Middle-class areas shrink as America divides into 'two-tiered society' of rich and po

[KevinKohler]

Re: Middle-class areas shrink as America divides into 'two-tiered society' of rich an

And as long as so many hold that attitude, we will always have the same problems.

The only time I will now vote for the "lesser of two evils" will be if one of them is so bad that I believe their election would be a travesty. Then I would vote for the other "evil". Other than that, I choose not to be part of the problem.

Actually, there is a group of people out there with the opposite idea....vote for the WORST people, in order to exacerbate things. The idea is, a frog tossed into a pot of scalding water is going to jump out right away...but a frog in a pot of water being slowly warmed will sit their till it's cooked.

Personally, I don't adhere to this idea, but I know more than a few folks that do.

 

[radcen]

Re: Middle-class areas shrink as America divides into 'two-tiered society' of rich an

Actually, there is a group of people out there with the opposite idea....vote for the WORST people, in order to exacerbate things. The idea is, a frog tossed into a pot of scalding water is going to jump out right away...but a frog in a pot of water being slowly warmed will sit their till it's cooked.

Personally, I don't adhere to this idea, but I know more than a few folks that do.

That idea does seem to be increasing, but I'm with you... I don't adhere to it either.

Not that this is the totality of my thoughts on the issue, but I put this in the "be careful what you wish for" category. Don't make things so bad that you cannot fix them either when you get the chance, and thus set up your own demise.

 

[Cephus]

Re: Middle-class areas shrink as America divides into 'two-tiered society' of rich an

Not a chance. Somebody has to try and counter those with lower standards who blindly accept leaders they know they'll be disappointed with.

Hey, you're the one who said you didn't want to be part of the problem. Doesn't matter to me whatsoever what you do. The winner is still going to win, with or without you.

 

[Cephus]

Re: Middle-class areas shrink as America divides into 'two-tiered society' of rich an

Yes, but casting a vote for the opposition just because they are opposition sends a message, just as voting for the best person for the job despite a snow balls chance in hell of winning sends a message. Who you vote for ALWAYS matters. You're voicing your opinion. Choosing to side with the loudest crowd is choosing to not be heard.

Yes, you are voicing your opinion, but you're doing more than that. If it was just a poll and there were no ramifications based on how you voted, it wouldn't matter. Vote for whoever you want. But this poll does have ramifications, you are putting someone in political power over your life for the next 4 years. It's not academic, it's practical.

 

[KevinKohler]

Re: Middle-class areas shrink as America divides into 'two-tiered society' of rich an

Yes, you are voicing your opinion, but you're doing more than that. If it was just a poll and there were no ramifications based on how you voted, it wouldn't matter. Vote for whoever you want. But this poll does have ramifications, you are putting someone in political power over your life for the next 4 years. It's not academic, it's practical.

And it insures that we will ever get more of the same.

 

[radcen]

Re: Middle-class areas shrink as America divides into 'two-tiered society' of rich an

Hey, you're the one who said you didn't want to be part of the problem. Doesn't matter to me whatsoever what you do. The winner is still going to win, with or without you.

You just defined the problem.

 

[radcen]

Re: Middle-class areas shrink as America divides into 'two-tiered society' of rich an

Yes, you are voicing your opinion, but you're doing more than that. If it was just a poll and there were no ramifications based on how you voted, it wouldn't matter. Vote for whoever you want. But this poll does have ramifications, you are putting someone in political power over your life for the next 4 years. It's not academic, it's practical.

Maybe it's a difference between short-term thinking and long-term thinking. You're right, it is practical... for today. It also only continues the problem into tomorrow.

 

[Cephus]

Re: Middle-class areas shrink as America divides into 'two-tiered society' of rich an

And it insures that we will ever get more of the same.

Welcome to reality. Humans have done exactly the same thing for thousands of years. Not going to change any time soon.

 

[Cephus]

Re: Middle-class areas shrink as America divides into 'two-tiered society' of rich an

You just defined the problem.

