US military makes up the largest part of NATO spending and manpower. It's easy to say we should cut defense, and in a lot of ways it needs to be trimmed, but the ramifications of that could be very bad if done hastily.
On the topic of the thread, this makes me sad, but very happy that 1) I'm in trade school rather rather than college and 2) I have my British passport now.
[QUOTE=Aide;44619041]Referring to capitalism in America.
The problem lies with those in power who used and abused the system. For their own benefit or the benefit of a select few. I'm sure we all know who I'm referring to.[/QUOTE]
Hmmmmmmmm, that sounds a dangerous lot like the problems communism has!!
What if both systems suffer from the exact same issue and in the long run it's irrelevant which one you go with because shit gets fucked either way
[QUOTE=Awesomecaek;44621934]Hmmmmmmmm, that sounds a dangerous lot like the problems communism has!!
What if both systems suffer from the exact same issue and in the long run it's irrelevant which one you go with because shit gets fucked either way[/QUOTE]
Yeah, the only difference is that under capitalism there is the illusion of upward mobility. Smoke and mirrors generates a hope that you too might (some day) be one of the oppressive rich over-caste. Communism doesn't have that because all people are "equal".
[QUOTE=Antdawg;44619822]Come to Straya. Chicks love American dudes, minimum wage for a 20 year old is around $17 per hour, you get 1.2x if work calls you in for extra shifts, 1.5x for working on Sundays, 2.5x for working on holidays, we actually have a decent healthcare system where you pay a 1.5% levy on your earnings to receive massively subsidised healthcare costs, don't have to start paying back uni debt until you finish at uni and earn income above a certain threshold, sweet RWD Ford Falcons and Holden Commodores, nice beaches and I could go on and on.[/QUOTE]
yeah but your videogames cost, like, $100 and i can't pay that shit
And Democrats are proud and happy about this. "Look at how much we've given you!"
Just shows how dumb the public is.
[QUOTE=S3rpant67;44623405]And Democrats are proud and happy about this. "Look at how much we've given you!"
Just shows how dumb the public is.[/QUOTE]
What the fuck are you even talking about?
In theory pure capitalism, even without restrictions, would work. In practice it opens up too many abuses and workers are often left with few options.
Also the "middle class" in America is a very broad term. There is a great difference between the upper and lower middle classes, and the lower-middle class is what is actually shrinking the most.
don't worry guys, i'm sure capitalism will fix this, the glorious job creators will soon save civilization as we know it.
[QUOTE=Wizards Court;44625153]don't worry guys, i'm sure capitalism will fix this, the glorious job creators will soon save civilization as we know it.[/QUOTE]
Personally I'm waiting for the strawmen to save us.
[QUOTE=Ninja Gnome;44622892]yeah but your videogames cost, like, $100 and i can't pay that shit[/QUOTE]
yeah, but $20 an hour to pack shelves.
[QUOTE=Antdawg;44629663]yeah, but $20 an hour to pack shelves.[/QUOTE]
i would have to work 5 hours to buy one videogame, where as here in washington i would have to work 6 hours to buy one video game
wait hold on
Capitalism > Clusterization of wealth distribution > Imperialism > Uprising > Redistribution > Capitalism
AWW YE!
[editline]24th April 2014[/editline]
Unless you put proper anti-monopoly laws in the right places, but those get bought out and corps can make under-the-table deals.
[QUOTE=Pantz Master;44624466]In theory pure capitalism, even without restrictions, would work. In practice it opens up too many abuses and workers are often left with few options.[/QUOTE]
Of course it works in theory though, if the theory wasn't could, it wouldn't have been tried. Everything works in theory, Capitalism, Communism, Corporatism, Anarchism, Feudalism. In theory, but not in practice.
[QUOTE=FurrehFaux;44619647]Capitalism is perfectly fine, it just needs a touch of socialism to keep it from getting out of control.[/QUOTE]
You mention Socialism and Congressmen immediately dive under their desks and pull out guns.
Sorry Charlie but that's the truth :v:
People don't work in practice.
[QUOTE=KD007;44630770]People don't work in practice.[/QUOTE]
Practice don't work in practice.
You can't make a greedy idiot proof economy; someone will simply invent a greedier idiot.
[QUOTE=Sgt-NiallR;44631233]You can't make a greedy idiot proof economy; someone will simply invent a greedier idiot.[/QUOTE]
I wouldn´t call them idiots. That is like saying that people who find and abuse exploits are idiots. Like Hackers. Hackers aren´t idiots.
[QUOTE=Impact1986;44631287]I wouldn´t call them idiots. That is like saying that people who find and abuse exploits are idiots. Like Hackers. Hackers aren´t idiots.[/QUOTE]
Except for those kiddies that download one-click activation hacks. It attaches to the process, finds offsets and changes the values for them. What next? An automatic ass-wiper :v:
[QUOTE=FurrehFaux;44619647]Capitalism is perfectly fine, it just needs a touch of socialism to keep it from getting out of control.[/QUOTE]
Capitalism is really good, but there must be better system that handles corruption better...
[QUOTE=HeatPipe;44632649]Capitalism is really good, but there must be better system that handles corruption better...[/QUOTE]
Reformed capitalism!
[QUOTE=FurrehFaux;44619647]Capitalism is perfectly fine, it just needs a touch of socialism to keep it from getting out of control.[/QUOTE]
The US doesn't have pure capitalism tho, it's a mix of capitalism and socialism.
[QUOTE=Angua;44619812]Well the employment problem is not going to fix itself since there literally are not enough jobs for everyone and it's gonna get far worse on that front. So i'll just have to hope that social safety nets everywhere are in fine working order.[/QUOTE]
Except our employment rates are already at pre-recession levels?
Any economic system with scarcity (so all of them I guess?) will eventually fail, I thought that was one of the core principles of economic theory?
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