Saw some comments on another post about U.S. economy and didn't want to hijack that post with political comments.
In 1966, I was three years into a blue-collar career as a Linotype operator breathing molten lead fumes at the local newspaper. That year, my income hit $8,000. I was married, one child and another on the way, and was able to support my family respectably with that pay.
According to the charts, the Dow-Jones Industrial Average for 1966 was 760. Yup, 760. I think that was the heyday of America: people with a high school education could get a decent job, provide for their family, and look forward to many years of the American dream. Corporations were raking in money, investors were raking in money, it seems there was a piece of the pie for everyone.
Today, the American worker has had his throat cut. Relaxed tariffs, NAFTA, etc., have made it impossible for a worker to support their family on a single income. According to the government, to have the same purchasing power in 2013 (last year listed) as my $8,000 had in 1966, a blue-collar worker would need to pull down $55,540.16! Are you kidding? Where in America can a high school graduate expect to go get a job that pays $55,000?
Where's all that money gone? Just checked and right now the D-J is 16,633.39! The haves are stealing from the have-nots at unprecedented rates. The only thing that ever made America different than all the other civilizations is that we had a middle class with good jobs. It's gone. Ain't coming back. And the Monopoly game is about to implode.
Everyone is at fault. The Democrats are crooks. The Republicans are crooks. The Independents just can't decide who to screw when. And I don't see anyone on the horizon that's going to change it. What has happened to this country cannot be solved by a new amendment or legislation. We are a country that has lost its heart and soul and it cannot be fixed by talking.
In 1966, I was three years into a blue-collar career as a Linotype operator breathing molten lead fumes at the local newspaper. That year, my income hit $8,000. I was married, one child and another on the way, and was able to support my family respectably with that pay.
According to the charts, the Dow-Jones Industrial Average for 1966 was 760. Yup, 760. I think that was the heyday of America: people with a high school education could get a decent job, provide for their family, and look forward to many years of the American dream. Corporations were raking in money, investors were raking in money, it seems there was a piece of the pie for everyone.
Today, the American worker has had his throat cut. Relaxed tariffs, NAFTA, etc., have made it impossible for a worker to support their family on a single income. According to the government, to have the same purchasing power in 2013 (last year listed) as my $8,000 had in 1966, a blue-collar worker would need to pull down $55,540.16! Are you kidding? Where in America can a high school graduate expect to go get a job that pays $55,000?
Where's all that money gone? Just checked and right now the D-J is 16,633.39! The haves are stealing from the have-nots at unprecedented rates. The only thing that ever made America different than all the other civilizations is that we had a middle class with good jobs. It's gone. Ain't coming back. And the Monopoly game is about to implode.
Everyone is at fault. The Democrats are crooks. The Republicans are crooks. The Independents just can't decide who to screw when. And I don't see anyone on the horizon that's going to change it. What has happened to this country cannot be solved by a new amendment or legislation. We are a country that has lost its heart and soul and it cannot be fixed by talking.
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