How the US Middle Class Got Screwed
 

https://youtube.com/watch?v=uB7jdjsFErM

I was watching the '87 Wall Street today. It reminded me that there will be people who don't produce anything, and make 100 times more than someone who breaks his back, builds things, innovates or whatever way he makes living. There's too many people making money by moving around money. Sounds simplistic, but I really believe that's why we're fucked and can't go back the other direction.

very good video but too many of the middle class live under the delusion they are part of the in crowd.

wanna get really pissed off read this article http://www.rollingstone.com/politics...-rich-20111109

And I dont think its going back. its all gone so far right, a centrist who leans to the right he is called a raging liberal. When people wake up it will be too late, if its not too late already.
When you got candiates calling another one out for allowing rape victims to have morning after pills while he was Gov and people cheer. Its so far gone.

I have a friend that works for UPS. He is union. Without the union he would make dirt and have shit for benefits... He makes about $32 an hour and has excellent benefits. He and all of his friends have boats, vacation homes at the river, toys, etc...

And they are all Republicans... The point is that Reps don't like unions... and without the union and its socialist ways he wouldn't have $32 an hour and a river house....

the middle class is dying mostly because children are trained from infancy that entertainment & social status is all that matters in life, not studying. This explains why jersey shore is a smash hit & snooki is a millionaire.

meanwhile tech creates new jobs & industries that require brain power that dumb drug addled white middle class kids can't deliver, they are too busy playing video games.

Nope, it was when people werent people anymore and they became human capital. It was during the 80's. In the mid 80's a guy in his mid 30's made 40k a year now he makes 35k and that's not adjusted dollars. Now its all I got mine fuck you.

capitalism is a bitch on those left behind. You can thank both political parties obsession with the religion of free trade for the symptoms your describing.

There are plenty of high paying jobs. just a huge shortage of qualified labor.

:1orglaugh

good video, but just points out GREED.

problem is, everyone feels like they got fucked and will think someone else will fix the problem for them. the lower their SES, the less they will do to "try" and fix the issue but rather sit around and bitch about it.

it going to keep getting worse and worse until some middle class union rises up and takes over government and the best hope is through the Internet and viral videos... which the gov't is trying to stop with control over content on the web.

How much schooling has that guy done in the last 30 years?

I will never understand how so many Americans think they can go to school up until 18, go to college, get a job at 22-23, take on no further education/self-education for the next 40 years and then wonder why others are passing them up. "Education is expensive" is not an argument, books are $10 and you can learn a hell of a lot more reading $1000 worth of books then you can taking one or two courses for $1000.

Yep in two years all of a sudden, there are no qualified people. That's too funny but believe that if it makes you feel good. Has nothing to do with the people working for 60 cents a day in china or india( this is sarcastic).

Its not the same guy, its the same age and earning potential has dropped not gone up.

How did the $.60 a day Chinese man steal an American high paying job? If that's true, that American high-paying job must not have required much skill at all so somebody was way overpaid.

I agree about the free trade

really? so when apple computer closed its california manufacturing plant & relocated to china for $17/a day labor, that has no effect on the middle class. & when you go to a grad school & there are no americans in the science classes, that has no effect on the middle class.

Please stop replying to me & i will ignore you. thanks.

Thats an example. The college educated chinese guy gets paid alot less than the american college guy. And the chinese guy got his schooling for free. Why do you thing when you call tech support there is always an accent? Because the only skilled people lived overseas, your kidding yourself. They are cheap.

Call centers? I thought we were talking about highly skilled employees?

I was being sarcastic and if you want to ignore me for just disagreeing. I said nothing angry or aggressive to you and I agree with you on free trade but your choice.

In the prosperous '60s the middle class owned a house of aprox 1800sq ft. 2 bath, 3-4 bedroom. No central air, one car, one tv, no cell phone, computer, or iPad.
You too, can choose to live like this (within your means) the stupid middle class CHOOSES not to.

You could pay to get microsoft questions by a microsoft engineer. These were people that really knew their shit. I used this service a few times and it would be a guy in seattle, once it was a guy in chicago. The last time I used it, it was a guy overseas and the service wasnt as good but I bet they saved a bundle.

And you refuse to deport the illegals that are stealing millions of blue collar jobs from you.

obama has deported more illegals than bush.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/...78J05720110920

President Barack Obama says he backs immigration reform, announcing last month an initiative to ease deportation policies, but he has sent home over 1 million illegal immigrants in 2-1/2 years -- on pace to deport more in one term than George W. Bush did in two.

i was a little put off by the believe-what-you-want comment. No question, free trade is a big issue, in particular because business schools, since the 80s, preach a nonstop diet of shareholders being the only humans who matter in life. However i cannot simply conclude the middle class has no responsibility for eroding quality of life. Our most innovative companies are starving for tech workers, & they have to import talent because americans take usless majors & spend their off hours indulging in a vast array of entertainment options unavailable to previous generations. Better video games, better pot, HDTV, smartphones.

i didnt watch the video, but unions declining has a lot to do with US manufacturing jobs going overseas. This is a consequence of free trade, i dont think unions couldve done a thing about it.

And he's also suing states who are trying to rid themselves of illegals.
Your answer is an example of why the stupid middle class is failing

Read some Matt Taibi, he's awesome.

I see your points

good point. we pay for so much "stuff" that our parents or grandparents never did. Back then they just had a home phone often with a party line. No cable, no internet, no cell phone. people saved until they bought something rather than paying 18-28% interest.

as for jobs there is no going back to the days of america being the great manufacturing country it once was. the genie is out of the bottle but we need to find ways to enable people to be employed. sure its their problem but it effects us all. making money moving money, exchanging currencies, etc won't last forever either. the evidence of that is all over. so what will north americans do for a living 20 years from now is something everyone should be thinking about regardless if you are comfortable now.

Ooooooooh!

http://i1.sndcdn.com/avatars-0000041...uf625-crop.jpg