Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
That's absurd. If the poor could stop spending entirely and save everything they earned, they would never challenge the top 1%. What you call "choices you make" just aren't available to everyone and certainly not equally. One doesn't have a "choice" between attending Beverly Hills HS and attending one in Detroit.
Your essential argument is to deny class stratification in America.
Of course not everyone starts on the same rung of the ladder or has the same amount of hardships to overcome in their lives.
No one, to my knowledge is saying that this is the case.
But what most Conservatives mean when they say that everyone has the opportunity is that pretty much everyone, no matter their station in life and short of being born with no arms and no legs etc, does have the capacity to improve their lot in life if they are willing to work for it instead of sitting there and expecting others to carry them on their backs.
The fact that not everyone can challenge the 1% is irrelevant to the concept of working your way to the next rung on the socioeconomic ladder and the fact most people will never get anywheres near the top is no reason to say that it's pointless to try.
No, you will never get rich digging a ditch.....
But the hardest working ditch digger's tend to become lead man on the crew.
And the best lead men become Supervisors and no longer have to do the actual digging.
Supervisors tend to be the ones who save money and start their own ditch digging company.
Owners of these companies have to work long and hard to keep the companies afloat.
(there are different types of "hard work")
The owners who work the hardest are usually successful and end up owning multiple companies or branching out into ditch digging franchises.
You can substitute practically any occupation here and the concept is the same.
But the fact remains that if you want to be the owner of the company someday, you have to start by getting off your behind and picking up a shovel.
Wealth inequality has grown because the rich are becoming richer, and the middle class and poor persons wages are stagnant and are losing ground, not because of immigration, which is, another right wing talking point parroted in internet forums and blogs.
Wealth inequality has grown because the rich are becoming richer, and the middle class and poor persons wages are stagnant and are losing ground, not because of immigration, which is, another right wing talking point parroted in internet forums and blogs.
Why are you afraid to address this point? Liberal talking points are contradictory?
The rich have gotten richer as we have at the same time let in millions and millions of poor people over the course of decades driving the disparity even more so.
"If" wealth inequality is bad. Then why should we let millions of no/low wealth immigrants in to the country over the course of decades making wealth disparity worse?
Of course not everyone starts on the same rung of the ladder or has the same amount of hardships to overcome in their lives.
No one, to my knowledge is saying that this is the case.
But what most Conservatives mean when they say that everyone has the opportunity is that pretty much everyone, no matter their station in life and short of being born with no arms and no legs etc, does have the capacity to improve their lot in life if they are willing to work for it instead of sitting there and expecting others to carry them on their backs.
The fact that not everyone can challenge the 1% is irrelevant to the concept of working your way to the next rung on the socioeconomic ladder and the fact most people will never get anywheres near the top is no reason to say that it's pointless to try.
No, you will never get rich digging a ditch.....
But the hardest working ditch digger's tend to become lead man on the crew.
And the best lead men become Supervisors and no longer have to do the actual digging.
Supervisors tend to be the ones who save money and start their own ditch digging company.
Owners of these companies have to work long and hard to keep the companies afloat.
(there are different types of "hard work")
The owners who work the hardest are usually successful and end up owning multiple companies or branching out into ditch digging franchises.
You can substitute practically any occupation here and the concept is the same.
But the fact remains that if you want to be the owner of the company someday, you have to start by getting off your behind and picking up a shovel.
What a crock of lies most everybody can not just move up a ladder due to ability or not enough room for a bunch of supervisors.This type of ignorance that everybody can just move up is pretty amazing. Hard work is hardly a measure of success many hard working people are still poor.
What a crock of lies most everybody can not just move up a ladder due to ability or not enough room for a bunch of supervisors.This type of ignorance that everybody can just move up is pretty amazing. Hard work is hardly a measure of success many hard working people are still poor.
I did it......and if a dumb ass, ex stoner, college drop out like me can go from making 2.90 an hr to a household income in the six figure range, then just about anyone should be able to at least improve their stations in life to some degree.
Will everyone sucseed?
Maybe not.... but at the same time, others will do better than I have because they are willing to work harder than I have and more power to them.
You know who's fault it is that I don't make more than I do now?
Not my parents fault, not society, not George Bush's.......not Barack Obama's and not some nameless fat cat's on Wall Street either.
It's MY fault.
So I have no sympathy for those who are unwilling to put forth any effort to try.
Then point out the government's investment income in the CBO's and the OMB's revenue reports.
What part of largely off budget do you not understand? Revenue is a particular accounting term. So is income, assets etc... You cannot look at that one summary report as an all inclusive summary of total net worth. It's not like having a checking account... LOL
I suggest you go study accounting and govt accounting in particular. You should also go study how transnationals and their subsidiaries use accounting practices and sandwiches to acquire wealth.
Do you believe those giant pools of govt investment funds being invested are generating no return? Is that what you believe? You believe they don't exist?
I already told you the specific CAFR areas you should focus on.
You may also find schedule 4 of interest. http://www.fms.treas.gov/annualreport/cs2012/index.html
On that same page you can look at other reports detailing what is in those appropriations, outlay etc... as well.
This conversation is reminding of the old abbott and costello skit.
Other countries put restrictions in place for immigrants so that masses of impoverished don't flood their country.
Even retirees have to show proof of income and proof of medical insurance in order to get permission to retire in some countries.
Last edited by CaseyB; 11-18-2013 at 11:40 AM..
Reason: response to deletion
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
