Tired of Income Inequality? Get Used to It.

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  • Barefootsies
    Choice is an Illusion
    • Feb 2005
    • 42635

    #1

    Tired of Income Inequality? Get Used to It.

    Imagine that. People will actually have to "work" for what they want.

    Economist Tyler Cowen has some advice for what to do about America's income inequality: Get used to it. In his latest book, Average Is Over, Cowen lays out his prediction for where the U.S. economy is heading, like it or not:

    "I think we'll see a thinning out of the middle class," he tells NPR's Steve Inskeep. "We'll see a lot of individuals rising up to much greater wealth. And we'll also see more individuals clustering in a kind of lower-middle class existence."

    It's a radical change from the America of 40 or 50 years ago. Cowen believes the wealthy will become more numerous, and even more powerful. The elderly will hold on to their benefits ... the young, not so much. Millions of people who might have expected a middle class existence may have to aspire to something else.
    FULL STORY
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    Enough Said.

    "Would you rather live like a king for a year or like a prince forever?"
  • L-Pink
    working on my tan
    • Mar 2005
    • 39151

    #2
    "He also predicts that everyone will be ruthlessly graded — every slice of their lives, monitored, tracked and recorded."

    "Everything is rated. Everything will have a Yelp review. And if you're a worker, there'll be, like, credit scores. There already are, to some extent. How reliable are you? How many jobs have you had? Have there been lawsuits filed against you? How many traffic tickets? And I think we're also moving to a world where we measure much more precisely. But we as individuals will quite often find this oppressive."

    Sounds like the future will suck if you ask me. I'm glad I grew up when I did. I'm glad I'm in a position to not worry about my "Yelp status"

    .

    Comment

    • Barefootsies
      Choice is an Illusion
      • Feb 2005
      • 42635

      #3
      Originally posted by L-Pink
      Sounds like the future will suck if you ask me.
      Only if you're a rabble on the fry-o-lator.

      Should You Email Your Members?

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      Enough Said.

      "Would you rather live like a king for a year or like a prince forever?"

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      • L-Pink
        working on my tan
        • Mar 2005
        • 39151

        #4
        Originally posted by Barefootsies
        Only if you're a rabble on the fry-o-lator.

        I'm a private person, no facebook, no personal info out there for public consumption. I like being below the radar. The info age is also the loss of privacy age and that sucks.

        Comment

        • Barefootsies
          Choice is an Illusion
          • Feb 2005
          • 42635

          #5
          Thank your government.

          Originally posted by L-Pink
          The info age is also the loss of privacy age and that sucks.
          "Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."

          - Benjamin Franklin

          Should You Email Your Members?

          Link1 | Link2 | Link3

          Enough Said.

          "Would you rather live like a king for a year or like a prince forever?"

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          • L-Pink
            working on my tan
            • Mar 2005
            • 39151

            #6
            Students graduating from college with huge debts entering a lower paying workplace is going to lead to a poor quality of life and real shitty attitudes from coming generations.

            Comment

            • Barefootsies
              Choice is an Illusion
              • Feb 2005
              • 42635

              #7
              Originally posted by L-Pink
              Students graduating from college with huge debts entering a lower paying workplace is going to lead to a poor quality of life and real shitty attitudes from coming generations.
              You mean worse than the current lot of lazy, apathetic, self centered, entitlement class youth today?

              Oh goodie. I'll be waiting with bells on.

              Should You Email Your Members?

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              Enough Said.

              "Would you rather live like a king for a year or like a prince forever?"

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              • BlackCrayon
                Too lazy to set a custom title
                • Jun 2003
                • 19634

                #8
                Originally posted by Barefootsies
                Only if you're a rabble on the fry-o-lator.

                you won't be saying that when the ability for an individual to set up a business/sell a product is no longer possible due to corporate lobbying.
                you don't know you're wearing a leash if you sit by the peg all day..

                Comment

                • Barry-xlovecam
                  It's 42
                  • Jun 2010
                  • 18083

                  #9
                  I read that the amount of wealth in the hands of the top 1% is at its highest level since 1928 ... We are cruising for a bruising real bad ...

                  Comment

                  • Tom_PM
                    Porn Meister
                    • Feb 2005
                    • 16443

                    #10
                    He seems to be predicting 20 years ago
                    43-922-863 Shut up and play your guitar.

                    Comment

                    • Grapesoda
                      So Fucking Banned
                      • Jul 2003
                      • 46238

                      #11
                      Originally posted by Barefootsies
                      Imagine that. People will actually have to "work" for what they want.