Someone is going to win, that's what happens in a contest. You have a winner and everyone else is a loser. How is that a problem?

 

[CriticalThought]

Re: Middle-class areas shrink as America divides into 'two-tiered society' of rich an

30 years of slowly but surely screwing over Labor in order to increase profit margins and pay out ever bigger executive salaries will do that to a society.

I work at a nonprofit where the executives drive Corvettes and BMWs and eat Lobster and Steak everyday while I carry a caseload that should really be carried by 2 or 3 people.

 

[CriticalThought]

Re: Middle-class areas shrink as America divides into 'two-tiered society' of rich an

Someone is going to win, that's what happens in a contest. You have a winner and everyone else is a loser. How is that a problem?

The contest is rigged.

 

[Cephus]

Re: Middle-class areas shrink as America divides into 'two-tiered society' of rich an

The contest is rigged.

Doesn't change the fact that there will be a winner and losers.

I always find it funny that the people whose candidates don't appeal to a wide variety of people and who can't get many votes always declare the contest to be rigged, instead of admitting that they're following a lame horse.

 

[radcen]

Re: Middle-class areas shrink as America divides into 'two-tiered society' of rich an

I work at a nonprofit where the executives drive Corvettes and BMWs and eat Lobster and Steak everyday while I carry a caseload that should really be carried by 2 or 3 people.

The term "non-profit" always makes me giggle.

 

[Wake]

Re: Middle-class areas shrink as America divides into 'two-tiered society' of rich an

Maybe if we didn't have 20 million illegal immigrants in our nation, and if businesses didn't ship jobs overseas, there would be more jobs for Americans.

 

[Antiderivative]

Re: Middle-class areas shrink as America divides into 'two-tiered society' of rich an

Welcome to the American plutocracy where we have a run away government controlled by the rich to do their biding. However, we live in age of confusion where the rich are perceived by many to be the most discriminated class in society, despite having a government that works for them and getting billions in taxpayers' handouts. However, the poor, elderly, teachers, unions, the environment, planned parenthood, etc. get blamed for the financial crisis, along with rising inequality.

This is America, the land of Ayn Rand politics. Instead of coming to reality and realizing that many of the rich are a drag on society who helped caused the global financial crisis, they are made out to be the victims of it and were some of the biggest beneficiaries of it while people who didn't play a role in it were punished. Unfortunately, this is considered just in America.

Stiglitz has a nice article touching upon this subject.
Of the 1%, by the 1%, for the 1% | Society | Vanity Fair

 

[CriticalThought]

Re: Middle-class areas shrink as America divides into 'two-tiered society' of rich an

Doesn't change the fact that there will be a winner and losers.

I always find it funny that the people whose candidates don't appeal to a wide variety of people and who can't get many votes always declare the contest to be rigged, instead of admitting that they're following a lame horse.

There will be winners and losers. There are those who exploit the system and shout "Let them eat cake" when the rest of society suffers. And there is the guillotine awaiting when the rest of society has had enough.

 

[CriticalThought]

Re: Middle-class areas shrink as America divides into 'two-tiered society' of rich an

Maybe if we didn't have 20 million illegal immigrants in our nation, and if businesses didn't ship jobs overseas, there would be more jobs for Americans.

Socialist! How dare you suggest we impede the global market with regulation!

 

[Wake]

Re: Middle-class areas shrink as America divides into 'two-tiered society' of rich an

Socialist! How dare you suggest we impede the global market with regulation!

In my best Toby Flenderson impersonation I'm going to ask, "what are you talking about?"

 

[CriticalThought]

Re: Middle-class areas shrink as America divides into 'two-tiered society' of rich an

In my best Toby Flenderson impersonation I'm going to ask, "what are you talking about?"

You aren't capitalist enough. Outsourcing and illegal immigration are great ways to keep wages down. We also need to increase credit card and student debt so people are forced to work at those low wages so as to not destroy their buying power. Most importantly, we need to get people buying a house so that they live in perpetual fear of losing their home and they never organize or go on strike to protest. This is how a good society functions.