Are U.S. corporations waging a war on middle class americans?

Read a book talking about a supposed war corporations are waging against middle class americans. Very Simple Question Yes, No or I dont know. For the first 2 post why.

The answer is

ABSOLUTELY YES!

No. People want things. Corporations provide things. It's called capitalism. If you don't like it, don't buy from them, but don't bitch at those of us who do.

Kandahar said:

No. People want things. Corporations provide things. It's called capitalism. If you don't like it, don't buy from them, but don't bitch at those of us who do.

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I didnt mean it that way. I meant it more towards U.S. Corporations ripping off americans right and left( ex : Enron). And the millions of americans who lose money everyday because of corporations commiting fraud. I could care less about your definition of capitalism

Hatuey said:

Read a book talking about a supposed war corporations are waging against middle class americans. Very Simple Question Yes, No or I dont know. For the first 2 post why.

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Absolutely yes. These multinational corporations are motivated soley by profit, and have very little, if any, loyalty to American workers. That's one big reason why the middle class is feeling so crunched by outsourcing, rising health care costs and higher tuition for college.

Here we have a fundamental difference between Dems and Republicans. I think the government should offer incentives for corporations to keep jobs in America, the GOP thinks the free market will solve everything.

Of course, even the concept of a "free market" is a myth.

Hatuey said:

I didnt mean it that way. I meant it more towards U.S. Corporations ripping off americans right and left( ex : Enron). And the millions of americans who lose money everyday because of corporations commiting fraud. I could care less about your definition of capitalism

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Enron is an isolated case. Fraudulent corporations deteriorate themselves from the inside out.

hipsterdufus said:

That's one big reason why the middle class is feeling so crunched by outsourcing, rising health care costs and higher tuition for college.

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What is the "middle class", please define that for me.

Absolutely yes. These multinational corporations are motivated soley by profit, and have very little, if any, loyalty to American workers.

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Loyalty to profit(within legal boundaries) makes the best business models you know that right? It is not only profit but survival, just like human beings corporations need to survive through profit, few Americans check where everything they buy is made, especially now that this area is getting murkier and murkier. I read a WSJ article on which car is actually more American? It showed that a Toyata highlander actually used more American products(location of factories, workers, and resources) during its manufacturing process than a Ford(forgot the model), it was 90% vs 65%. A stubborn business loyal to such an arbitrary factor is inherently handicapped and will be crushed by competitors.

With lower production costs through outsourcing a company can lower the price of its products and undermine competing businesses, driving them out of businesses. These businesses "loyal" to America will go out of business, and the jobs they use to provide...

I do not like the direction of ideology this country is going towards, France's approval rating of capitalism is around 31%, they view globalization as a vile thing, and look at them, oh look at them.

hipsterdufus said:

Absolutely yes. These multinational corporations are motivated soley by profit, and have very little, if any, loyalty to American workers. That's one big reason why the middle class is feeling so crunched by outsourcing, rising health care costs and higher tuition for college.

Here we have a fundamental difference between Dems and Republicans. I think the government should offer incentives for corporations to keep jobs in America, the GOP thinks the free market will solve everything.

Of course, even the concept of a "free market" is a myth.

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i think that corparations are supposed to be motivated be profit, profit is the only reason why most people work.

Synch said:

Enron is an isolated case.

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And then there is Adelphia, Bre-X, Exxon, Fannie Mae, Halliburton, Lemout and Haspie, Nortel, Pharmalat, Phar-Mor and Tyco International. It's hardly an isolated case.

This is an over generalization. Most corporations depend on the middle class to buy their products.

Hatuey said:

Read a book talking about a supposed war corporations are waging against middle class americans. Very Simple Question Yes, No or I dont know. For the first 2 post why.

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By war do you mean trying to destroy the middle class? Of course not. Corporations provide a vital service for the middle class while providing jobs, albeit not as many now as they used to, and services. Without corporations our economy will be utterly destroyed.

RightOfCenter said:

By war do you mean trying to destroy the middle class? Of course not. Corporations provide a vital service for the middle class while providing jobs, albeit not as many now as they used to, and services. Without corporations our economy will be utterly destroyed.

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No I meant it more towards the fraud companies commit everyday type.

I don’t think corporations are warring against the middle class, I think its just that they treat the middle class like they do the environment. Nothing overtly illegal with what most of them do, it’s just that the aggregate impact of them all trying to turn a profit ends up with something like the Tragedy of the Commons.

Synch said:

What is the "middle class", please define that for me.

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You say this like no definition can be found. If you believe that no definition can be found because the earnings one accumulates given a time period is a continuum, then do you believe that definitions about continuums are all impossible?

For example, the definition of "yellow". If you observe light broken up by a prism, there is no clearly defined point where yellow becomes another color on the spectrum. And yet, we know when something is clearly NOT yellow, and there are places where it clearly IS yellow. Because there are points along the spectrum where we are not sure if it is still yellow or not, however, any definition is arbitrary, to a point.

Is it the places where arbitrary boundaries are drawn that have confused you into thinking continuums can't be divided up meaningfully? Have you extended the zones where it is unclear whether you are in one or another beyond their proper limits?

When people say "Look, a yellow bird, I think its a finch" Do you respond, "define yellow"? Is it meaningful that the person has asserted that the bird in question is yellow?

If not, I don't understand how you can say "define middle class", every time people assert something about it. The word is meaningful, even if its edges are defined arbitrarily. And I suspect you know perfectly well what they mean

Kandahar said:

No. People want things. Corporations provide things. It's called capitalism. If you don't like it, don't buy from them, but don't bitch at those of us who do.

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Capitalism

Capitalism stresses freedom of individual economic enterprise; however, government action has been and is required to curb its abuses, which have ranged from slavery (particularly in Britain and the United States) and apartheid (in South Africa) to monopoly cartels and financial fraud.

Capitalism does not presuppose a specific form of social or political organization: the democratic socialism of the Scandinavian states, the consensus politics of Japan, and the state-sponsored rapid industrial growth of South Korea while under military dictatorship all coexist with capitalism.

Capitalism use to stress competition between companies, now it stresses monopoly, price co-operation.
Modern Capitalism is trying to quickly turn government into a corporate monetary and monopoly dictatorship.

The Middle Class is under attack because it sees moderation and control by government as the means to protect the people from Exploitation, from monopoly.

Hatuey said:

Read a book talking about a supposed war corporations are waging against middle class americans. Very Simple Question Yes, No or I dont know. For the first 2 post why.

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No I do not think corporations are wagin war against the middle class.They are probably trying to drive down wages and cut other cost to pocket more profit,but no they are not intentionally trying to wage war with the middle class.They need the middle class to buy all their crap and or purchase their services.

I voted 'Yes', but want to clarify:

I actually don't think corporations are purposely waging a war on the middle class. I think the conditions are present (market conditions, legislative conditions, etc.) to drain the middle class and feed corporations. We operate under policies which encourage a flow of wealth away from individuals and toward corporations.

This doesn't mean each individual can't "beat the system", but *most* will be led by "the system" rather than taking advantage (buying into it). Those who invest in the corporations will reap the benefits and keep pace. Those who feed the corporations more than they pull from them (i.e. credit card interest, purchases, etc.) will feel the pain of their decreasing purchasing power.