                      FULL STORY
                      the middle class seems to be a short lived phenomena in the relative course of social economic history

                      Comment

                      • Barefootsies
                        Choice is an Illusion
                        • Feb 2005
                        • 42635

                        #12
                        Originally posted by Grapesoda
                        the middle class seems to be a short lived phenomena in the relative course of social economic history
                        http://education.yahoo.net/articles/....htm?kid=1O1BA
                        Should You Email Your Members?

                        Link1 | Link2 | Link3

                        Enough Said.

                        "Would you rather live like a king for a year or like a prince forever?"

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                        • arock10
                          Confirmed User
                          • Jan 2006
                          • 6217

                          #13
                          Tell that to Marie Antoinette
                          Sup

                          Comment

                          • marcop
                            Confirmed User
                            • Nov 2005
                            • 4150

                            #14
                            Originally posted by arock10
                            Tell that to Marie Antoinette
                            Yes, radical income equality sounds like a recipe for revolution.

                            Comment

                            • sperbonzo
                              I'd rather be on my boat.
                              • May 2003
                              • 9750

                              #15
                              Originally posted by BlackCrayon
                              you won't be saying that when the ability for an individual to set up a business/sell a product is no longer possible due to corporate lobbying.
                              Which is why we need to take away the government's ability to have so much control over business. If they don't have the power to raise the bar higher and higher to starting a business, then the lobby won't have anything to manipulate.



                              .
                              Michael Sperber / Acella Financial LLC/ Online Payment Processing

                              [email protected] / http://Acellafinancial.com/

                              ICQ 177961090 / Tel +1 909 NET BILL / Skype msperber

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                              • 96ukssob
                                So Fucking Banananananas
                                • Mar 2003
                                • 12991

                                #16
                                of course this was coming and if you couldn't see it... well, you should be signing up for the one way mission to Mars.

                                cost of living, expenses and everything is going UP, so that only means you need to make MORE. think of all the toys and gadgets that were around 40-50 years ago, now think of how many are around today... that's a shit ton of money people spend on their toys alone!

                                we'll see the bell curve start to flatten, if not shift to the right as wealth increases amongst the middle class, while hte lower middle and lower class income drops significantly.

                                Can't blame anyone but ourselves for this...
                                Email: Clicky on Me

                                Comment

                                • tony286
                                  lurker
                                  • Aug 2002
                                  • 57021

                                  #17
                                  it makes sense with technology you need less and less people to do jobs. Driveless cars, think about all the jobs that will go bye bye once they are all over the streets. Whats a bus driver or a cab driver going to do for work?

                                  Comment

                                  • L-Pink
                                    working on my tan
                                    • Mar 2005
                                    • 39151

                                    #18
                                    Originally posted by tony286
                                    it makes sense with technology you need less and less people to do jobs. Driveless cars, think about all the jobs that will go bye bye once they are all over the streets. Whats a bus driver or a cab driver going to do for work?

                                    Below is a link to a great 60 Minutes video and article about robotics decimating the workforce even more in the next few years here and especially in the countries like China that are growing based on manufacturing.

                                    http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18560_16...ng-job-growth/

                                    Comment

                                    • pornmasta
                                      Too lazy to set a custom title
                                      • Jun 2006
                                      • 20016

                                      #19
                                      Originally posted by L-Pink
                                      I'm a private person, no facebook, no personal info out there for public consumption. I like being below the radar. The info age is also the loss of privacy age and that sucks.
                                      you are probably right about facebook, but it is for example easy to monitor this board to learn about your life (it is probably also the same thing for me)

                                      Comment

                                      • Rochard
                                        Jägermeister Test Pilot
                                        • Dec 2001
                                        • 75733

                                        #20
                                        This is the key of what society is based on - this goes back to that fast food thread a while back. You work shitty crappy jobs until you prove you can are worthy of doing more.

                                        My cousin is 45, lives in Florida, works as a front desk clerk at a hotel (read: entry level position), rejoices loudly every time she has a day off, yet bitches every time her boss gives her responsibilities and then has the gall to bitch about how she can't get a promotion and is always broke.

                                        If you can't figure out why you are in the spot you are in, you don't deserve to get ahead.
                                        Herschel Savage
                                        Brooklyn, NY

                                        Comment

                                        • L-Pink
                                          working on my tan
                                          • Mar 2005
                                          • 39151

                                          #21
                                          Originally posted by Rochard
                                          This is the key of what society is based on - this goes back to that fast food thread a while back. You work shitty crappy jobs until you prove you can are worthy of doing more.

