ASSAULT ON AMERICA'S POOR! (Frazer Chronicle)
You can line um up, might be 3 deep, it's for sure that there shoulder to shoulder in their attempts to keep the man down. That "man" is the chronically unemployed, or the guy who lost his job during the "melt-down" that overtook the countries financial stability and job market.There is a multitude of causes why the economy went bad, and more then enough people and institutions to blame.
It is fascinating to me, that conservatives now point a finger at George W. Bush and his constant push for all Americans to own their own home. I have a friend in real-estate and a pal who owns a mortgage company, the 2000's were very good to these people. I ask them once if they figured the housing market would ever "level off," and in fact decline, there answer was an emphatic NO. "Oops," guess they were wrong.
Most every economist talk about the "complex issues" that are tied to the recession that the United States is now experiencing, and to varying degrees, much of the rest of the world feels the same tight American issues. To this thinking I say, "balderdash and a big fat huba huba," there isn't a complex set of issues with the depression-like situation that America is in.
It's simple and straight forward, wages have been stagnate, or in regression for close to 30 years, bankers were out of control and manufacturing jobs not only went south, they went to the west, east and north. Our federal government allowed the "Captains of Industry" to take their jobs off shore, so that they could make un-Godly income from lower wages, and make a profit from the sales of their now imported product back to the United States.
Through the loss of jobs in America, millions of jobs, the economy of the country begin to suffer and finally fail. Many of the lost jobs were well paying, great benefit type work, and people lived according to their income. When your making upwards of $70,000 a year as a floor worker in a G.M. plant in Detroit and your wife makes another $40 grand, all sorts of spending goes on, jet skies, fishing boats, vacations, new cars every other year, addition on the house, a cottage up state, with little or no thought to the future. The good times are rolling and will last at least through my work life.
But, the bubble burst, and the country went back to the "boom or bust" mentality that has dominated the country for well over a hundred years. This time, though, there was something different, U.S. business was using tax laws, corporation loop-holes and the realization that good cheap labor was just a jet ride away in under-developed countries, labor that was so cheap, the "Captains" couldn't believe it.
Another problem in the United States was the fact that banks were on a run-away path to glory, profits and not only independent wealth, but wealth on such a grand scale, that the common man, "like me," can't even dream of the numbers.
A law was passed almost 80 years ago, establishing the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, "F.D.I.C." in the United States and introduced banking reforms, some of which were designed to control speculation. It is commonly known as the Glass-Steagall Act, and there were 2 attempts to control money matters in the country.
The first, Glass-Steagall Act in 1932 was an effort to stop "deflation," expand the Federal Reserves ability to offer discounts on more types of assets, government bonds as well as commercial paper and the like.
The second Glass-Steagall Act in 1933 was tougher then the '32 act, and was a response to the collapse of a large portion of Americans' commercial banking system in early 1933. The act introduced the separation of the bank types according to their business, (commercial and investment banking).
Without doubt, the biggest single reason that banks got their butts in a sling during the middle and latter part of the 1st. decade of 21st. century was because they were allowed to return to the practices of the last part of the 19th. century and the first 29 years of the 20th. century. Banks intermingled their business, investment and commercial, creating conflicts of interest at almost every turn, and then tere were the Hedge Funders and their wild speculations.
While all of this was going on, the working man and the hibutually poor took hit after hit on the chin, until finally, today, we have the Occupy outfit and their movement, which I must say is as miss-guided a cause as possibly has ever taken place in the United States.
A war has been going on against the working poor for a long time, but there aren't any casualty lists, newspapers don't list certain battles waged with catch phrase names, or heroic pictures depicting flag raisings. The Occupy Wall Street movement has concentrated on wealth at the top of our society, branding itself as a movement of the 99%, redirecting public attention to the issue of extreme inequality.
However by and large these protesters are young people, or people with minimual amounts of means, "they are touched by the problem, but can walk away at any time," back to their safe place. People that don't have jobs, that are being paid minimum wages and have a family to raise know what I'm talking about. These people don't have enough money to smoke cigarettes, or drink a beer.
These people try as hard as is humanly possible and still can't get ahead.....it's just the same crap day after day, week and week and month after month. Most of these people are poorly educated, can have emotional or mental issues and never, never get better. Their lives are one continual grind, they are never rewarded for their efforts or their attendance, or how well they learn their jobs.
The upper middle class expects raises for their efforts and often get the renuneration tht they are looking for. But for the past couple of decades, raises have been eaten up by raising food, fuel-heating and medical-insurance costs.
Employers have become calous with regards to their employee's needs, wants and desires. Several years ago, I worked for a paper distributing company, and it was widely know that the guy never gave raises, always said "he didn't have the money." I have never asked for a raise in my life and now that I am retired, "I guess that record will remain intact." Any ways with all his hardship and tight funds, the jerk goes out a buys a $200,000 motor home.
The S.O.B. is more then 60 foot in length and has every gadget that can be put into one of those things. The jerk actually takes me on a tour and wants to know my opinion, without a moments hesitation I remarked that "I now knew why nobody got raises."
Look, I've said it before and I guess I'll say it again, "business' job is to eliminate labor, not create it." As Michelle Bachman said, "if you don't work, you don't eat," wow, with an attitude like that, the man with the big motor home might be able to buy a matching one for his wife.
Until the really working poor and the just plain poor get together, nothing is going to change, sadly. I'm just dam glad I've retired.....the situation gets my dander up, and I'm far removed from it.
