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Almost half of US families can't afford basics like rent and food


Starkiller

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We’re starting to learn what America’s biggest companies are doing with the huge windfalls from President Donald Trump’s tax cuts. And the answer is great for investors – but not so great for workers.

LOL @ the bank bailouts of the Obama administration.     Check and see what happened in September 2008 and who had been in the white house and controlled congress for 8 years.

The title is hyperbole, in itself, but the article quickly defines what it's considering.     My household falls within the upper middle class.  The 08 crash woke me up and we eliminated mos

2 hours ago, abenjami said:

I know a guy who doesn’t have health insurance and lives with his mom. 

 

But he’s got an $800 Samsung smartphone!

Many people are missing the ability to cover all of the above until well into their careers.  Mostly people skip health insurance, or live with someone else.  Gotta hustle to make a living.

 

Unless of course you're a hotshot lawyer with a lucrative specialty.

Edited by patsplat
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I've known all of the above. Also people homeless. It's pretty sad to see people working struggling to pay their bills. Especially when they're working full time and doing side jobs. Things have just gotten too expensive. Fast food isn't "fast" anymore when it comes to eating out. You'll pay later. Rent and housing. Insurances. Necessities in a lot of fields these days. That's a lot not even including if you have a kid or kids.

 

They had less bills and higher wages in the past. That's strange to say in and of itself. It used to seem like we would keep heading in one direction.

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3 minutes ago, Rolltide said:

 

Making generic comments like "things have gotten too expensive" have no basis in fact. the average inflation rate since 1990 is 2.4% and wage growth has been about the same. Wage growth this year is at 4%. 

 

 

Umm. That's actually a statement most people can simply understand. I don't know the age of this board however.

 

Generic stats like you just spouted of have no basis in fact. Without context they're just generic statements you're using to try and prove a point. In this case it seems, that the economy is "fine."

 

Well let me tell ya Mr. @Rolltide. Wages haven't been "steadily" climbing for the middle class and lower classes over that time frame. Profits may have gone to the highest earners, but earners in the middle haven't seen increases in wages. To make matters worse, inflation has been steady. What happens when you have steadily rising inflation and stagnant or flat wages @Rolltide? 

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12 minutes ago, Rolltide said:

http://www.usinflationcalculator.com/inflation/historical-inflation-rates/

 

Inflation rates ARE facts they are the average increase in the cost of things you need to live. Food, fuel, clothes etc. Rather than focusing in on the price of milk or eggs this month it is the cost of everything year to year. Capitalism works because of competition. If McDonalds charges less than burger king where are people more likely to eat?

 

Wages fluctuate based on the economy. They obviously went down during the recession but the current situation now is that employers can't find enough qualified workers. With unemployment under 4% wages will go up faster than inflation as employers try to compete for qualified applicants. 

I know what inflation is and I know what capitalism is. I also know basic economics. That last sentence has nothing to do with ANYTHING. Shows how much you know about economics.

 

I also know what wages are and what happens during a recession. I'm also an employer. You've once again managed to say nothing.

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@Rolltide at his best.  Stick to this stuff man.  You're hitting some great points here.  The economy is doing very well.  Despite politicians best efforts to ruin it.  

 

Military spending has been out of control since the 1950's.  And I'm in the military so it's not like I'm saying this stuff for my own personal benefit.  

 

Meanwhile, people have gotten lazy on the profits of others and expect more and more help from the government.  What happened to ask not what your country can do for you?  Now, it's voting your wallet.  

 

Do you want to know why wages have stagnated?  Women have doubled the workforce and lowered the value of labor.  That's a far larger problem than illegal immigration but it's a subject no one wants to talk about.

 

Do you want to know why corporations are making more money than American households?  Because they're damn good at it and most Americans aren't.  The same people who are crying about not being able to afford health insurance pay 200 bucks a month for a cell phone plan drive a 40,000 dollar car they can't afford and shop on credit every weekend.  

 

They're broke because they're stupid, not because Obama or Trump or any other President has been holding them down.

Edited by Justafan
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On 5/19/2018 at 0:30 AM, JakePA_Titan said:

Keep those illegals pouring in. Im sure that will turn the economy right around and help those families find jobs and afford to live!

Funny stat, over the past 15 years we would have had a population decline if not for immigrants (because that's the sensible thing to do during recession.) 

 

But illegals came across and pumped them out. 

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3 hours ago, Rolltide said:

Making generic comments like "things have gotten too expensive" have no basis in fact. the average inflation rate since 1990 is 2.4% and wage growth has been about the same. Wage growth this year is at 4%. 

The cost of housing has far exceeded the official rate of inflation over that period. So has the cost of healthcare. So have other individual costs, I’d  wager, without looking them up.

 

Meanwhile, the minimum wage has not kept up with the rate of inflation. And when talking about the 43% of Americans referenced here, these are largely people whose income is far more closely tied to minimum wage than the competitive top of the pay scale.

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9 minutes ago, SleepingTitan said:

Funny stat, over the past 15 years we would have had a population decline if not for immigrants (because that's the sensible thing to do during recession.) 

 

But illegals came across and pumped them out. 

And this is part of why we need immigration. We do not want declining population numbers.

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3 minutes ago, Starkiller said:

And this is part of why we need immigration. We do not want declining population numbers.

I don't believe we need an influx of uneducated non-English speaking immigrants. This isn't 1840. America doesn't have a strong labor economy anymore. 

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2 hours ago, Justafan said:

Do you want to know why wages have stagnated?  Women have doubled the workforce and lowered the value of labor.  That's a far larger problem than illegal immigration but it's a subject no one wants to talk about.

 

Do you want to know why corporations are making more money than American households?  Because they're damn good at it and most Americans aren't.  The same people who are crying about not being able to afford health insurance pay 200 bucks a month for a cell phone plan drive a 40,000 dollar car they can't afford and shop on credit every weekend.  

Corporations value profits over employees. It’s all about showing investors continually growing profits. They will happily lay off a significant portion of the workforce if it means saving money in the short term so they can report a bigger profit so their stock price will go up. They will jump at the chance to export labor to cheaper countries or to contractors because it saves some money.

 

And the people have been conned into giving up their competitive advantage. Eliminating the bulk of unions have taken away the bargaining rights of most American workers.

 

 

2 hours ago, Justafan said:

They're broke because they're stupid, not because Obama or Trump or any other President has been holding them down.

Then politicians con those stupid people into blaming someone else for their problems so they can be used for political gain. Immigrants, usually.

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1 minute ago, SleepingTitan said:

I don't believe we need an influx of uneducated non-English speaking immigrants. This isn't 1840. America doesn't have a strong labor economy anymore. 

And yet declining population numbers is bad for everyone. Fewer consumers, a lower tax base, etc...

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6 minutes ago, Starkiller said:

Corporations value profits over employees. It’s all about showing investors continually growing profits. They will happily lay off a significant portion of the workforce if it means saving money in the short term so they can report a bigger profit so their stock price will go up. They will jump at the chance to export labor to cheaper countries or to contractors because it saves some money.

 

And the people have been conned into giving up their competitive advantage. Eliminating the bulk of unions have taken away the bargaining rights of most American workers.

 

 

Then politicians con those stupid people into blaming someone else for their problems so they can be used for political gain. Immigrants, usually.

Absolutely. Business is very organized and excellent at getting what they want. I have no issue with collective employee bargaining as long as there is some sort of referree to keep things even keel.

 

Unions are excellent tools but have also been dangerous weapons when allowed to become too powerful.

 

Agree with your second sentiment as well.

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