                                          My cousin is 45, lives in Florida, works as a front desk clerk at a hotel (read: entry level position), rejoices loudly every time she has a day off, yet bitches every time her boss gives her responsibilities and then has the gall to bitch about how she can't get a promotion and is always broke.

                                          If you can't figure out why you are in the spot you are in, you don't deserve to get ahead.
                                          The upcoming problem will be a promotion to what?

                                          Comment

                                          • Barefootsies
                                            Choice is an Illusion
                                            • Feb 2005
                                            • 42635

                                            #22
                                            Originally posted by Rochard
                                            If you can't figure out why you are in the spot you are in, you don't deserve to get ahead.
                                            Should You Email Your Members?

                                            Link1 | Link2 | Link3

                                            Enough Said.

                                            "Would you rather live like a king for a year or like a prince forever?"

                                            Comment

                                            • Ferus
                                              Bye - Left to do stuff
                                              • Feb 2013
                                              • 4108

                                              #23
                                              Originally posted by Rochard
                                              If you can't figure out why you are in the spot you are in, you don't deserve to get ahead.
                                              Hard not to agree with that

                                              Comment

                                              • BFT3K
                                                Too lazy to set a custom title
                                                • Dec 2005
                                                • 10764

                                                #24
                                                Over the past 30 years the US has exported over 22 million jobs with no penalties to the multi-national corporations that benefited at the detriment of the citizens. BOTH parties are responsible for this.

                                                Over the past 20 years the US has spent over 5 TRILLION DOLLARS on defense, mostly bolstered by a fake war on terror. BOTH parties are responsible for this.

                                                Our "elected officials" no longer work for the people, so we no longer need them... at least not the current batch.

                                                YES, it is PAST the time we had a REAL revolution here in the US.

                                                Heads literally need to be rolling in the streets, starting with the heads of the Federal Reserve.
                                                Last edited by BFT3K; 09-12-2013, 08:01 AM.

                                                Comment

                                                • DigitalDesire
                                                  Confirmed User
                                                  • Nov 2008
                                                  • 100

                                                  #25
                                                  The one constant in life is change. This is nothing new. Some things always change for the better, and some for the worse. Same game, different generation of players.

                                                  Comment

                                                  • BFT3K
                                                    Too lazy to set a custom title
                                                    • Dec 2005
                                                    • 10764

                                                    #26
                                                    Originally posted by Barefootsies
                                                    Only if you're a rabble on the fry-o-lator.
                                                    Personally I've never worked a day in my life in fast food, but ridiculing less fortunate Americans, rather than targeting the owners of this country that have created this vast income inequality, is short-sighted at best.

                                                    "Divide and conquer" is a real thing, and you are playing into this scenario like a well controlled puppet.

                                                    Comment

                                                    • Rochard
                                                      Jägermeister Test Pilot
                                                      • Dec 2001
                                                      • 75733

                                                      #27
                                                      Originally posted by L-Pink
                                                      The upcoming problem will be a promotion to what?
                                                      General manager, then maybe a regional manager, or hotel owner?

                                                      She has the same exact job I had twenty years ago. The difference is twenty years ago when I was a front desk clerk at a hotel I was also a full time college student.
                                                      Herschel Savage
                                                      Brooklyn, NY

                                                      Comment

                                                      • signupdamnit
                                                        Confirmed User
                                                        • Aug 2007
                                                        • 6697

                                                        #28
                                                        Originally posted by BFT3K
                                                        Over the past 30 years the US has exported over 22 million jobs with no penalties to the multi-national corporations that benefited at the detriment of the citizens. BOTH parties are responsible for this.

                                                        Over the past 20 years the US has spent over 5 TRILLION DOLLARS on defense, mostly bolstered by a fake war on terror. BOTH parties are responsible for this.

                                                        Our "elected officials" no longer work for the people, so we no longer need them... at least not the current batch.

                                                        YES, it is PAST the time we had a REAL revolution here in the US.

                                                        Heads literally need to be rolling in the streets, starting with the heads of the Federal Reserve.
                                                        Well the demographics change heavily favors a more progressive shift in the U.S. So unless the elite are going to shut down Democracy or start killing off people some things are going to be changing here in the next 20 years or so. There will not be any need for revolution as long as we keep Democracy in place.

                                                        People call the younger generations entitled and lazy but they aren't the ones responsible for this mess. It was us and the generations before us. They are merely the victims of it. What is going to happen as this generation grows up and compares what they have to what their parents had? I think anger will be the reaction. The question is who that anger will fall upon and what will come of it.

                                                        You don't like my posts? Put me on ignore or fuck right off. I'll say what I want.

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