You can line um up, might be 3 deep, it's for sure that there shoulder to shoulder in their attempts to keep the man down. That "man" is the chronically unemployed, or the guy who lost his job during the "melt-down" that overtook the countries financial stability and job market.There is a multitude of causes why the economy went bad, and more then enough people and institutions to blame.
It is fascinating to me, that conservatives now point a finger at George W. Bush and his constant push for all Americans to own their own home. I have a friend in real-estate and a pal who owns a mortgage company, the 2000's were very good to these people. I ask them once if they figured the housing market would ever "level off," and in fact decline, there answer was an emphatic NO. "Oops," guess they were wrong.
Most every economist talk about the "complex issues" that are tied to the recession that the United States is now experiencing, and to varying degrees, much of the rest of the world feels the same tight American issues. To this thinking I say, "balderdash and a big fat huba huba," there isn't a complex set of issues with the depression-like situation that America is in.
It's simple and straight forward, wages have been stagnate, or in regression for close to 30 years, bankers were out of control and manufacturing jobs not only went south, they went to the west, east and north. Our federal government allowed the "Captains of Industry" to take their jobs off shore, so that they could make un-Godly income from lower wages, and make a profit from the sales of their now imported product back to the United States.
Through the loss of jobs in America, millions of jobs, the economy of the country begin to suffer and finally fail. Many of the lost jobs were well paying, great benefit type work, and people lived according to their income. When your making upwards of $70,000 a year as a floor worker in a G.M. plant in Detroit and your wife makes another $40 grand, all sorts of spending goes on, jet skies, fishing boats, vacations, new cars every other year, addition on the house, a cottage up state, with little or no thought to the future. The good times are rolling and will last at least through my work life.
But, the bubble burst, and the country went back to the "boom or bust" mentality that has dominated the country for well over a hundred years. This time, though, there was something different, U.S. business was using tax laws, corporation loop-holes and the realization that good cheap labor was just a jet ride away in under-developed countries, labor that was so cheap, the "Captains" couldn't believe it.
Another problem in the United States was the fact that banks were on a run-away path to glory, profits and not only independent wealth, but wealth on such a grand scale, that the common man, "like me," can't even dream of the numbers.
A law was passed almost 80 years ago, establishing the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, "F.D.I.C." in the United States and introduced banking reforms, some of which were designed to control speculation. It is commonly known as the Glass-Steagall Act, and there were 2 attempts to control money matters in the country.
The first, Glass-Steagall Act in 1932 was an effort to stop "deflation," expand the Federal Reserves ability to offer discounts on more types of assets, government bonds as well as commercial paper and the like.
The second Glass-Steagall Act in 1933 was tougher then the '32 act, and was a response to the collapse of a large portion of Americans' commercial banking system in early 1933. The act introduced the separation of the bank types according to their business, (commercial and investment banking).
Without doubt, the biggest single reason that banks got their butts in a sling during the middle and latter part of the 1st. decade of 21st. century was because they were allowed to return to the practices of the last part of the 19th. century and the first 29 years of the 20th. century. Banks intermingled their business, investment and commercial, creating conflicts of interest at almost every turn, and then tere were the Hedge Funders and their wild speculations.
While all of this was going on, the working man and the hibutually poor took hit after hit on the chin, until finally, today, we have the Occupy outfit and their movement, which I must say is as miss-guided a cause as possibly has ever taken place in the United States.
A war has been going on against the working poor for a long time, but there aren't any casualty lists, newspapers don't list certain battles waged with catch phrase names, or heroic pictures depicting flag raisings. The Occupy Wall Street movement has concentrated on wealth at the top of our society, branding itself as a movement of the 99%, redirecting public attention to the issue of extreme inequality.
However by and large these protesters are young people, or people with minimual amounts of means, "they are touched by the problem, but can walk away at any time," back to their safe place. People that don't have jobs, that are being paid minimum wages and have a family to raise know what I'm talking about. These people don't have enough money to smoke cigarettes, or drink a beer.
These people try as hard as is humanly possible and still can't get ahead.....it's just the same crap day after day, week and week and month after month. Most of these people are poorly educated, can have emotional or mental issues and never, never get better. Their lives are one continual grind, they are never rewarded for their efforts or their attendance, or how well they learn their jobs.
The upper middle class expects raises for their efforts and often get the renuneration tht they are looking for. But for the past couple of decades, raises have been eaten up by raising food, fuel-heating and medical-insurance costs.
Employers have become calous with regards to their employee's needs, wants and desires. Several years ago, I worked for a paper distributing company, and it was widely know that the guy never gave raises, always said "he didn't have the money." I have never asked for a raise in my life and now that I am retired, "I guess that record will remain intact." Any ways with all his hardship and tight funds, the jerk goes out a buys a $200,000 motor home.
The S.O.B. is more then 60 foot in length and has every gadget that can be put into one of those things. The jerk actually takes me on a tour and wants to know my opinion, without a moments hesitation I remarked that "I now knew why nobody got raises."
Look, I've said it before and I guess I'll say it again, "business' job is to eliminate labor, not create it." As Michelle Bachman said, "if you don't work, you don't eat," wow, with an attitude like that, the man with the big motor home might be able to buy a matching one for his wife.
Until the really working poor and the just plain poor get together, nothing is going to change, sadly. I'm just dam glad I've retired.....the situation gets my dander up, and I'm far removed from it.
No comments:
Post a Comment